Martin O'Neill boss after Karanka exit
On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 2019 Forest appoint Martin O’Neill as manager after Aitor Karanka’s departure.
Martin O’Neill’s return was notable because he was not just another Nottingham Forest appointment.
Forest appointed the former European Cup-winning midfielder as manager after Aitor Karanka’s departure, bringing back a figure closely linked with the club’s greatest era. O’Neill had played 371 times for Forest and was part of Brian Clough’s league title and European Cup-winning sides.
The appointment carried romance, but also pressure. Forest were ninth in the Championship and still close enough to the play-offs for the season to feel alive. O’Neill arrived with a long managerial record, a deep personal connection to the City Ground, and Roy Keane soon joining him as assistant, adding another familiar Forest name to the dugout.
For supporters, it was a rare modern appointment that reached back to the club’s European Cup identity. O’Neill was not being asked to rescue a hopeless campaign, but to turn a promising, unsettled season into a promotion challenge.
The return did not become the lasting revival many hoped for. Forest finished ninth, and although O’Neill ended the season with three straight wins, he was dismissed in June after only a short spell amid reported dressing-room tensions. Sabri Lamouchi replaced him almost immediately, leaving O’Neill’s comeback remembered as emotional, abrupt and slightly harsh.
Sources
Sky Sports; ITV News; The Guardian
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