Martin O’Neill says he will change the ‘brittle’ mentality at Nottingham Forest, after seeing them show their fragility in a painful 3-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
The Reds had been the better side in the first half at Hillsborough, but crumbed after conceding two early goals after the break, as they notched up a 13th game without an away win.
The Forest manager says it is his job to address the mentality at the club, so that their confidence does not crumble in the moment they concede the first goal.
And he insists it is more than just ‘words’ when he says he will do exactly that.
“This is my job and I intend to resolve that. These are not big words here; these are not just words to be said,” said O’Neill.
“We have fans coming here to support the team and they will have their own opinion about the side, which is absolutely fine.
“My job is to change the mentality at this club and I will do that. I intend to do that.
“We have hit some tough times and there may be a realisation of what is ahead.
Sam Byram 'showed his class' on a tough night for Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday
“But it will change; the mentality will change at the club and that is for starters.”
O’Neill made five changes to his starting XI, including giving a debut to Arvin Appiah, restoring Sam Byram after injury and drafting Luke Steele into the team in goal.
It prompted a reaction in the first half, when Forest’s biggest fault was failing to make the most of their chances.
But O’Neill says he will address that brittle edge - and believes he can do so with the current squad and some new additions in the summer.
“It can be a combination of both. I said to you recently that, if players want to get better, they have to listen,” he said.
“I have been in this game a fairly lengthy time now, I have had ups and downs, but also lots of really decent success, both as a player and a manager.
“And I think what I am saying to the players is spot on. They have to take this on board.
“Even the older players who might not feel they have much more to learn - they still can; they can still improve.”
O’Neill felt that his side were ultimate unfortunate to find themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline.
“We had a mad five-minute spell in the second half, when we conceded a goal from our own throw and then a second goal from our own set piece, which was disappointing,” he said. “I thought we were excellent in the first half and, unfortunately, we showed our brittle side again.
“It felt a wee bit harsh, but we were beaten in the end by three goals. But it could have been so different in the first half.
“We have broken on them on a number of occasions and I thought we played delightful football.
“We had chances that we spurned and we cannot keep doing that. I do not care what league you are in, you cannot keep doing that.
“When you don’t get the first goal, in this minute, it is a problem, because your confidence saps.
“Players have things to learn. We were well in the game still at 1-0. If you cannot create something in that time, make sure you do not concede.”
