Nottingham Forest: What a comeback!

Nottingham Forest, that name sounded almost mystical in England and across European football in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The "Tricky Trees" have come a long way from the peak, with two titles in the European Cup, to their return to the Premier League after almost a quarter of a century of absence. Inspired by the "Holy Spirit," as coach Nuno Espirito Santo is called in translation, they are aiming to have their best Premier League season yet. 

After the first international break, Nottingham Forest returned in mid-September 2024 with a real surprise: 1-0 (0-0) at FC Liverpool, who had won their first three league games under their new coach Arne Slot. 

The "Tricky Trees" also surprised Liverpool

Since 1969, the team from the East Midlands had not triumphed at Anfield, and for Nuno Espirito Santo, the Portuguese coach of the "Tricky Trees," it was his first win over Liverpool as a coach.

It was one of those games that frees up energy. Nottingham won three of their next four games, including the East Midlands derby at Leicester City (3-1). 

Although the 1-3 defeat against Newcastle United before the last international break in November 2024 slowed this run, Nottingham Forest is the surprise team of the Premier League season so far. 

Founded in 1865, Nottingham Forest Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in the world. Together with FC Liverpool and Aston Villa, it was part of the group of English clubs that, from 1977 to 1982, did not allow a team from another country into the European Cup of Champions. 

Nottingham and the golden era of English clubs

Liverpool won the "Henkelpott" in 1977 and 1978. Forest replaced "The Reds" in 1979 (1-0 against Malmö FF in Munich) and 1980 (1-0 against HSV in Madrid), before Liverpool and Aston Villa reclaimed the European Cup in 1981 and 1982, respectively. 

Nottingham could not maintain this golden era under the legendary coach Brian Clough, whose statue is a popular photo spot. In 1999, they left the Premier League for a period of 23 years, even playing in the third tier (Football League One) at one point.

The Premier League comeback of the former powerhouse in 2022 in the playoff against Huddersfield Town (1-0) at Wembley was something I reported live for event-breaks.com and, of course, for you, dear readers, back then.

A great day for Nottingham Forest on the pitch and up in the box, where he could celebrate: Evangelos Marinakis. 

The powerful Greek shipowner, who also owns Olympiakos Piraeus and led them to become the first European Cup winners from Greece in 2024, joined in 2017 with 67 percent ownership and a financial volume of 50 million euros, bringing the turnaround for the better. 

Of course, Marinakis' methods are not always the most refined – after the 0-1 defeat against FC Fulham following a spitting incident, he served a five-match ban in the stands – but he attracts the attention of both English and, of course, Greek media like no other patron. 

Marinakis brought Nuno Espirito Santo in as coach and the Brazilian Edu as sporting director to Nottingham. His head of transfers, George Syrianos, is, as the name suggests, German. 

And he probably also made two of the best transfers of the summer. Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic (27) moved from Olympiakos' final opponent AC Fiorentina to England for 14.3 million euros, while English U21 international Elliot Anderson (22) was brought in from league rival Newcastle United for a hefty 41.2 million euros to the City Ground.

And what can you say? Nottingham Forest seems to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Nuno Espirito Santo has brought defensive stability to the "Tricky Trees." 

As good as since 1995 

With 67 goals conceded, Forest were one of the five weakest defensive teams in the Premier League last season. 

This year, Nottingham Forest has conceded only 10 goals so far, the second-best defense in the league – behind Liverpool (6). 

After the first 10 matchdays in the English top league, the team from the city of the legendary Robin Hood was even in third place, something Nottingham hasn't achieved since 1995/96. 

Eleven points from five away games make Nottingham Forest the second-best away team in the Premier League, behind FC Liverpool. 
Nuno Espirito Santo has made sure that Nottingham is no longer just talking about its glorious past.

No longer just about the heroes of the past, Viv Anderson, Kenny Burns, Tony Woodcock, Martin O'Neill, Trevor Francis, and Peter Shilton. 

Chris Wood: A Vardy-like figure?

Now, the stars are Taiwo Awoniyi, Callum Hudson-Odoi (who scored the 1-0 winner in Liverpool), Milenkovic, Neco Williams, and Chris Wood.

The 32-year-old Australian, "a traditional center-forward," as England legend Keir Radnedge calls him in the Kicker sports magazine (issue of November 7, 2024), could become a cult figure at Forest like James Richard Gill, known as Jamie Vardy, who led Leicester City to their sensational Premier League title in 2016 – and was named "Footballer of the Year" in England.

Wood has been a regular since Espirito Santo took over. He scored eight goals in the first eleven Premier League games of 2024/2025. "For a while," Wood recently philosophized after the 3-0 win against West Ham United, "the little center-forward or false nine was in fashion. Luckily, Erling Haaland has changed that approach again." 

Luckily, yes.