Fans here have been reared on European triumphs. There will be people sitting in the stands who have seen the trophy being lifted

European Champions League trophies here. It is magnificent. You have to enjoy that and recognise it.

“Fans here have been reared on European triumphs. There will be people sitting in the stands on Saturday who will have been to the European campaigns and seen the trophy being lifted.

“It was exactly the same at my previous club where there was a magnificent history.

“That is the expectation. It is in their blood. They are used to seeing their team winning, to going on these European adventures.”

Forest have, like Rangers before he took over, been plagued by financial and off-field problems. Their current owner, Kuwaiti businessman Fawaz Al-Hasawi, is reportedly in talks to sell his stake. Just avoiding the unthinkable prospect of going down to the third tier would satisfy their long-suffering supporters this term given the state they are in on and off the park.

Enjoying European success is unrealistic for a provincial club with such a small fan base in the modern game. But returning to the top flight of English football is an achievable goal. Warburton is hopeful that, in time, he can realise those ambitions.

“You talk about the super clubs now and look at the financial disparity that is there between leagues, all these problems that were never there 30 or 40 years ago,” he said. “But you have to find a way to overcome them. You hope very much you can put the building blocks in place to give the club the chance to repeat these dreams.”