Sky Bet Championship outfit Nottingham Forest ended their long search for a new manager this past week when they appointed Frenchman Philippe Montanier as the club’s new head coach.
The 51-year-old former goalkeeper joins the Reds following a stint at Rennes in his home land and becomes the club’s first foreign boss.
The ex-Nantes stopper is an unknown quantity on these shores and the Forest faithful will be hopeful that he can adapt quickly to life managing a club in the Championship.
Forest can ill-afford another campaign of inconsistency and following last season’s mediocre 16th place Championship finish Montanier will know that he needs to hit the ground running next season.
Football League World writer and resident Nottingham Forest supporter Lee Clarke takes us through two pros and two cons to the Reds’ latest managerial appointment.
Pro – A different approach by the club
There is an old saying that if something isn’t broke then it doesn’t need to be fixed, Nottingham Forest has, however, been severely broken for several years.
Year upon year of turmoil has seen several managerial changes, average results and a turnover of players like no other in the Championship.
With the Greek investment set to be completed pending a Football League approval, there is a real feeling that things are starting to change for the better at the East Midlands-based club.
Pedro Pereira has been hired in a director of football role by the club and considering he was working for Fiorentina just last season, it seems a big step in the right direction.
Pereira probably had a big say in the appointment of Montanier and hopefully the two can work in tandem to bring the glory days back to the City Ground.
Pro – Experience working with youth
The French head coach stated in his press conference upon his arrival that he intended to work closely with the younger players at the club, confirming that six of the youth team would be training with the first-team during pre-season.
Nottingham Forest has a proud history of brining younger players through the ranks and Montanier’s comments upon his arrival will have excited supporters.
The new Forest boss’ approach has drawn praise from France star Antoine Griezmann, following his time playing for Montanier at Real Sociedad and it could well be a big season for the likes of Oliver Burke, Jorge Grant and Joe Worrall at the City Ground next season.
Con – Doesn’t know the Championship
Although Forest’s new arrival claimed that he knew about the English second tier in his first press conference, the jury will inevitably remain out until a handful of games have been played next season.
The Championship is an unforgiving league and after past failures the Frenchman will know that he needs to hit the ground running at the City Ground.
Several Forest fans would have liked a manager with a little bit more experience of the English game and it will be interesting to see whether the new boss can attract players with sufficient Championship quality.
Con – Pressure to succeed
Forest’s new boss arrives at the City Ground at a critical time in the club’s progression and next season simply must be an improvement on the last.
Montanier has had limited success in the past, achieving a promotion with Boulogne and taking Real Sociedad to fourth in La Liga, securing a Champions League berth in the process.
Whether or not he can achieve success in English football remains to be seen and although Forest will be hopeful ahead of the new campaign, there is very little to guarantee that he will be able to adapt to life in the Championship.
Nottingham Forest fans, how do you feel about the appointment of Philippe Montanier? Would you agree or disagree with these pros and cons? Let us know in the comments below!!!