Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Moore: Victory isn’t in the Bag
GARRY BIRTLES says Martin O’Neill’s arrival will unite Nottingham Forest – and lift the club to a different level after Aitor Karanka’s exit.
Birtles said: “It’s a perfect time for Martin to come in. Forest isn’t broken, it just needs TLC. Martin will unite the club and dressing-room.
“He’s measured, intelligent, he will know which players he can berate and which others he can put an arm around.
“Forest can still get in the play-offs. They should have won four matches they’ve not seen over the line – and, if they had, they’d be in second. I think Martin will take them to another level.”
And what did Birtles think Old
Big ’Ed, as Brian Clough was affectionately known, would have thought about it?
“Everyone knows what Brian thought about Martin,” he said,
“He would’ve been delighted.” DARREN MOORE has warned his high-flying Baggies to ignore the league table when they take on Bolton.
West Brom travel to relegation-threatened Wanderers tomorrow looking to narrow the gap on the top two in the Championship.
Albion spent last week warm-weather training in Dubai and Moore believes his team cannot afford to be complacent.
He said: “We’re expecting a fully-committed performance from Bolton in front of their own support.
“They will be hard- working and difficult.
It’s never an easy place to go. We will need to set about them and set our own match tempo.
“Any time you think you have an easy game, you do so at your peril.
“Teams can suffer unusual results where they are pitched as favourites.”
The Baggies have called off their waiting game over Harvey Barnes. Albion were prepared to wait until the end of the month to see if the winger would be surplus at Leicester.
But after helping spark a Foxes fightback at Wolves yesterday, Barnes, 21, looks set to stay at the King Power.