He may not have been in the dugout, but new Nottingham Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi will have been a keen observer in the Reds’ first pre-season friendly of the summer.
Barely 24 hours after being appointed at the City Ground, the Frenchman was in the Impact Arena stands watching his side
As for what he will have made of it all…. That’s almost anyone’s guess.
An attempt at “Lamouchi watch” barely got off the ground, with the manager somehow managing to sneak his way into his seat before kick-off.
And when he did take up his observation spot, he was tucked away in a corner - largely out of view from the vast majority of those in the stadium - sat near other senior figures at the club, such as chairman Nicholas Randall.
The odd fan was lucky enough to grab a selfie with the 47-year-old, but there was no big unveiling on the pitch before the match got underway, no venturing towards the touchline to put any of his views across.
It was very much left to Under-23s coaching duo Jimmy Gilligan and Chris Cohen to hold the reins on this occasion.
Whether Lamouchi opted to head into the changing room at full-time or perhaps speak to the squad on the coach, who knows?!
It seems as though his influence will really come to the fore in the next few days when the team head to Spain for a training camp.
He looked happy enough as he walked past the press box at the end of the game, but on a glorious June day like Saturday was who wouldn’t be?!
On a serious note, though, there will have been plenty for the new man to ponder on a day when Forest were forced to come from behind, with goals from Brennan Johnson and Karim Ansarifard steering them to the win.
