Sabri Lamouchi admits he told his Nottingham Forest players a few home truths after last weekend’s defeat at Birmingham City.
But he only did so out of love, fully aware of what they are capable of achieving.
He doesn’t want any regrets come the end of the season.
However much you try to underplay it, is a big one.
Just four points separate the two sides.
Lamouchi knows its importance, but also stresses nothing will be decided based on this match alone.
The Frenchman though, spoke passionately and at great length in his pre-match press conference before this one, eager to issue a rallying cry to supporters - and his players, as they look to put themselves firmly in the promotion mix heading into the final stretch.
They have come a long way since his arrival back in June - and, as he goes on to say, he knows a thing or two about marathons.
“I remember our first game, at home against West Brom, when we lost. And then at Leeds, we scored late at the end of the game,” said the former Rennes boss.
“So after two games, we had just one point.
“There was probably some doubt and some people worried, because before I signed nobody knew me.
“The players, they have done a fantastic job until now. But what I am saying to them is, ‘it is fantastic, but what you can - what you must - do now will be amazing for the rest of your lives’.
“We just need to focus and work hard every day because it is really important - but not only for ourselves, not only for us, but for more than us. We play football for that reason; for the emotion and to share that.
“We are all - everyone at the club - competitors. We want to face other competitors, and at the end, we want to win and achieve our goals.
“At the end of the season, you will have success or not.
“Our priority now is to look week after week, game after game and not so far ahead.
“Every professional has personal goals, but we all have the same goal - to finish the season close to the best team, in the best position.
“We want to be in the race, because we deserve to be there.
“We deserve to compete against Leeds, West Brom, Fulham and Brentford. They are good teams, but Nottingham Forest are as well.”
Last Saturday, Lamouchi was as angry as he has been since his appointment.
Forest had gone 1-0 up at St Andrew’s through Tiago Silva and had the chance to double that lead through a Lewis Grabban penalty.
Lee Camp’s save put a stop to that and the Blues almost immediately went down the other end to equalise.
The visitors lost their way in the second half, conceded a second goal and saw a seven-match unbeaten run in the league come to an end.
It was a performance blasted as “naive and stupid” by their manager afterwards.
“They know I told them the truth,” Lamouchi said
“I told them the truth, but in the same way as I say the truth to my kids - it is because I love them.
“For me, this team - my players - deserve more points.
“We made some mistakes in a lot of games and we have lost a lot of points, but I don’t want at the end to cry because we missed out on promotion by one point or the play-offs by one point, or one goal.
“The single details are important from the beginning, but also until the end.
“My team deserves more points because they are doing a fantastic job every day.
“I am strong with them because I know what they can do.
“When I told them the truth, I’m sure everybody agreed with me.
“I don’t have any regrets. They deserve the best because they are working hard.
“I’m the manager so I decide everything and I have the responsibility to bring every player along with me; and as a team, to bring our people along with us until the end.
“Sometimes it is nice to talk like that. But I don’t have any problem with them.
“They didn’t talk, but just because it was the truth - and they know that.
“But they know I love them, every one of them.”
And they know too, that this race is far from done.
Lamouchi admits “sometimes I wake up and I don’t know what day it is”, but he is gearing his team up for the climax to this campaign.
He jokes about how tough the last few miles of a marathon are, having taken part in the New York one a decade ago.
“We have worked with the squad, with the team and on the team spirit and we have got a lot of points until now - 14 victories, 51 points,” he said.
“But it is a marathon. It is so tough and so long.
“I did one marathon a long time ago, in New York.
“I just did it the one time. It was a dream for me to do one. But my wife killed me before with a day of shopping!
“I remember the 10 miles before the end, it was so difficult I stopped for a few minutes to stretch because I was dying!
“But I finished the marathon. And we will finish - but in which position? That is the most important thing.”
