Heading into this weekend's clash with Nottingham Forest, Valérien Ismaël says he is delighted with the start he has made to life at Barnsley but insists there is more hard work to come.
The Reds' Head Coach has picked up nine points from his first four games at the helm in South Yorkshire, keeping three clean sheets in the process, and a similar display against Saturday’s visitors could see Barnsley climb into the top half, depending on results elsewhere.
“I think it was a very good start for me, my staff and my team,” began Ismaël. “When you win, it’s always a good feeling and gives you more confidence, and the players believe quickly in the philosophy, the principle and the way to play. That’s why it’s always hard work.
“I feel very good and have integrated into the club. Last week was very good on the pitch, to work with the guys each day on the principles and now we’re looking forward to the next game and we are ready.”
Forest have made an indifferent start to the Sky Bet Championship campaign and sit 20th in the table, potentially suffering a hangover from last season’s spectacular capitulation.
Since then, the City Ground outfit have made a managerial change, with the experienced Chris Hughton arriving to take over from Sabri Lamouchi as the club bid to return to the top flight for the first time in more than two decades.
“Chris Hughton is a very good manager with a lot of experience and showed what he can do with Newcastle and Brighton; it was a very strong performance to get promotion to the Premier League,” continued Ismaël.
“It’s another huge challenge for us and we have to concentrate – we have a lot of respect, but we are fearless; we know what we can do and that we need another big performance. The challenge is to get three points against Nottingham Forest.”
You can watch Valérien’s press conference on iFollow Barnsley.
