O’Neill has returned to Forest, 38 years after leaving the club as a player.
Nottingham Forest icon Garry Birtles has told Love Sport Radio that he reckons Martin O’Neill can have the same immediate impact at the City Ground as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had at Manchester United.
Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho before Christmas, and has since earned six consecutive wins as Manchester United manager – with his most recent being the best of the lot, a 1-0 win away at Tottenham Hotspur.
O’Neill has finally returned to the club 38 years after leaving the City Ground as a player in 1981. He spent 10 years at Forest during his playing career, helping them win two European Cup trophies and a First Division title.
Birtles, who himself played for Forest during two spells that equated to eight years at the club, reckons O’Neill can hit the ground running just as United’s new Norwegian boss has done.
“Forest have got a very good squad,” Birtles said. “There are some very good players there. I think Martin might just go in there and do a similar job [to Solskjaer] by releasing that ability in the squad to go on and reach the play-offs.”
Following last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Reading, Forest sit in ninth place and four points off of the Championship play-off places. But with 19 league games still to play, the make up of the top six is anybody’s guess.
O’Neill’s first game as Forest manager will be playing host to Bristol City at the County Ground, and a win could see Forest climb into seventh place – above Lee Johnson’s Robins and Birmingham City.
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