Nottingham Forest hail return of ‘miracle man’ O’Neill

A smiling Martin O’Neill had a first close look at his Nottingham Forest players on the training ground yesterday, as the club expressed its delight at the homecoming of one of its favourite sons.

Referencing his celebrated European Cup-winning success as a player under Brian Clough, the Forest statement officially confirming his appointment as their new manager, described O’Neill as “one of the original and most-loved ‘Miracle Men’,” and went on to say, “Martin is finally realising a life-long dream in managing his beloved Nottingham Forest.

“With his commitment to the club, knowledge of the game, and passion to succeed, O’Neill will be aiming to take the club back into the top flight of English football and make the miracle happen again.”

That lofty ambition will have its first test in what should be a City Ground heavy with emotion on Saturday when Forest, who lie ninth in the Championship and four points off the play-off places, host a Bristol City side who are currently two places and two points above them.

While confirmation is still awaited that Roy Keane will also be returning to the club with which he began his career in England, O’Neill’s former coaches with Ireland, Steve Guppy and goal-keeping coach Seamus McDonagh, have already reunited with him at Forest.

In contrast to the negativity which surrounded his final year with Ireland, the reaction to his appointment in Nottingham has been broadly positive, with many happy to cite his track record of success in club football while also suggesting that O’Neill actually over-achieved with limited playing resources for the bulk of his time as an international manager.

John McGovern, another Forest legend and former team-mate of O’Neill, certainly has no doubts about the wisdom of the appointment.

“I’m delighted he’s coming back to manage the club, purely for the club’s sake,” he said. “I think it will be in safe hands. It is a plum job, the Nottingham Forest job, but having said that I don’t think it’s because Martin was a former player that he has been chosen. If you look at his track record, starting at Wycombe and then going to Leicester where he did exceptionally well, you’ll see that he’s got a fantastic record in the game of football.

He’s a very strong character which you need to be when you’re dealing with players and I think he’s the ideal choice.

Another former Forest man, David Prutton, who now covers English League football for Sky Sports, suggested that O’Neill would also need to be strong in his dealings with the owners after the apparent breakdown of relations between the club and the manager O’Neill has now replaced, Aitor Karanka.

“Karanka seemed to be frustrated with the hierarchy at the club as he is someone who wants to be left to his own devices to manage the club on his own terms,” he said, “and I can’t imagine O’Neill would have come in at this stage of his career without some assurances that he could do that. He won’t want to tarnish his former legacy by working with his hands tied.”

Not surprisingly, Forest great John Robertson, a long-time comrade in arms — first as a

team-mate and later as a coach — also expressed delight at O’Neill’s return to the City Ground.

“I think he will be very happy to finally be here,” he said. “We have a lot of emotional ties to this club, because of our playing history with Nottingham Forest. It will be something a bit special for him. Martin knows the club, he knows the history of it and he has that connection. But the main thing for me is that he is a winner. He knows how to win games of football. He will understand that, while the feel-good factor will be there for him while he first goes in, it will ultimately be all about results and nothing else.

He is a fantastic motivator. I think he is very good with that side of things and he knows the game inside out. There is no shadow of a doubt about that. He is a very intelligent man; he is very clever. Martin’s man-management is terrific.

"I have known him for 40 or 50 years, I know what he is all about. There is a lot I could say — but the main thing is that he is just a winner. That is all that matters to him. I think they have appointed the right man: they have got the right man for the job.”

As a midfielder in Brian Clough’s famous League and European Cup-winning teams, O’Neill made 371 appearances and scored 62 goals during a 10-year spell as a player at the City Ground. But those days of storied success are a distant memory for Forest for whom, after 20 years outside the top flight, the Derryman is their 11th manager since 2011.