Nottingham Forest have confirmed that former player Martin O'Neill has succeeded Aitor Karanka as manager of the Reds.

The 66-year-old was part of the legendary Forest sides that won two European Cups under Brian Clough.

And, he has now got the job at the City Ground, with the East Midlands outfit confirming the news on their website this morning.

The former Ireland boss is taking over a Forest side that are ninth in the Championship and trailing the play-offs by four points, with his first game in charge against Bristol City at home this weekend.

Despite his success over the years with the likes of Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa, O'Neill came in for a lot of criticism for how the final year or so went in charge of the Irish national team.

Therefore, his arrival has prompted a lot of debate and here we look at THREE consequences of the decision...

It could divide the fans

O'Neill will always have a place in Forest's history because of his time as a player and that connection with the club can't be underestimated.

However, his appointment has still divided opinion. Ireland were awful to watch towards the end of his time in charge and Forest have sacked a proven Championship manager in Karanka to bring O'Neill in.

You can understand why that move doesn't make sense to some and you could argue better candidates were available.

Style of play

As mentioned, a major criticism of O'Neill was the way the side played. It was very defensive and there was no real style of play going forward.

That was sometimes levelled at Karanka, that he didn't give the attacking players enough freedom.

Forest's summer transfer approach included bringing in many talented, technical players and it will be interesting to see how they fit in under the new boss.

A big few months ahead

 

 

Forest spent big in the summer as they hoped for promotion and failure to go up could have a serious impact financially next season.

Interestingly, the length of O'Neill's contract has not been disclosed but you could make a case that the next few months will make or break him.