When Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed as the new Nottingham Forest head coach it was only natural that he’d be compared to Steve Cooper.
The likeable Welshman achieved the unthinkable at Forest and restored Premier League football to the agenda for the first time in 23 years on Trentside.
Not only that but he kept the Reds up during the 2022/23 campaign amid a backdrop of haphazard recruitment and a number of injuries to high-profile players.
Although the time was up for Cooper when the axe did fall, many people weren’t overly convinced that Espirito Santo was the man to take Forest forward.
Stan Collymore reacted to Forest getting Espirito Santo suggesting it’d need to be more Wolves and less Tottenham if he’s to succeed.
Evangelos Marinakis interviewed Oliver Glasner before Espirito Santo – but wasn’t impressed with the man who now oversees Crystal Palace during an interview.
Another pundit to bemoan the decision was Chris Sutton who didn’t feel Espirito Santo was the right man either.
Fast forward 12 months and Espirito Santo has proved everyone wrong and a 2-0 win over Brentford at the weekend saw a big milestone fetched up – and it might surprise some people.
Nuno Espirito Santo, Manager of Nottingham Forest, looks on during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Aston Villa FC at City...
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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Nuno Espirito Santo appointed Nottingham Forest boss
It’s taken just 38 games but Espirito Santo has now managed to better the points total from Premier League matches that Cooper managed at Forest.
Cooper was recently sacked by Leicester and that move was doomed from the off, with the Foxes unable to stand Forest and anything or anyone that has ever been associated with the club.
Marinakis considered sacking Espirito Santo twice last season but stood firm amid the rough hand he was dealt when he first came to the club in December.
He was robbed of Willy Boly 20 minutes into his first game in charge when he was incorrectly sent off and then did defeat Newcastle and Manchester United in quick succession.
Then, some of his squad headed off to play in the African Cup of Nations and that left the squad somewhat decimated for a few weeks of the campaign when Forest had some tough fixtures.
Furthermore, Forest had a four-point penalty deducted from their total after breaching PSR and clearly Marinakis took that into consideration when making a decision on the head coach.
Ultimately, Espirito Santo did manage to keep Forest in the division and he was given a chance in the summer to build a squad capable of taking Forest to the next level.
Nuno Espirito Santo eclipses Steve Cooper as Forest beat Brentford
In our view, this shouldn’t be used as a stick to beat Cooper with but at the same time it makes a mockery of those who insisted nothing would be any different when Espirito Santo was appointed.
The Portuguese boss knows what he’s doing at this level and his reputation shouldn’t be tarnished because of a short spell at Tottenham that was always going to prove tricky.
After the 2-0 win over Brentford, Forest have now won as many points under Espirito Santo in the Premier League as they did under Cooper – with the current incumbent taking 17 fewer games.
Manager P W D L GD Points
Nuno Espirito Santo 38 15 8 15 -1 53
Steve Cooper 55 12 16 27 -43 52
Nuno vs Cooper – Premier League points per manager
Cooper still clearly has work to do at this level and the jury remains out over whether he has the credentials to walk into a Premier League club and get a team firing right away.
Espirito Santo has made a mockery of the fans who douted him and ones who likely pledged blind loyalty to a head coach who bought into the ethos of not just the club but also the city of Nottingham.
The Forest boss is going to be a wanted man if current results persist and ahead of the Boxing Day clash against Tottenham, he’s now rebuilt his reputation when it comes to the Premier League.
It’s very unlikely that Forest will finish in the top four this season but under the influence of Espirito Santo, there is no reason why the team can’t maintain a challenge for European football during the campaign.
Something tells us this won’t be the last time that Espirito Santo breaks some sort of record as the Forest head coach this season.
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