Head coach Steve Cooper says “nothing is off limits” when he has discussions with Nottingham Forest captain Lewis Grabban.
The Reds front man has been in red-hot form in recent weeks, making it five goals in seven games when he found the net against Blackpool on Saturday.
And he has continued to act as skipper under Cooper, with the Welshman placing a particular importance on the role.
It is something Grabban has come in for criticism over in the past, with some questioning his leadership style. But he now seems to be relishing the responsibility, as Cooper leans on him as a go-between with the rest of the dressing room.
“He’s the captain, and I value the role of the captain. I think it’s more than just wearing the armband on a Saturday,” said the Forest boss.
“I think it’s about being a good role model. I think it’s about being selfless. I think it’s about taking a bit of rubbish off me and feeding it into the dressing room. I think it’s about him being slightly different in his relationship with me than anybody else, because I really value that.
“He’s experienced. His know-how is important. So I’ve talked about that with him.
“But I have one-to-ones with all the players, because I think that’s an important part of learning.”
Grabban has been at the City Ground since the summer of 2018, with his contract set to expire at the end of this season.
At the age of 33, and with injuries having hampered him at times, Cooper has said there is a need to manage him carefully.
Nevertheless, the former Bournemouth man has become a key player in the Reds’ upturn in fortunes as they made it three wins in a row by seeing off the Seasiders, 2-1.
Lyle Taylor is keeping him on his toes, though, according to Cooper.
“It’s a mutual relationship, open and honest. We’ve both agreed the parameters,” he said of Grabban.
“Nothing is off limits, because I need to know and he needs to know what we’re all thinking. That’s really important.
“He’s got loads of experience. He’s seen good moments and bad moments. I’d be foolish not to use that experience.
“He’s doing really well. He played well on Saturday and got the 90 minutes. He’s training well.
“But Lyle has been excellent in training as well; really, really committed.
“At the end of the game we were thinking, ‘do we put Lyle on for Lewis?’. And then we saw Brennan (Johnson) maybe turn his ankle a little bit - he’s fine, he’s not injured - but then we thought, ‘okay, we’ll put Joe (Lolley) on as a straight swap’. We had to manage their full-backs, who were playing a little bit higher.
“But Lyle has really bought into it as well. He’s been excellent, he really has, in terms of his attitude in training and his openness in meetings.
“There’s a good spirit at the moment, but we’ve just got to build on it and look forward.”
