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The job of football management has never been more of a balancing act.

The modern manager needs not only tactical acumen to flourish on the pitch, but also the people skills of a UN peace envoy to maintain harmony off it.

And keeping people happy is not so much of a job as an art form.

At Nottingham Forest, Aitor Karanka has assembled a group of 25 players he regards as being the core of his first team squad.

The manner in which he managed some of the peripheral figures at the club over the summer was a lesson in brutal honesty. He told the players who were not part of his plans what their position was at the end of last season and, when they reported back for pre-season training, it was no surprise to them to find themselves training away from the first team.

But, while the likes of Stephen Henderson, Zach Clough, Jamie Ward and Apostolos Vellios continue to search for new clubs, Karanka still has a juggling act to perform, when it comes to getting the best out of those players he does regard as being an intrinsic part of his plans.

(Image: NFFC)

And, with a group of 25 players at his disposal, Karanka is well aware of the mathematics involved, when it comes to naming an 18 man match-day squad and a starting XI.

At least seven players, when they of free of injury or suspension, are going to miss out. They will be sat in the stands.

While Jordan Smith will be suspended, following his red card against Bury, at least six quality players will not be involved at Wigan this weekend, as Forest go in search of their first ever win at the DW Stadium.

Karanka changed his entire starting XI for the EFL Cup clash with the League Two side and is likely to make a large number again tomorrow.

And the Spaniard says it is vital to rotate the team on a regular basis, just to keep things fresh.

He also understands, very well, what a balancing act that can be.

“For me, my way is vital. When I arrived in Middlesbrough, I was criticised because people felt that players could play 45, 50 or even 60 games in one season,” said Karanka. “I have always felt that, with the intensity we play with and with games every three days, that is impossible. You cannot play 45 or 50 games.

“Now I have a very good squad and it is vital to rotate the team.

“But you have to be intelligent, because you do not want to rotate the team and lose the game against Bury, for example.

(Image: JMS Photography)

“I do not want to change the team for the second round and lose the game. I always want to be putting the best possible team on the pitch.”

Forest remain unbeaten so far this season, following credible draws and encouraging performances against Bristol City and West Brom and a hard-fought win over Reading last weekend.

“The main thing for me is that the games, except the last one against Bury, have seen us play really well,” said Karanka. “When I say play really well, I am talking about both with and without the ball.

“We went to the pitch at Bristol without the right concentration in the first ten minutes, but for the other 80 minutes there, for 85 or 90 minutes against West Brom and again in the game against Reading, the team was very good, without being at our best.

“We need to keep going; in every single game I am changing players, so we need to work together and keep going.

“When you sign players, you need to know them as players, but you also need to know them as a person. It is important for me to build a strong changing room. What happens on the training ground and in the changing room does get reflected on the pitch.

“Now we are a strong group and we have 24 or 25 players who are always ready to play in every single game.

(Image: John Sumpter @ JMS Photography)

“It can be difficult to pick the best 18 and to pick the best 11. But I wanted to have this squad. All of them know that they might play this weekend, but perhaps not in the following game.

“Or they might be in the stand this weekend, but come into the side to score like Soudani did against Reading.”

Karanka knows that keeping all of the people happy, all of the time, is next to an impossible task.

But he hopes that by being honest with players, he can at least mitigate the problem.

“It can be difficult to keep them happy, because everyone wants to play. I can understand their frustration, because I was a player. And when I was playing and I did not play, the manager could tell me whatever he wanted, but I would still be frustrated,” he said.

“I like it when players feel that frustration, but they also have to be ready. If they do not train well, if they do not train at 100 percent on the day they do have a chance, they will miss their opportunity.

“We have a lot of games to play, so everyone has to be ready.

“To keep them happy is not easy. But I have told the players the truth from the beginning. I did not tell them that one of them would play and that another would be on the bench – I told them that they had to fight for their position.

(Image: Dan Westwell)

“Now I am trying to do my best to pick the best XI every day. Maybe the players who are playing now will be on the bench in a few months and the players who are in the stand now, will be playing.

“I told the players from the beginning that, if we want to achieve something, it will be together.”

Even if there is, inevitably, going to be some frustration among those players who do miss out on a place in the squad, Karanka feels that the overriding mood in the squad is a positive, upbeat one.

There is a togetherness and unity among the players, even if there is the occasional moment of individual disappointment, when the team sheet goes up.

“We are seeing team spirit on the pitch. It is impossible to play in the way we are playing, without good spirit,” said Karanka.

“When I joined Forest, I was waiting for these kinds of moment. Now the crowd are behind us and when we go onto the pitch and we hear the fans signing, prior to kick-off, it feels as though we are winning 1-0 already.

“We need to pay the fans back for that.

“The new players are working better together every day. They will be even better when they understand my methods.

“Everyone is ready and every player knows that if they want to play in every game, they will have to play 100% every time, or they will lose their position in the side.”

If Karanka picks a side that secures a first ever win at Wigan tomorrow, then the challenge of keeping everyone happy will be just a little bit easier. For a few days at least.