Forest putting trust in old-school O’Neill to perform a miracle
NOSTALGIA will only get Martin O’Neill so far on his return to Nottingham Forest. His constant reminders of how Brian Clough operated as they became champions of England and Europe (twice) in the late 1970s and ’80s began to grate during the final 12 months of his Republic of Ireland reign.
They will be embraced and celebrated when he meets the English media later this week, but they won’t be tolerated for long in Nottingham, even by those who adore him, if he fails to make the sort of immediate impact they crave after almost 20 years outside the top flight.
O’Neill’s appointment is being hailed as an emotional homecoming by a club desperate to reignite another faltering campaign in the second tier of English football.
They may be only four points off the play-off places — 11 shy of automatic promotion — but one of the reasons previous boss Aitor Karanka’s relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakos deteriorated so rapidly was down to the Spaniard being outside that top six, not to mention deploying an overly cautious style of play which failed to excite.
A play-off berth was the minimum expectation following £20 million of investment over the summer and O’Neill, the 11th permanent manager in seven years, must now deliver promotion. Nothing else will do.
The official photos of the Derry man’s unveiling, released by the club yesterday, leaned heavily on that emotional link to the past. He was pictured sitting in front of a jersey with his old number seven on the back while, in another, he stood gazing adoringly at a replica European Cup — and plaque commemorating the triumphs — in the club’s boardroom.
But Forest is a club that for too long has had little hope for the future. O’Neill offers some, but for how long? Luckily for him, he only needs to ensure that the initial flicker of passion, which is reported to have so captivated Marinakos during the interview process, rubs off on the players and burns strongly enough to put them in contention for promotion in May.
The press release wasn’t shy about stating the significance of O’Neill’s appointment. ‘One of the original and most-loved “Miracle Men”, Martin is finally realising a life-long dream in managing his beloved Nottingham Forest. With his commitment to the club, knowledge of the game and passion to succeed, O’Neill will be aiming to take the club back into the top flight of English football and make the miracle happen again.’
O’Neill’s first game in charge is at home to Bristol City on Saturday so expect any swag-seller worth their salt around the City Ground to have t-shirts, hats and scarves emblazoned with their new motto: Make The Miracle Happen Again.
If you were to believe the hype, it seems O’Neill has been dealing exclusively in producing miracles with the Republic of Ireland. His successes with Ireland cannot, and should not, be ignored.
There were famous nights against world champions Germany — drawing away and winning at home — while the play-off win over Bosnia-Herzegovina to qualify for Euro 2016 was extremely impressive and the famous victory over Italy in Lille will be cherished for years to come.
These were sporadic moments of joy amid a tenure that will also be remembered for a lack of organisation, tactical fragility and players repeatedly making the same mistakes.
Then there was the 5-1 loss at home to Denmark, and playing Cyrus Christie in the centre of midfield during the Nations League, when his approach seemed dreamt up, as opposed to thought out and properly worked on.
O’Neill’s old-school approach — naming the formation, tactics and starting XI on the day of a game as well as leaving players to organise set-pieces — only paid off with Ireland because the players were capable of producing those oneoff moments that counted for so much more in condensed qualifying campaigns.
Memories of being played off the park by Georgia and struggling to even impose themselves against Moldova linger, as well as the complete lack of belief and confidence at home to Northern Ireland. Then the opposition had fewer Premier League players but looked more capable as a unit and would have left Dublin with a deserved win but for keeper Darren Randolph’s man-of-the match performance.
The word from the English media is that O’Neill was hounded out by their counterparts on these shores simply because of a poor style of play, when the reality is that there was no style for those last 12 months. It was turgid and supporters had become so disillusioned with what they were watching, they were drained of hope.
At Forest, in a demanding division like the Championship where the fixtures are relentless, one win in three or four games just won’t cut it. Under Karanka, a methodical coach who impressed upon his players the importance of every detail, everyone knew their jobs and what was expected of them.
As Forest are about to find out, O’Neill does things very differently, relying instead on his man management and ability to inspire through passion.
That could well be enough to make miracles happen again but, if the players don’t respond, it will be a miracle if O’Neill’s reputation survives in the modern game.