International break 'precious' for Postecoglou

Can Ange Postecoglou turn things around at Nottingham Forest and mould a winning side in his image?

The manager and his staff, like other top-flight bosses competing in European competitions, have had little time to work with players on the training pitches given the relentless nature of the schedule.

Douglas Luiz, Murillo and Oleksandr Zinchenko are among those players Postecoglou feels need more training time.

He has identified the upcoming two-week international break as an "important" period for those who are not travelling to play for their countries.

Such time is precious, but it is particularly crucial when shifting from one style to another - as Joe Hart knows well, after their time together at Celtic.

"We were probably five, six or seven games into the season - having had a pre-season - before we were really flowing, understanding what he wants us to do and having confidence in it," the former goalkeeper told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Ange is a big man and he understands what he walked into."

Postecoglou certainly did not appear crestfallen after Forest's latest defeat against Newcastle.

After staying out to applaud the away end at full-time, he deadpanned that his situation was "a lost cause" when asked if he could turn things around with time.

"It's a fight and it's a struggle," he said. "So what? That's OK. If people outside or even internally don't think I'm the right person, it makes no difference to me.

"I took this role on knowing it would be a massive challenge with what we were trying to do in terms of changing the direction of the club. Nothing I've seen in the last three and a half weeks has changed my view on that.

"I love the challenge of taking this club to where it needs to be and I'm very confident of getting there."