The managerial roller-coaster for Nuno Espirito Santo at Nottingham Forest has come to an end with his sacking today, the fractious relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakas finally becoming too much, although The Telegraph says it was really the arrival of Edu Gaspar from Arsenal that was the primary catalyst.

His departure comes despite leading Forest to European football for the first time in 30 years on the back of a good season and a strong 7th-place finish in the Premier League last season.

The replacements under consideration supposedly include ex-Everton manager Marco Silva, who we are told would give up his current very successful spell as manager of Fulham to work under the irascible owner. Such a move seems highly unlikely.

Nuno Espirito Santo was in the hat as a potential replacement for Carlo Ancelotti back in September 2021, according to journalist Paul Brown: 

“Nuno thought he had the job at Everton and then suddenly didn’t. I think one of the reasons for that is because Nuno wanted James (Rodriguez) to stay and would have made him more of a key part of his plan.”

David Moyes was under consideration at that time too but somehow Farhad Moshiri selected Rafa Benitez for what was to become one of the darkest and mist forgetable periods in the club's recent history.

Reader Comments (34)

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Ian Bennett
1 Posted 09/09/2025 at 06:19:24
Forest sacked Nuno.

Am I right in thinking that the forest owner put the club into a blind trust, to get around European issues, got Palace kicked out of the Europa League, acted like a spoilt brat at the end of last season, humiliated Gibbs-White, and now sacked Nuno.

Who is exactly blind, Uefa or the trust?

Denver Daniels
2 Posted 09/09/2025 at 06:50:54
Taxi for Nuno. Ridiculous but you have to imagine there's been some shit going on with the owner behind the scenes.

Be interesting who they appoint. I can't imagine they don't have anyone lined up. Maybe Seany Dyche.

Robert Tressell
3 Posted 09/09/2025 at 06:58:31
The rumour over summer was Postecoglou, Denver. I think they’ll have a few candidates. Possibly good for us as they’re probably our main rivals outside of the rich 7 or 8.
Mike Gaynes
4 Posted 09/09/2025 at 07:21:51
Not quite, Ian. The Forest blind trust was dissolved, and Marinakis restored to control, when there was no longer any danger of his two teams Olympiakos and Forest ending up in the same competition. Olympiakos made the Champions League. Forest got a slot in the Europa League due to the Palace issue.

After tossing away MGW he changed his mind and paid him bigtime. As for Nuno, he and Marinakis simply stopped liking each other. Nuno said just what he needed to say to be sacked -- and get paid for his contract through 2028.

Marinakis is a load to deal with. Pugnacious as hell. Stole our CEO right out from under Friedkin's nose right before she was to be announced. Lot of the Forest fans love the guy.

Robert Tressell
5 Posted 09/09/2025 at 08:30:23
Interesting to see what happens to Forest from here. Whilst their fans will have been delighted with the progress made under Marinakis, it has not been plain sailing with very heavy spending and points deductions, the shenanigans with Olympiakos, and now the sacking of Nuno (despite doing a good job).

The owner appears to be gambling with the club, spending in the hope of Champions League football. At some point this unravels – as West Ham and Villa are now finding out (and their spending was more measured in any case).

It wouldn't surprise me if Forest end the season with a different manager to the one they appoint now as Nuno's replacement…

Ray Robinson
6 Posted 09/09/2025 at 08:56:25
Robert, it wouldn't surprise me if Forest were at some point given another hefty points deduction or even demoted. Some of the goings on at that club appear highly dubious.
Robert Tressell
7 Posted 09/09/2025 at 09:28:39
Good for us if that happens Ray. Our rightful / natural place in the short to medium term under sensible owners is alongside Spurs, Newcastle and Villa - putting pressure on the more established players of Arsenal, Chelsea, the RS, City and United.

We're a window or two off that now - but it should mean Champions League runs in better seasons, Europe most seasons and regular cup trophy contention too.

Getting rid of upstarts like Forest helps to speed up the transition back to the upper echelons!

Eric Myles
8 Posted 09/09/2025 at 09:49:27
Got to object to the use of 'upstarts', Robert, as I think every club deserves their place in the sun (RS excepted of course), however fleeting it may turn out to be.

Remember, we are largely considered by the corrupt authorities and their favourites as being upstarts.

Brian Harrison
9 Posted 09/09/2025 at 09:58:15
The expectations last season before a ball was kicked were Forest may struggle, but unbelievably Nuno produces a miracle of a season and, within weeks of the start of a new season, he is gone. I would imagine any serious manager already employed in the Premier League would have serious misgivings about going there.

Seems the bookies favourite is Postecoglou and Mourhino as another possible candidate. I can't see the Forest fans being happy with a change of manager, and wonder if there will be a kick back from them.

Ian Jones
10 Posted 09/09/2025 at 09:59:52
Well, I think the smart money would be on Ange Postecoglou.

Widely being reported as being the most likely replacement.

Andy Crooks
11 Posted 09/09/2025 at 10:23:47
Eric, think that was tongue in cheek from Robert. Soon we will be upstarts!
Robert Tressell
12 Posted 09/09/2025 at 10:28:06
I'm expecting us to be part of the establishment soon enough.

It's our rightful place under proper owners.

Dave Abrahams
13 Posted 09/09/2025 at 10:52:37
Brian (5),

Looks like you are correct with some reports saying Postecoglu will be appointed today.

Brian Harrison
14 Posted 09/09/2025 at 12:43:33
Dave,

Apparently Postecoglu is at the Forest training ground so I would imagine sometime this afternoon he will be officially appointed.

Jack Convery
15 Posted 09/09/2025 at 13:21:45
Postecoglu has been appointed the new Manager.

Nuno must be as sick as the proverbial parrot.

Ian Jones
16 Posted 09/09/2025 at 13:28:00
Jack, I imagine Nuno will be disappointed but also pleased he's escaped the madhouse. He won't be short of job offers...

It's just picking the one with a stable owner and board.

Martin Mulrooney
17 Posted 09/09/2025 at 13:30:52
Totally polar opposite styles of football, from what I know of the managers.

Nuno liked to sit back, soak pressure, and explode on the counter-attack. Didn't care about possession of the ball.

Ange likes to get his defence extremely high up and play in the opposition's half, press high and force turnovers.

This could be a catastrophe for Forest if players don't adapt quickly or they simply don't have the players capable to pull it off.

Spurs seemed to struggle even more whenever their quickest defenders was missing.

Not sure of Forest's overall pace in the back line to play Angeball…

Christy Ring
18 Posted 09/09/2025 at 13:39:32
Postecoglu, 2-year deal supposedly, his Greek hereditary probably helped.

I don't like the owner, a Greek bully, as we saw when he confronted Nuno last season. He also got his say in with Uefa over Palace, which didn't go down well with the Palace fans. I hope it backfires on him this season.

Ian Jones
19 Posted 09/09/2025 at 13:47:01
It's all Greek to me...
Frank Crewe
20 Posted 09/09/2025 at 14:00:07
So the manager who got Forest to 7th place last season is replaced by one who got Spurs to 17th!?! Welcome to the crazy world of football management.

This is what happens when you have an overbearing billionaire owner who really wants to manage the team himself but doesn't have the qualifications.

Paul Kossoff
21 Posted 09/09/2025 at 14:51:15
Postecoglou replaces Nuno as Forest manager.

Is he any better than Nuno? I doubt it. Nuno was sacked plainly because the owner didn't like him.

Seems it doesn't matter how much you fuck up in football, the merry-go-round is all-inclusive. even to failures. I wonder if they all have the same agent?

Mike Gaynes
22 Posted 09/09/2025 at 16:49:53
Nuno just recently signed a 3-year extension on his contract. He'll be collecting some fat checks from Marinakis to ease any ill feelings he may have.

In fact, Ange's shiny new contract runs shorter than Nuno's... 2 years versus 3.

Robert Tressell
23 Posted 09/09/2025 at 17:08:37
I think this is good for us. This is a mess for Forest - and Forest have the best squad outside of the big(-ish) 7.

It looks like Forest are bringing in a man who can win a Europa League trophy but wobbles in the League. Let him wobble – especially with a squad designed for a Nuno defence and counter attack – rather than a Postecoglou no defence and possession game.

Our chances of finishing 7th or 8th have just improved.

Jay Harris
24 Posted 09/09/2025 at 18:14:10
Agreed Robert.

A meddling owner and a gung-ho manager give us a better chance of finishing above them despite the vast fortune spent on players and the risk of PSR although, having made an example of us, Masters seems to have retreated his dictatorship approach.

Andrew Ellams
25 Posted 09/09/2025 at 18:28:33
I expected to see Forest start to struggle a bit more when their European campaign kicks in and when they lose quite a few players to Afcon but I think this just might amplify that struggle a little bit more.
Christy Ring
26 Posted 09/09/2025 at 18:49:05
It's definitely a backward step, and they got what the owner deserves.

But I think him bringing in Edu left Nuno completely on the outside, he even said he'd no input in transfers.

Trevor Powell
27 Posted 09/09/2025 at 20:40:40
Unangelic got Spurs to win the devalued Europa League last season. Remember we went out to Forientina in the Europa League on penalties who found themselves demoted from the Champions League for finishing third in their group.

So we went out to a team rated between 17 and 24 in European pecking order while Spurs played in a tournament where the highest rating would have been at 37 to 72.

Oliver Molloy
28 Posted 09/09/2025 at 22:32:14
I wonder if Postecoglu will continue his record of winning a trophy by the end of year two or sooner even !
Paul Kernot
29 Posted 09/09/2025 at 22:33:13
Frank #20. Re your last paragraph; you mean like Everton half a dozen years ago?
Paul Kernot
30 Posted 09/09/2025 at 23:30:35
Frank #20. Re your last paragraph; you mean like Everton half a dozen years ago?
Dupont Koo
31 Posted 10/09/2025 at 00:29:11
Can't agree more with Robert T.: the more Forest is to be imploded and struggled, the more we will benefit.

Another potential concern for Forest is that Anthony Elanga, almost an indispensible part of the Nuno Counter-Attacking Machine last season, is now a Barcode in the North East. Ange would love to still have him in the squad as a Poor Man, but younger, version of Son Hueung-Min.

Bob Parrington
32 Posted 10/09/2025 at 02:23:56
Mmm! ANGE and evANGElos! I wonder how long this will last. Two strong personalities again!
Jeff Spoering
33 Posted 10/09/2025 at 02:58:10
And, just desserts to any of the quality players that chose Forest over us in the summer transfer window!
Matt Traynor
34 Posted 10/09/2025 at 04:39:46
MK - I wish the Benitez error was forgettable - still gives me sleepless nights

Eric #8, most neutral fans seem to regard us as the turd that won't flush.

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