Nottingham Forest Hope To Avoid The Cruellest Irony

As the transfer window closes, Nottingham Forest appears to be throwing money at Premier League survival.

A $50 million bid has been lodged for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta, with rumored moves for Wolves keeper Jose Sa and Brighton defender Lewis Dunk.

The desire to bolster the squad is clear. Unlike most lower-half Premier League rivals, the club faces midweek European fixtures, putting extra strain on an already injury-hit squad.

A degree of respite from relegation fears came last weekend with a 0-2 win over Brentford in West London. It was the type of victory that manager Sean Dyche specialises in. The opposition dominates for spells but struggles to bypass his strong defence.

It was, in the words of the man himself, “resolute.”

“We have to work with players in different competitions, and I was pleased with today,” Dyche told Sky Sports.

“We defended resolutely in the second half and it’s seven points from three games now.

“We know what a good outfit Brentford are and obviously it was a bit nervy sometimes, but we found our moments.

“Coming out of a tough spell, which can happen in the Premier League, we’ve got a couple of clean sheets, so I’m pleased.”

The significance of last weekend’s victory is heightened when considering what unfolded elsewhere in London earlier that day.

After seeming destined for relegation all season, West Ham United has suddenly found winning form.

A win over bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur was followed by another against in-form Sunderland.

By the time Nottingham Forest played, 14 miles away, the gap between the teams was just two points.

Therefore, the outcome against Brentford carried even more weight in the context of the day’s earlier results.

Asked about the significance of maintaining the five-point gap over West Ham, Dyche was typically blunt: “We can’t do anything about other people,” he rattled back, “it’s just about ourselves.”

Being overtaken by West Ham would sting for Forest, given their coach at London Stadium: Nuno Espirito Santo.

Last season, the Portuguese coach led the Reds to an incredible 7th-place finish and an FA Cup semi-final.

It was a remarkable overperformance for a side that has spent its first few years in the Premier League battling to remain in the division.

But an explosive row broke out between the hierarchy and Nuno, who felt the squad was unequipped for the schedule’s demands. This led to the manager’s departure.

The club briefly hired Ange Postecoglou, who tried to overhaul Nuno’s effective style, with disastrous results.

He was soon jettisoned for the reliable Sean Dyche. Dyche is known for robust, no-frills teams that can cause the odd upset but usually reach a ceiling of mid-table stability.

You wonder if his appointment is merely a case of necessity for a Forest ownership never satisfied with survival, a point Dyche alluded to before a European encounter this week.

“This club has ambitions, we have very big ambitions,” he said, “we don’t put limits in front of us. We’re just going game by game, step by step, and let’s see how far we can go.

“We want to enjoy every single game in this competition with our fans because after 30 years, it is a real pleasure to be here and playing in front of our fans in Europe.”

Given Dyche’s style, fans can expect Forest to have a fair chance of staying up this season.

But with West Ham United coming to life under Nuno, there will be fear in the minds of Forest fans. They worry he could leapfrog his former employers. That would be a cruel irony.

Nuno is being vindicated in his assessment that a larger, stronger squad was needed. Forest’s transfer moves back up his point. Dyche confirmed this, speaking in an understandably more diplomatic manner.

“I’ve said to you all along, the club is a trading club,” he told the media.

“And they always make it clear to me that we’re looking at options in various positions. Full-back’s one of them, with the left-back situation being a big factor. We’re trying to be proactive and strengthen where and when we can.”

Nuno leading a West Ham relegation escape will sting Forest fans, as his exit felt so avoidable.

He achieved so much with the club. Surely, more could have been done to placate him.

The ownership could argue, with validity, that unpopular decisions have worked in the past.

Few in Nottingham wanted Steve Cooper gone, but hiring Nuno proved wise.

Given how this season has gone, it will be harder to make that case. Dyche’s record suggests they won’t be improving on the 7th-placed finish anytime soon. But perhaps for now, a bit of stability is exactly what’s needed.