Winger Joe Lolley says Sabri Lamouchi quickly earned the respect of the Nottingham Forest squad when he arrived as head coach at the City Ground.
And he believes the Frenchman penning a new deal can be a “positive step forward” for the club.
Lamouchi was something of an unfamiliar name when he replaced Martin O’Neill at the helm almost 12 months ago.
However, he has quickly impressed on the banks of the Trent, with the Reds still in the promotion mix heading into the final eight games of the restarted Championship campaign.
He initially penned a one-year deal at Forest but has now committed to a further two, with the option of an additional year beyond that.
And Lolley says it did not take long for the former Rennes and Ivory Coast boss to get the players on side.
Asked how Lamouchi gained their respect, he said: “Just by being very good at his job.
“Straight away we were into training and he was telling us exactly what he wants, and the sessions were good.
“Like anything, you earn respect. It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from or what you’ve done.
“You could be the world’s best player, come in as a coach and be rubbish; and you could be the world’s worst player, come in as a coach and be brilliant.
“He came in and was a bit of an unknown quantity for the lads.
“But straight away, from the first session, it was, ‘yeah, we’ve got a real coach here’. We were very happy with what he was doing and respected him from that.
“He’s done a brilliant job and we’re looking forward to the next few years.”
Lamouchi will become the first manager to see out a full season with the Reds since Billy Davies’ first spell, almost a decade ago.
As the team push for a spot in the Premier League, Lolley says the stability that new contract brings is welcomed.
“All the lads like him and respect him,” he added.
“It’s good to have the stability at the club.
“He deserves it and it’s great that he wants to commit to the club.
“Hopefully it’s a positive step forward and I’m sure everyone’s very happy.”
