Sabri Lamouchi has thanked Nottingham Forest fans for their show of support towards him in an “amazing” atmosphere at the City Ground.
Flags, banners and scarves were all out in force around the stadium for last weekend’s clash against Leeds United, in a display coordinated by supporters’ group Forza Garibaldi.
As well as a banner with Lamouchi’s portrait on, there was also one with the words, ‘Until Sabri I Was Never Happy’.
The Frenchman says he has been touched by the welcome he has received since joining the club in June.
And with Saturday’s game “the best” night he has experienced so far on the banks of the Trent, he has urged the crowd to keep getting behind the team in a bid to repeat that between now and the end of the season.
“I was so surprised,” Lamouchi said of the banner. “But from the beginning I have been surprised by them (the fans) - the warm welcome from the beginning, and the fact they are so close to the team, to the players and to me.
“All I can say is a big thank you. A big thank you.
“They just need to support the players until the end because what they are doing is just fantastic.
“Saturday was amazing - the fans, the atmosphere, the performance, everything.
“It was probably my best night at the City Ground until now. I hope there will be better ones, though!”
Lamouchi put paid to any Manager of the Month curse against Leeds, having won the award for January.
It was the second time he had taken the title, having previously been crowned in September - a victory which was immediately followed by defeat to Wigan Athletic.
“Sometimes it is very positive to receive the award,” he joked.
“I made a joke with the staff about it, as many people were worried about the award. I said, ‘yes, probably (a curse) after the first one, but not after the second one!’.
“The performance on Saturday was fantastic from the players and the atmosphere was amazing.
“I hope it won’t be the last night like that, because we will do our job until the end.
“We have 15 games - 15 difficult games - but step by step, we need to be ready.”
The Reds boss says he might make a few changes to his starting XI for tomorrow’s game at home to Charlton Athletic, following the physical exertions needed to see off Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
And he knows they will face a different test against the struggling Addicks, who sit just above the relegation zone.
“There is a short turnaround after the fantastic night on Saturday, but we need to be ready immediately and be switched on for the next one,” Lamouchi said.
“The next one is a different game, against a different opponent but with the same goal at the end - try to take maximum points.
“It is going to be a tough game because Charlton are fighting to stay in the league and have some good players.
“We started the week in a fantastic way, but now we have another difficult game tomorrow.
“We will see where we are after that one.
“After a fantastic start to the week, we need to stay in the right way and keep going. But keep going with humility, hard work, concentration and be ready for the fight.
“It will be a different game, probably without the same intensity because we played against the best team (on Saturday).
“We have never played against a team playing with that intensity as Leeds. I saw my players at the end of the game very tired - but Leeds as well.
“It was very, very tough for the players.”
