SEAN O'Driscoll will not change his blueprint for success at Nottingham Forest – even if he is told he must win promotion this season.
The Reds manager was due to meet with new chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi in London last night, to discuss the club's plans for the future.
Forest's options during the January transfer window were set to be the main focus of the meeting.
But O'Driscoll was also set to discover if the Kuwaiti owners are set to demand promotion this season, after investing heavily in the squad to bring in 14 players since the summer.
Back in July, the Al Hasawi family stated they regarded their first campaign at the club as being one of consolidation.
But, whether they are now expecting more or not, O'Driscoll says his mentality must remain the same.
"Whether promotion is a 'must' in the first season or whether you are building over three or four seasons, you still have to make the right decisions," he said.
"You can't gamble with players' careers by bringing them in on the short term, or gamble with the club's reputation, more than anything else.
"We are trying to establish a way of doing things that will stand Forest in good stead, whoever the manager is.
"We want to carry it on, develop it and evolve it, which is what the best club in the country does, in the form of Manchester United.
"They have done it with one man at the helm, but that one man is always working to evolve and change things. The core ideals remain the same."
O'Driscoll says his priority is to install an ethos; an identity at Forest that will last the club for years to come.
"We are going to have a meeting to discuss how the running of the club will be effected," he said. "But there is a board of directors, a chief executive, a finance director – so there is a level of management above me who have more to do with the running of the club in a mechanical sense.
"I am trying to put the esoteric things in that you can feel, when you walk through the door.
"When you come here, you want the club to feel vibrant. When you ask a player what they want to achieve, you hope that they will all give you the same answer.
"They are the things you would like to do as a manager and you want to do that as quickly as you can.
"But I don't just want to pay lip service to it, I want to go and do it. We are trying to develop the club and to win football matches.
"If you win enough football matches, then you don't need to put time scales on anything.
"We are trying to do the right things, at the right time, at the right pace, without jeopardising the club as a whole."
Forest are close to completing a deal to sign winger Stephen McLaughlin from Derry City.
A fee has been agreed with his Northern Irish club and basic terms have been negotiated with the 22-year-old. "He looks to be a talented lad," said O'Driscoll.
