The long-term goal for new boss Steve Cooper is to get Nottingham Forest climbing the Championship table.
And to do that, he has set his players individual targets which it is hoped will lead to collective success.
It is just one of the ways the Welshman has made an immediate impact on his squad, with defender Djed Spence giving an insight into the head coach’s man-management.
Cooper was appointed last month, replacing Chris Hughton at the helm, and has picked up seven points from nine in a promising start to his time with the Reds.
“He wants us to stick together, that was his message when he came in,” said Spence.
“He said some personal things. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say what, but he set some personal goals for us - where we should be in a certain amount of time.
“He set us short, personal goals. Hopefully we can achieve them. If we do, it’s going to be good.
“It does help having those goals. It’s a target.
“If you’re at one point and you want to get to another, you’ve got to work to get to that level.
“It’s good to set goals. As a team, when you come together, you can work towards that goal.
“We just want to win as many games as we can, and let our football lead the way.
“If we do that, you never know with the Championship. It’s very tight.
“We’ll just try to win as many games as we can, then in a couple of months’ time we’ll see where we’re at.”
Forest dropped to rock-bottom of the league under Hughton, registering just one point from their opening seven games.
They are unbeaten in four since he was axed, with caretaker Steven Reid overseeing victory at Huddersfield Town, while Barnsley and Birmingham City have both been toppled under Cooper, to go with a draw at home to Millwall in his first match.
For Spence, the change in manager came not long after he had put pen to paper at the City Ground, on a loan move from Middlesbrough.
He says it didn’t affect him, though, and he has quickly settled in to life on the banks of the Trent.
“You just have to get your head down and play football; let your football do the talking,” said the 21-year-old.
“Everything else doesn’t matter; you just play your game. It doesn’t really affect you too much.
“He (Cooper) is a good manager and a great guy.
“He knows what he wants to do, and he has implemented it on the training pitch.
“He hasn’t been here for long, but my first impressions are that he is a good coach.
“He doesn’t focus on the negatives. Of course you have to go over some of the bad things, but he focuses on the positives.
“Everything is about how we can win a game and finding solutions. It’s a winning mentality.
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“I’m just glad to be here. I want to help the team keep moving forward and push up the table.
“When you get to know people, you want to play for them more. You make partnerships and you want to help out your teammates.
“We just want to work for each other.
“If someone has fallen off a bit, you’ve got your teammates to tell you, ‘come on’. It gives you that extra boost and that extra focus.
“Everyone has got each other’s back in the team. We’re just focused on what comes next.”
