Nottingham Forest considered sacking Nuno twice, Marinakis wanted title-winning boss

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo is quietly winning over his critics at the City Ground.

   The Reds won 1-0 at Anfield last week and it could prove to be somewhat of a watershed moment for the Portuguese manager at Forest.

   Callum Hudson-Odoi grabbed the win against Liverpool last weekend and is one of many players who have improved under his management at Forest.

   Espirito Santo is a master tactician and he proved it last weekend when he outfoxed Arne Sloto to hand him his first Premier League defeat.

   His relationship with Evangelos Marinakis is said to be going strong these days, but it doesn’t seem like it’s always going to be rosy.

   Nottingham Forest considered sacking Nun Espirito Santo

   According to Tom Collomosse for the Daily Mail, Forest twice considered parting ways with Espirito Santo last season.

   Confirmation of the four-point deduction for Forest is believed to have upset Espirito Santo and changed his relationship with the hierarchy.

   They had reservations about training a head coach and Marinakis sought the views of some of the older players on Espirito Santo.

   But now the tension has eased and after a full pre-season, Espirito Santo is believed to have the full backing of the board.

   This comes as no surprise given that the club have started the current campaign unbeaten and last week achieved arguably their best result since Forest’s return to the Premier League.

   Recruitment during the summer was admirable and Espirito Santo received the support of the board.

   Marinakis liked Marco Silva as a possible Forest head coach

   The article also claims that the current Fulham manager had an admirer in Marinakis, who had already recruited Silva at Olympiacos.

   During his time in Greece, he achieved an incredible 79% win rate, winning 38 of the 48 matches he oversaw and helped Olympiacos to the league title in 2015/16.

   Marinakis still appears to be close to Silva and may be seen as a potential low-level appointment as the manager’s stock continues to rise.

   Given Forest’s struggles last season, it was probably a pipe dream that Marinakis could still lure Silva away from Fulham.

   Forest are now unlikely to make a change with Espirito Santo deserving of a chance to cement his authority in this squad.

   The Portuguese coach has worked tirelessly to prove himself and even his harshest critics would be hard-pressed to give him credit for the team’s performances this season.

   It is exciting to think what Forest can achieve under his leadership this season and Marinakis is clearly willing to give quality managers time to prove themselves.