Henry Winter has explained why he admires Nottingham Forest’s head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Reds hired the 50-year-old in December, after electing to end Steve Cooper’s tenure at the City Ground.
It’s been a difficult few months for Espirito Santo, but Forest has at least hobbled towards Premier League survival.
Forests are not completely safe yet, but they will be unless a mathematical miracle occurs on the final day of the campaign.
Winter has now stated why he likes Espirito Santo and believes Forest is in good hands.
Henry Winter reveals what he likes about Nuno Espirito Santo.
The acclaimed journalist has now spoken out on why he believes Espirito Santo deserves some flack from Forest.
He has not been the charismatic, fist-pumping head coach that Cooper was, but Forest must eventually move on from that.
Every head coach has unique attributes, and Winter has discussed what he believes Espirito Santo offers to Forest.
He told the Forest Focus podcast: “What I admire about Nuno is that he cares, whereas I believe many people in football do not. He cares. I believe the people of Nottingham Forest, including staff, supporters, and players, agree with him. He’s an extremely caring person.
“You talk to players who’ve played for him, and aside from one or two comments about referees, he’s handled himself with dignity, which I like in a manager.”
“On a human level, I’m delighted he kept Forest going because it would have harmed his reputation if the team had failed, and he would not have lasted.
“With due respect, who will Forest get who is better? Maybe I’m a softie, but I prefer managers to be good people, and Nuno is.”
Espirito Santo deserves an opportunity to stamp authority.
Another change wouldn’t make much sense because Espirito Santo hasn’t had a fair chance yet.
He arrived at a time when things were moving quickly, especially during the busy Christmas season.
After winning two of his first three games in charge, Espirito Santo saw several of his players go for the African Cup of Nations.
He has also dealt with injuries, as well as a four-point reduction for violating profitability and sustainability requirements.
Espirito Santo has not been without flaws, but Forest should eventually choose continuity.
With a complete preseason and a couple excellent additions, the head coach may get the Reds to play well more consistently.
Forest gave Cooper numerous chances to get things right, and Espirito Santo now deserves the same opportunity.
