Sabri Lamouchi’s impact since arriving in England during the summer was never expected to be quite so powerful.
The Frenchman, clearly not afraid to take on difficult challenges, opted to make his first job on these shores one in the Championship, the graveyard where some of football’s great institutions reside.
And at a club with previous for operating a revolving door policy after employing 13 full-time managers in a little over eight years.
But in his first few months in charge of Nottingham Forest, Lamouchi has guided the Reds to the top of the table, and helped the club continue its upward curve under positive new owners.
Among all the positivity being felt by supporters at the City Ground, there is one key reason why Lamouchi has had such an impact, so quickly, according to somebody close to the Reds’ camp.
Forest old boy Guy Moussi is a compatriot of Lamouchi. He also played under the last Forest manager to win the Championship’s Manager of the Month, Billy Davies. He believes the lack of pressure at the start of the season has helped with the Reds' early season success.
“I think it’s brilliant what he has been doing so far,” Moussi told Nottinghamshire Live.
“I said at the start of the season that I thought he’d come here with no pressure because nobody knew about him.
“Compared to recent years, maybe fans have been too demanding on the performances of the team, which is normal because we are a big club.
“Sometimes that can mean too much pressure on the manager or players and I think with all the frustration of past years, when this manager came in, everybody thought ‘OK, let’s see what’s going to happen and give him time and see how he goes’ - and so far, so good.
“He’s impressed game after game, week after week and there’s not too much pressure on him which has allowed him to understand the league, understand the players and make his own judgement of the situation.”
Forest sit second in the Championship after 11 games, and have yet to taste defeat since the opening night, ironically, against the side that sit above them - West Brom.
Their away form has been particularly eye-catching, securing draws at Leeds, Charlton and Blackburn, along with impressive wins against Fulham, Swansea and Stoke City.
In some of those outings, Forest had to withstand a barrage of pressure which, in previous years, may have seen them throw in the towel and lose to a barrage of criticism from the stands.
Not under Lamouchi, and Moussi explains why he feels the new Forest have a newfound determination and steel.
“He was a top, top professional as a player and he knows how to talk with the players, because he’s been a player,” said the ex-Reds midfielder, who now operates his own business called Mad-Up.
“He knows the demands on a player, you want to be right and honest with the players.
“If you’re honest with the players, then you know they will support you and that’s something I think he’s done really well so far.
“For me, if you want to judge a player, you can by looking at their work ethic out on the pitch.
“You can see that he has a great bunch of players who all like each other.
“When I go to the City Ground, I can see Joe Worrall jumping with Joao Carvalho - you see a great connection in the group.”
Lamouchi is often a bundle of energy on the touchline, kicking each and every ball, something which has not gone unnoticed, and helps towards fostering a positive environment in the dressing room.
“You’ve got a French manager, you’ve got players from England, Portugal, all over– all together and you see videos of Lamouchi on the touchline living it,” he said.
“As a player, if I see my manager with that enthusiasm, I can feel that energy on the field.
“When you see Forest play, you can see there’s a real team spirit – that would be my main message.
“You can have the best manager, like Pep Guardiola, but if you’re not able to bring the team together then that won’t work.
“The players want to fight for him and you can see they want to fight for each other.
“There’s a real connection between the players and that’s showing on the pitch.”
