The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Former Hoops manager O’Neill in at Forest
Nottingham Forest have announced the appointment of former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill as their new manager.
The 66-year-old, a former Forest player who won two European Cups with the club, replaces Aitor Karanka in the job after the Spaniard’s departure last week.
O’Neill becomes the club’s 11th full-time boss since 2011 and his first game in charge will be at home against fellow Championship play-off hopefuls Bristol City on Saturday.
There is no news on whether Roy Keane, the former Forest midfielder who assisted O’Neill during his five years as Republic of Ireland manager, will also be returning to the club.
O’Neill was a midfielder for Brian Clough’s Forest team which won the 197778 First Division title and then back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980.
As a manager, he enjoyed promotion success with Wycombe and Leicester, leading the Foxes to the Premier League as well as winning two League Cups, plus winning seven major trophies with Celtic, including three Scottish Premiership titles. O’Neill also guided the Hoops to the Uefa Cup final in 2003, losing to a Porto side managed by Jose Mourinho.
He ws with with Aston Villa and Sunderland before taking the Ireland job in November 2013.
Under O’Neill, Ireland qualified for the 2016 European Championships, reached the knock-outs stages at the finals but failed to qualify for the World Cup two years later.
He left the role in November and the Forest job will be his first in club management since leaving Sunderland in March 2013.