Nuno is keen to deliver at home again for fans
BETTER AT THE CITY GROUND
FOR a second successive match, Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is preparing to come up against one of his former clubs as Wolverhampton Wanderers visit the City Ground on Saturday.
As was the case with Tottenham Hotspur last week, though, there was little chance of the Portuguese getting drawn into an emotionladen dialogue when he faced the media in his pre-match press conference. Nuno is very much about the task at hand.
And the task at hand for the Reds has been made that little bit more challenging as a result of their points deduction for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules. On that particular topic, Nuno was slightly more animated than usual.
The whole saga, he declared, is “a mess”. He made it clear – as he has done ever since Forest were charged in January - that he wants the situation resolved as quickly as possible.
There is not a great deal he and his players can do about that, though. The club have appealed against their four-point sanction and are expected to discover the outcome of that later this month.
Meanwhile, Everton have indicated they will challenge this week’s two-point deduction for their second PSR breach - having had a previous 10-point deduction reduced to six on appeal.
Given the Premier League have a backstop date of May 24 – five days after the final round of fixtures – in place to resolve both cases, there is the potential for the relegation picture to still not be resolved after the last game of the campaign.
“So much is going on, we cannot clearly know what is going to happen. Let’s wait,” Nuno said.
While Forest wait for the appeal process to run its course, Nuno’s focus is on picking up points on the pitch. He knows it will not be easy to do so against Wolves.
“They are a very good team, (it’s been a) fantastic job from Gary (O’neil),” he said.
“They are a tough opponent but we are ready for the game. I think the team is playing better at the City Ground, and this is what we expect on Saturday. The City Ground is very important for us.”
Nuno hopes for a repeat of the incredible atmosphere of the Reds’ last match Trentside. The place was rocking as Fulham were seen off 3-1 last week.
Nuno had a strong relationship with Wolves fans during his time in the West Midlands. He is eager to have that same bond with Forest supporters.
“This is what my main purpose is,” said the 50-year-old.
“I know how important our fans are for us. What they deserve is happiness. We will give everything on Saturday.”
Given both Forest and Wolves have had their issues with VAR and refereeing calls this season, plenty of focus will be on the officials this weekend. However, Nuno was not about to revisit that subject in his meeting with the media.
“Let’s not talk too much about referees,” he said.
The Reds will hope that is the case again on Saturday.