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Sean Dyche out, Vitor Pereira in. The former Wolves boss taking possession of the managerial baton at Nottingham Forest, the Portuguese coach signing an 18 month deal at the City Ground – a deal that might not be worth the paper it is written on.
The reason that Pereira may want to rent in Nottingham rather than look to buy a new house by the banks of the River Trent is due to Evangelos Maranakis hiring and firing strategy at Forest. The Greek owner now welcoming a fourth manager to the club since the start of the season.
Unchartered territory for any Premier League outfit, the first outfit to make three managerial changes in the space of one campaign. It looks like being the final roll of the dice between now and May but even that statement cannot be said with too much assurance.
However long the new Forest boss stays in charge, the remit for the next three months is as simple as it can possibly be; stay in the Premier League. Simple to say, difficult to achieve and especially as the weight of history could now work against them.
Three And Down
Nottingham Forest may be the first side to go with a fourth manager in a single season but they are far from the first to try a third. When this happens it signifies a club in genuine peril, that peril usually leads to relegation.
Eight other clubs have gone with a permanent trio, six of those have suffered relegation at the end of the season. Sunderland, Charlton, Fulham three of the clubs on the wall of shame. Also joined by Watford, Leeds and Southampton for good measure.
The only two instances of wholesale and constant change but a modicum of success can be found at Fratton Park and the Liberty Stadium. Portsmouth’s treble of Harry Redknapp, Tony Adams and Paul Hart doing the business across 2008/09 as the Hampshire outfit finished 14th.
One place better off than Swansea at the end of the 2016/17 season. Francesco Guidolin, Bob Bradley and Paul Clement not the most memorable set of names to lead the Swans, a 15th place finish a mere footnote in South Wales’s football history.
Over Their Shoulder
A position that Forest fans would love to find themselves in at present but they have to make do with 17th instead and with West Ham’s resurgence further adding to the current tension permeating over Nottinghamshire, it feels like two clubs in different trajectories.
Ironic when you consider that West Ham’s patience is now being rewarded, even more so with it being a former Forest boss at the helm. How sweet would it be for Nuno Espirito Santo to get one over the man who publicly admonished him on the field of play at the end of last season.
A personal duel between he and Evangelos Maranakis, a duel between two clubs as to who may suffer the drop to the Championship. Vitor Pereira’s management has already played a considerable part in sending Wolves down, he now needs to avoid taking his current club with them.
