thehockleyhustler
Stuart Pearce
ALEX McLeish says Nottingham Forest will play their way to success under his management.
The new Reds boss insists he will play to his side's strengths as they look to secure a place in the Premier League – and that means they will continue to favour passing football.
The former Rangers, Birmingham and Villa manager was initially given a lukewarm reception by many Forest fans, who fear he will introduce a more negative approach to the one favoured by his predecessor, Sean O'Driscoll.
But McLeish does want his squad to maintain their passing ethos, saying: "I am not going to tell Elliott Ward or Danny Collins to start punting the ball up to wee Billy Sharp up front. We have to play to our strengths.
"The owners have not come in and said they want us to play like Barcelona. Nor have they said not to play a long ball game. There is more than one way to skin a cat, to win a football match.
"If you look at the Forest goals against Leeds, one of them came from a long ball up to big Dexter, who flicked it on for Billy to round the keeper and score. That was effective.
"But I will only ask the players to play the way they see the game. How can I tell Andy Reid that, when he gets the ball, he has to ping it forward?
"There has never been one team I have coached, there has never been one player I have told not to pass the ball.
"My philosophy is to win matches. We have good passers here and we will make the most of that. People have said I am negative, but that perhaps is just because I am organised."
McLeish accepts he will have to win supporters over, following his appointment, but is not fazed by the prospect.
"It is the same as it was when I went to Rangers. Some fans expected a bigger name and I thought to myself that it was up to me to change their opinion. I felt that I did that," he said.
"If I go back to Rangers, we had one of the best footballing sides to have played there in a long time. Martin O'Neill had built a really strong side at Celtic and they were kicking Rangers' backsides at the time.
"I inherited some terrific players. There was just something that wasn't working, that was making sure that we did not beat Celtic. We had Ronald De Boer and Claudio Caniggia and we got these boys to express themselves a little bit more; to get the tempo up higher.
"We ended up winning seven trophies within three years. That team played tremendous football. Hibs, that team I built, played tremendous football.
"Sometimes you have to maximise your resources, when you don't quite have the top passers in your team.
"It is about getting the right players. I am not saying there were not any passers of the ball at Villa, there were. We tried to play dynamic football. But Hibs and Rangers were excellent footballing teams and this Forest side can pass the ball as well."
Nottingham Forest's game at home to Crystal Palace today (3pm) was subject to a pitch inspection at 9.30am at the City Ground.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-17710672-detail/story.html?
It has certainly eased my mind a little regarding the type of football it was assumed he wants us to playing. I guess the proof will be what we see on the pitch though in the coming weeks.
COME ON YOU REDS!
The new Reds boss insists he will play to his side's strengths as they look to secure a place in the Premier League – and that means they will continue to favour passing football.
The former Rangers, Birmingham and Villa manager was initially given a lukewarm reception by many Forest fans, who fear he will introduce a more negative approach to the one favoured by his predecessor, Sean O'Driscoll.
But McLeish does want his squad to maintain their passing ethos, saying: "I am not going to tell Elliott Ward or Danny Collins to start punting the ball up to wee Billy Sharp up front. We have to play to our strengths.
"The owners have not come in and said they want us to play like Barcelona. Nor have they said not to play a long ball game. There is more than one way to skin a cat, to win a football match.
"If you look at the Forest goals against Leeds, one of them came from a long ball up to big Dexter, who flicked it on for Billy to round the keeper and score. That was effective.
"But I will only ask the players to play the way they see the game. How can I tell Andy Reid that, when he gets the ball, he has to ping it forward?
"There has never been one team I have coached, there has never been one player I have told not to pass the ball.
"My philosophy is to win matches. We have good passers here and we will make the most of that. People have said I am negative, but that perhaps is just because I am organised."
McLeish accepts he will have to win supporters over, following his appointment, but is not fazed by the prospect.
"It is the same as it was when I went to Rangers. Some fans expected a bigger name and I thought to myself that it was up to me to change their opinion. I felt that I did that," he said.
"If I go back to Rangers, we had one of the best footballing sides to have played there in a long time. Martin O'Neill had built a really strong side at Celtic and they were kicking Rangers' backsides at the time.
"I inherited some terrific players. There was just something that wasn't working, that was making sure that we did not beat Celtic. We had Ronald De Boer and Claudio Caniggia and we got these boys to express themselves a little bit more; to get the tempo up higher.
"We ended up winning seven trophies within three years. That team played tremendous football. Hibs, that team I built, played tremendous football.
"Sometimes you have to maximise your resources, when you don't quite have the top passers in your team.
"It is about getting the right players. I am not saying there were not any passers of the ball at Villa, there were. We tried to play dynamic football. But Hibs and Rangers were excellent footballing teams and this Forest side can pass the ball as well."
Nottingham Forest's game at home to Crystal Palace today (3pm) was subject to a pitch inspection at 9.30am at the City Ground.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-17710672-detail/story.html?
It has certainly eased my mind a little regarding the type of football it was assumed he wants us to playing. I guess the proof will be what we see on the pitch though in the coming weeks.
COME ON YOU REDS!
