ALEX McLeish cannot be accused of failing to throw himself into his new role.
After rolling back the years to get involved in a training session this week, the Nottingham Forest manager finished the afternoon with an ice pack on his leg, following a muscle pull.
But now is not the time for him to rein in his enthusiasm. He will need every ounce of it over the coming few weeks.
The Scotsman, you suspect, would have had plenty of painkillers on hand to ease the pain in his thigh, given the start he has made to life at the City Ground, which has seen him inherit a rather bigger collection of headaches than he might have envisaged.
If not for the timely reminder that age was no longer his ally, McLeish might fleetingly have considered pulling on his boots to address a defensive crisis that perfectly personified the suddenly lack of depth in the Reds ranks.
Instead, while the responsibility to address the problem remains in his hands, the solution will be rather different.
McLeish has stated that he wants to bring in four players between now and the end of the transfer window.
At least two of those, you suspect, will be defenders. But more is required, according to the manager, who has been set the challenge of picking up where Sean O'Driscoll left off – and molding this hastily assembled group of players into a squad that is capable of winning promotion.
In defence of O'Driscoll, it did not seem as though that goal was too far away. But it was nevertheless still not quite within touching distance.
And, even if Forest had appointed Jose Mourinho or Alex Ferguson as O'Driscoll's replacement, the challenge would have become just a little more distant; a little more out of reach – purely because it meant a new manager getting to know a new team and implementing his own ideas upon them.
That much has been evident in the start Forest have made under McLeish.
But the task will not get any easier over the next three weeks or so. In fact, the demands will only increase.
And McLeish must be given the chance to make his own decisions; to stamp his influence on the club.
Because it is over such decisions that he will be judged; that he will live or die as Forest manager.
When O'Driscoll departed, there was the sense that the choice might have been made because of he adopted a similar frame of mind.
Several potential deals were lined up for 'big name' players that might have raised the profile of the club – but added little to the dressing room.
Jermaine Pennant was one. But there were others.
And, with the exception of Jermaine Jenas, they were all rejected by O'Driscoll, who wanted to preserve the sanctity of a harmonious dressing room to which he had added only carefully selected characters.
O'Driscoll, like every manager, was judged by the signings he made. McLeish will be no different.
His will not be as numerous as the 14 additions made by his predecessor.
But the choices he makes could be almost as important. Because the additions Forest make over the next three weeks will significantly influence the club's promotion hopes.
O'Driscoll provided solid foundations, but the signings McLeish makes now could prove to be the cornerstone on which the construction of a side capable of challenging for promotion is completed.
The right additions could make all the difference. Three or four quality signings may just transform Forest from being also-rans, to being a top-six side.
And, while O'Driscoll's priority was to promote harmony within the Forest ranks, it is intriguing that McLeish now wants to compliment that with a few tough characters; a few men of steel.
Hailing from Glasgow, such qualities will not be lost on McLeish, who was hardly the shy and retiring type on the pitch.
His own fortitude will be tested between now and the end of the season – but perhaps never more so than in the coming few weeks.
Because, where January is concerned, the transfer window is just half the story. Between now and February 2, what happens on the pitch could be equally important.
For Forest – and McLeish – this could be a defining period of the campaign.
On Saturday, a Forest side that has conceded eight goals in three matches faces a Peterborough team that, while unpredictable, can always be relied upon to score goals.
Beyond that, there is a landmark fixture, against Derby County, that has cost previous managers their jobs, for failing to take it seriously enough.
The visit of a Watford side who made light work of Forest just a few weeks ago is then followed by a fixture that will hold particular significance for McLeish, as he returns to Birmingham City, his former club, for the first time.
After leaving the Blues to join fierce rivals Aston Villa, he is unlikely to receive a warm welcome. It is the kind of run that would test anyone.
And this is all at a time when McLeish is trying to establish what his best team is and what formation best suits that side.
As unjust as his sacking was, that is something O'Driscoll failed to do between July and December, when he named an unchanged side only once.
The fact that O'Driscoll made at least one change in 22 consecutive starting line-ups can be explained away by injury and suspension.
But it was also a sign of his uncertainty, when it came to exactly what the formula for success was. When he left, Forest were only a point away from the play-off places. So O'Driscoll cannot be too far off.
But, when the job was handed over to McLeish, it was not fair to expect him to immediately have all the answers.
When O'Driscoll was sacked, the decision prompted a sense of anger and injustice among many.
But, while it would be easy to direct those emotions towards McLeish, instead, just three games into his tenure, he deserves patience.
He also deserves to be judged on the decisions he makes and, over the next 21 days, he has some big ones to mull over.
The next time he needs an ice pack, it might be for his head.
