Manager upheaval, European highs and a great escape, inside Nottingham Forest’s soap opera season | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest’s 2025/26 became a turbulent saga of managerial churn, European adventure and a late survival push. After the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, Vitor Pereira called it a gruelling campaign.

Pre-season exposed scoring issues that soon deepened despite a win over Brentford. According to Nottingham Post, Nuno Espirito Santo was unhappy with transfers and his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis, amid a dispute with global head of football Edu.

Nuno was still in place for the Europa League draw, but he left before the first tie, replaced by Ange Postecoglou. His eight-game stint yielded six defeats and two draws, including a Carabao Cup exit and a chastening night against Midtjylland. He was sacked 20 minutes after a 3-0 loss at Chelsea, 39 days after arriving.

Sean Dyche came in as a steady hand, beating Porto on debut and Liverpool 3-0 a month later. An FA Cup exit at Wrexham and a dismal display in Braga angered fans, and wins over Brentford and Ferencvaros could not mask a slide.

Pereira took charge in mid-February, lifting the mood while riding out early bumps. An emphatic win at Fenerbahce in Istanbul underlined a growing belief.

At Manchester City, Forest trailed 2-1 and, with West Ham ahead against Fulham, dropped into the bottom three. Elliot Anderson’s equaliser and a late Murillo clearance preserved a point and kept them out on goal difference, sparking an eight-match unbeaten run that sealed safety.

The Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa proved a step too far, though a 1-0 first-leg win over Unai Emery’s eventual champions lit up the City Ground. A season of head-spinning moments closed with top-flight status intact.

Source: Nottingham Post