From the moment jaws dropped to the floor at a recent Nottingham Forest press conference, there was really only ever going to be one outcome at the City Ground.
For two weeks running, Nuno Espirito Santo used his meetings with the media to make outspoken comments. First, he criticised the club’s transfer work and then he went into detail about how his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had deteriorated.
On the latter occasion, he left those present - including club staff - stunned. Nuno had been advised to keep his counsel amid reports his position was under threat; he was urged to retain composure, given there was so much positivity Trentside at the time.
Instead, he went rogue. Earlier in the day, Forest had dismissed suggestions the Portuguese was at risk of the sack but the man himself blasted there was ‘no smoke without fire’.
His manager speaking out in such a manner was never going to go down well with Marinakis. The Greek had insisted there was a way forward when he spoke at the Europa League draw last month, but it seems the fractures ran too deep.
Nuno’s rift with recently-appointed global head of football Edu has been well documented. The former tried to strike a more conciliatory tone after his team’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace and before their clash with West Ham United. But the damage was already done.
Prior to taking on the Hammers, a pointed comment from Nuno stood out. On the subject of Edu, he said: "I have to speak to the owner. For me, it's important that everyone at the club shares the same vision and same commitment. Me, I have it."
Ouch. A clear message was delivered. Nuno was doing his best to wrestle control of the narrative.
Securing the services of Edu, though, had been viewed as a big coup. That was a fight Nuno was not going to win.
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To a large extent, Nuno dug his own grave with his comments. Perhaps it was a case of trying to speed up what he felt was inevitable. Or perhaps it was a way of trying to at least claw back some sort of edge in this particular power struggle. Either way, he later insisted he had no regrets about speaking out.
The end of his tenure is therefore not really a surprise. The real shock is with regards to the timing - a matter of days before Forest return to action from the international break with a huge game away to Arsenal.
What Nuno achieved with the Reds will never be forgotten. He steered them to safety during a difficult 2023/24 campaign, having been appointed midway through, then oversaw the most special of seasons last time around.
Forest progressed under his stewardship - both as individuals and as a collective. They notched up countless milestone results. They secured European football for the first time in three decades and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Nuno brought all of that back. He deserved better than an announcement being snuck out at 12.15am on a Tuesday morning when the vast majority of people were asleep. That the news was already being reported in Nuno’s homeland may well have forced the club’s hand, but it was still cowardly and bizarre to put it out then.
It marked a sorry end to what for the most part has been an excellent stint in charge. Given there is now so much at stake, with the promise of an exciting season ahead, much rests on Marinakis getting this next appointment right.
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