Nuno Espiríto Santo Becomes the First Managerial Sacrifice | OneFootball

This morning on the West Coast we woke up to this news:

Source: X

The following is a fictional account of how we think it all went down.

The Culling of Nuno – A Fiction

In the stygian darkness of an otherwise clear and temperate night in Nottinghamshire, a cabal of hooded and cloaked figures wearing robes of red with white pinstripes held a most somber gathering. Before them stood Nuno Espiríto Santo, club manager of Nottingham Forest. Upon a raised dias stood the cabal’s leader. He pulled back his cowl, revealing a moon-shaped face fringed by a salt-and-pepper beard, his eyes bright and piercing.

Summary judgement in the weeks long closed door trial had found Nuno deficient; it was his turn to be sacrificed upon Forest’s Altar of Progress. Etched into the blood-soaked stone were his predecessor’s names: Filippo Giraldi, Steve Cooper, Chris Hughton, Sabri Lamouchi, Martin O’Neill, Aitor Karanka, Mark Warburton, and dozens more dating back over a century.

As Nuno lay upon the altar, he locked eyes one last time with Evangelos Marinakis. Even now he refused to blink in submission. From 17th place to 7th, with the impending largesse from a year of continental soccer, wasn’t that enough? As the atonal chants of the cabal echoed in the chamber, Marinakis raised up the sacrificial blade. With a practiced motion he completed the deed as the cabal’s cries reached a crescendo.

On the fringes of ecstatic celebrants, Ange Postecoglu stood apart. His narrowed eyes observed the ritual dispassionately. He had been here before. A grinning Marinakis approached him, fixed a Forest pin to his suit lapel and whispered in his ear. Ange allowed himself a wan smile. Looking past the bulk of his new boss, his gaze fell upon the altar. There was still plenty of room for one more name.

A More Factual Take

Nuno’s sacking appears to be almost entirely personal. From a performance perspective, he was completely solid. When he took over in December 2023, Forest sat deep in the relegation zone. Nuno led them out and secured their Premier League position finishing 17th.

The next 2024-25 season saw the club run rampant throughout the league. After a mediocre start, the club surged between weeks 15 and 24 with 8 wins, a draw and a loss. They sat in 3rd place for 15 of the 38 weeks of the season, but slipped in the final stretch to finish 7th.

A truly harsh judge could see that slide as failure; Marinakis might have. But rumors of bad blood between the two were percolating even in those closing weeks. A public clash between them on the pitch following Forest’s 2 – 2 draw with already-relegated Leicester City was explained away with an excuse so flimsy you could tear through it with a soup spoon. Most smart folks started the countdown to Nuno’s departure after that, and put in their deadpool predictions.

A Personal Connection

Ange Postecoglu and Evangelos Marinakis know one another quite well. Both are Greek and have run in similar circles for years. In addition to that personal connection, some hints to Marinakis’ decision may also be gleaned from the text in the X announcement. Here are two quotes directly from the owner. “We are bringing a coach to the Club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies.” and “…we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies.”

Trophies. Marinakis had better plan to keep Ange around for two seasons.