Nottingham Forest are riding the crest of a wave right now, with no sign of the bubble bursting any time soon.
Forest are off to Wembley after Saturday’s 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Brighton, which set up a semi-final showdown with Manchester City.
Wayne Rooney was made to look foolish by Nuno Espirito Santo at the weekend after he questioned his team selection for the quarter-final.
It was a strong performance by the Reds who kept an in-form Brighton side at bay before pouncing to win a third successive cup tie on penalties.
Forest are also in contention for a Champions League place next season, and the season has the potential to be seriously memorable for all the right reasons.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist disagree on Manager of the Season
Naturally, it’s the stage of the season where pundits start to pick out their end-of-season accolades.
The Manager of the Year is going to be hotly contested this year, with Liverpool set to win the Premier League and Newcastle having won the Carabao Cup.
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Ally McCoist jumped in when odds expert Dave Stevens made the claim that Espirito Santo could claim the Manager of the Year accolade.
He said: “I totally agree on Nuno, I’d go for him, he’s been magnificent and he’s going to be right in contention. He’d get my vote.”
Stelling didn’t agree, however, and admitted that he’d get battered for it but gave a nod to Arne Slot for the work he’s done at Liverpool.
He argued: “Look, I get it, I will get battered for this but Liverpool are the runaway leaders, they’re going to walk the Premier League and because of that Arne Slot who has done a great job in replacing Jurgen Klopp, will be named Manager of the Year.”
Espirito Santo will face stern competition for Manager of the Year
Although Espirito Santo will be a name in the mix to win the award, it largely goes to the manager who wins the biggest prize.
As a result, that will give Slot the advantage, given that he’s going to absolutely walk the Premier League this season.
Espirito Santo has done a stellar job with Forest, and he deserves every single accolade that comes his way, regardless of what happens this season.
However, the Manager of the Year award won’t define him, and it’s hard to argue with Stelling’s point that Slot remains in the driving seat.