Stuart Pearce insists he has what it takes to cope with the added pressure of returning to a club where he has legendary status among the fans.
The former England international signed a two-year contract at The City Ground on Thursday - a club where he spent 12 years as a player and made over 400 appearances.
However, Pearce said that he would not allow the thought of potentially damaging his reputation among the Forest faithful to even enter his mind.
Strength of character. Pearce never shirked a challenge as a player.
He said: "Does it daunt you or put you off? In fact I quite like it. I like the pressures that is heaped on me because I feel like I have the personality and demeanour for it.
"Does it bring the best out of me? I think so. That's why I step up and take penalties. That's why I put myself forward as a manager."
Pearce has, of course, already taken charge of his beloved Forest.
After Frank Clark left the club in 1996, Pearce - who was still a player at the time - took temporary charge.
"I can remember my time as caretaker," he recalled. "I can remember I was about to leave for training on a Friday morning and the phone rings.
"They said Frank Clark had left and could I manage the team for the next two games? We were bottom of the league and the next two games were against Arsenal, the champions, and Manchester United at home on Boxing Day. They were two big games.
"The dynamic of myself in the dressing room changed, as you can imagine."
“I like the pressures that is heaped on me because I feel like I have the personality and demeanour for it”
Stuart Pearce
Pearce will take over on 1 July - and while the 51-year-old is grateful for the admiration shown to him, he insisted the future is the only thing that matters now.
"If people have nice things to say about me then that's very nice," he added.
"But what I did as a player is totally irrelevant. I want to make Fawaz [Al-Hasawi, the owner and chairman] very proud of me.
"The only thing I strive for is to be better tomorrow than I am today. That's all you strive for in management or your personal life. If you keep striving I think you have a chance.
"If I keep getting better, I think I can make an influence on those around me and make the club better.
"I would not suggest I'm a standalone but I have a strong mentality. But in many ways I come from a slightly unique background maybe where even when I stepped into the professional game I knew what I left behind."
