Nottingham Forest

On the latest episode of the Shut Up and Show More Football podcast, BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray breaks down his favourite interviews of the 2023-24 season.

One that is likely to particularly resonate with Forest fans is Fray's interview with Steve Cooper after the disastrous 5-0 defeat away to Fulham in December 2023. During the defeat the travelling fans repeatedly chanted Cooper's name but the beloved manager who led the club back to the Premier League after 24 years was sacked just under two weeks later.

"I thought that was the last time we were going to be hearing from Steve Cooper," Fray told the podcast. "He did last a couple more matches.

"I always thought that some of the times he spoke best was when the club was really struggling, the team was struggling for points, and this was a real dip.

"To go to Fulham on a night where many thought his job was on the line and lose 5-0 was as down as you can get and yet I still thought that he spoke amazingly well and in amazingly humble tones.

"Of course that was the night the fans were signing his name and giving him huge support again. It almost felt like it was a goodbye from the crowd as well, he stood in front of them at the end and was waving and thanking them and kept tapping his heart.

"This was another occasion where he spoke really, really well in adversity.

"It will be interesting to see where Cooper goes next. I'm sure he will not be short of offers and will be choosing very carefully where the next port of call is for him."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, PA Media

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Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Steve Hodge has been discussing the Reds' transfer business on the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast: "As we know, every year recruitment is the biggest issue for a football club to go forward.

"The biggest let down this year has been [Ibrahim] Sangare by a country mile. From what we expected from when we got him we thought he'd dominate midfield and be a bullish player who would knock people out of the way and control games.

"That's just not happened - on him it's a big decision for the football club because he cost a lot of money and at the moment it is not proving to be worthwhile. He has a long contract so do you give him a longer time to establish himself in the Premier League and see if he can compete better?

"His adaptation this year has not been great in a really tough league. He was a top player in Holland but in the Premier League he has not been seen to be a top player."

BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray added: "It is going to be interesting this summer. I don't think Forest will be quite as flamboyant in the transfer market.

"Given what has happened this season the key is to not have a points deduction again next season and to make sure if they need to sell someone before the 30 June to balance the books then they do that. I think most of us are expecting that to have to happen."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Steve Hodge believes "recruitment is the biggest issue within a football club" and that there will be a lot of changes made again this summer at the City Ground.

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast, he said: "It's just the nature of the turnover of football clubs."

"There will be players who will be moved on. You have to have a refresh every summer anyway to get younger players like Murillo - who comes in from nowhere and takes the place by storm.

"As we know every year, recruitment is the biggest issue within a football club to go forward - that is vital, the older players will get eased out in time."

BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray said he thinks the club will approach the window in different way to how they did last season.

"I don't think Forest will be quite as flamboyant in the transfer market this summer. Obviously, given what's happened this season, the key is to not have a points deduction again next season," he said.

"Make sure that if they have to sell someone before 30 June to balance the books - then they do that. I think most of us are expecting that to have to happen."

He added: "The problem that Forest have got here is the rule - this is what caught them last season and they can't get caught by the same thing again next season.

"In what's going to be a stronger division next season a points deduction would potentially hamper you even more."

You can listen to the whole episode here

Nottingham Forest will have to sell players before the end of June to avoid breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules and being hit with a potential points deduction next season. (i.news), external

Winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is set to be a target for Tottenham. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter

Heading into a third Premier League season, after 23 years away, should be considered progress but there is much to be done.

Forest clearly have talented players but their game management and set piece defending must improve while they were the fourth lowest scorers in the division. Since the start of last season they have dropped 53 points from winning positions.

Biggest success for club this season?

After their four-point deduction in March for breaching profit and sustainability rules survival was the crucial achievement this term.

Their final points total of 32 sets a new record low for Premier League survival, two fewer than West Brom’s tally of 34 in 2004-05, though so improvement is needed.

Biggest let down or frustration?

There is only one, even discounting the mammoth season tickets rises imposed on fans.

Forest’s frustration with the decisions in March’s 2-0 defeat at Everton spilled over with their controversial social media post, leading to FA and Premier League charges.

Key item on the summer agenda?

Nuno Espirito Santo has already suggested he expects interest in his players, especially Morgan Gibbs-White, so moulding the squad and keeping their best talent is crucial.

Nuno likes to work with a small squad so he will be expected to trim it this summer.

Where and how can Forest improve? Tell us here, external

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

Has it been a season of progress, stagnation or indifference?

What many fans hoped would be a season of consolidation and a little progression became one of frustration and annoyance, but crucially, it ended with the club safe in the Premier League for a third season. In terms of points won on the pitch, Forest were slightly down on their first season back in the top-flight. Throw in a four-point deduction and things became very tight again in terms of avoiding relegation. It’s been a stressful watch for the fans – both in terms of what’s happened on the pitch and off it, and Premier League safety drew another big sigh of relief.

Biggest success for club this season?

It’s not been a season with much success to cheer, but for me, the form of three new signings who caught the eye during the season has been a highlight – and when you consider the prices paid, it has to go down as a success for the club. Those players are Callum Hudson-Odoi (a bargain at £3m), Ola Aina (a free transfer) and Murillo. The Brazilian defender cost around £11m (plus add-ons) after only playing 13 senior games in his career. He’s been a delight to watch, and has hugely increased his value in just one season.

Biggest let down or frustration?

Has to be allowing themselves to be caught out by the PSR rules and so being deducted four points. They felt they had a strong case in mitigation – the sale of Brennan Johnson for an increased profit. But the independent panels took a dim view of that happening after the June 30th deadline – even if Forest would have made less profit by selling before then. Fans would not have been forgiving if Forest had been relegated by four points or fewer, but thankfully they were good enough on the pitch to overcome the issue. Not far behind is the huge frustration with VAR. There’s not time here to go into the 10 Premier League matches affected by perceived (and often proven) poor officiating decisions, but it’s not difficult to come up with six or seven points those proven incorrect decisions have cost them. It could be more. Hypothetically, if you add those points to their total, it becomes a far more comfortable season.

Key item on the summer agenda? Recruitment, recruitment, recruitment! For the third summer in a row, Forest are recruiting for a Premier League campaign. The first, understandably, was a whirlwind. The second remained busy and was hit and miss in terms of success. Between them, they led to that PSR rule breach. This summer, they need to make absolutely certain that they don’t fall foul of that again. Make timely sales, and if they can unearth more signings like the three mentioned above, that would be ideal!

McNulty’s pre-season prediction: 14th

Actual finish: 17th

It was a turbulent season at Nottingham Forest with popular manager Steve Cooper sacked in December. Replacement Nuno Espirito Santo hardly presided over a grand revival, while Forest were in real relegation peril when they were deducted four points for breaches of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

They managed to survive, with Morgan Gibbs-White an influential performer, and Forest feeling they were another club to suffer the rough end of VAR decisions, something owner Evangelos Marinakis made his feelings very clear about.

It remains to be seen whether Nuno stays and Forest can keep Gibbs-White, but for now survival will do after an indifferent campaign.

Read the rest of Phil McNulty's end-of-season Premier League report here

We asked you to select your Nottingham Forest player of the season from the four candidates chosen by our fan contributor.

After voting in your thousands, we can reveal the winner is... Morgan Gibbs-White!

Image source, Getty Images

And here's what Saveena Johal from Punjabi Forest, external had to say about your winner...

"It feels like Gibbs-White is one of our own, and I am sure he feels much the same - he plays his heart out and is clearly motivated by a deep respect for the club. Helping to motivate the team as captain, smart passes that land at the feet of his team-mates, and his link up play with Chris Wood - there is a lot he can do."

See the breakdown of results

And here is how the votes went for the other 19 Premier League clubs

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest secured another season in the top flight, even after a points deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Pat Riddell, from The Famous Club, external, gave their verdict on the 2023-24 campaign.

Season rating: 4/10. It could be lower but I am not sure it could be much higher. There has been promise and frustration in equal measure, but I think there are enough grounds to hope for better next season.

Happy with your manager? Nuno Espirito Santo has not had the easiest time since he came in, and you could argue staying up is job done. It has not been as impressive as we might have hoped, but he probably deserves a whole season now - unless the owner has other ideas.

Unsung hero: In a strange season, there have been lots of players who have impressed, but not all the time. Neco Williams might have been named player of the month three times in a row, but he is often under the radar. The Welshman always puts in a solid shift in and has hugely improved during his two seasons with us.

Player you would most like to sign: Finishing off chances has been one of our Achilles' heels this year and a frontman with an eye for goal must surely be at the top of the shopping list. Given our success with signing unknown Brazilians who can slot straight into the team (Murillo, Danilo), I would happily take somebody we have never heard of if he can score 20 goals next season.

Best away fans: Everton have been in much the same boat as us this season, and their visit in December - not long after their 10-point deduction - demonstrated their fans' loud, passionate support.

See how our other fan writers rated their club's season here

Image source, Getty Images

Willy Boly has signed a one-year contract extension to stay at Nottingham Forest.

The Ivorian international, who won the Africa Cup of Nations with his country in February, has made 21 appearances this season.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve next season," said the 33-year-old defender.

"The support of the fans has been incredible and I can't wait to continue playing in front of them."

Boly will remain at the City Ground until 2025, with an option to extend for a second year.

Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have triggered their one-year option to extend Ola Aina’a contract.

The full-back made 22 appearances for Forest this season, scoring once, to help them beat the drop.

Forest survived despite a four-point deduction in March for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Sunday’s 2-1 final day win at Burnley left them 17th, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Aina said: “I’ve been really happy with my time spent here at Forest and the fans have been great.

"I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Chief football officer Ross Wilson added: “Since Ola joined the club last summer he has impressed all of us with his performances both on the pitch and also with the positive personality that he brings to the group every day.

“We are delighted that he will move forward with us."

Image source, Getty Images

Felipe, Cheikhou Kouyate and Wayne Hennessey will leave the club this summer when their contracts expire, a club statement has confirmed.

The trio joined the club in 2022 upon promotion to the top flight, and will leave the City Ground after Forest secured Premier League survival on the final day.

Loanees Gio Reyna, Divock Origi, Nuno Tavares, Gonzalo Montiel and Rodrigo Ribeiro will also leave the club when their deals expire this summer.

Tom Gayle
BBC Sport

Despite Nottingham Forest needing a point to absolutely guarantee a third consecutive season in the Premier League, the pre-match vibes from the packed out away end delivered an overwhelming sense of job already done before a ball was even kicked.

There seemed to be a dress code of minimal clothing, which included some in high-vis jackets, accompanied by accessories of beach balls and a few naked inflatables. This was most definitely an end of season party.

It is a campaign which will be best remembered by neutrals for Forest's actions off the pitch. Sacking Steve Cooper, appointing Nuno Espirito Santo, hiring Mark Clattenburg as a referee consultant and owner Evangelos Marinakis and first team coach Steven Reid pursuing officials all the way to the referee's office following their home defeat to Liverpool. There was also a four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), and releasing ‘that’ statement after penalty decisions did not go their way at Everton.

Amidst the chaos, two players in particular have stood out. Club record signing Morgan Gibbs-White ended the campaign with five league goals, plus an eye catching ten assists, a figure only bettered by Cole Palmer (11) and Ollie Watkins (13).

His performances throughout have been all action. He offered a perfect blend of the work rate needed to excel at this level, combined with bravery and creativity on the ball, which has seen him try, and pull things off, like he is flexing in the park with his mates and not gracing some of the biggest football stadia in the world. Even with the depth of talent available to Gareth Southgate, his name warrants being in the Euro 2024 conversation.

Then there is Murillo. A Brazilian ball playing centre-half who is built like a boxer. He arrived in the East Midlands having made just 13 League appearances for Corinthians, and has gone on to start all 31 English top flight matches he has been available for.

The 21-year-old is more than adept at the art of defending, but has quickly achieved cult status amongst Forest fans for his marauding dribbles, and ability to ping long balls with draw dropping accuracy. Turf Moor was treated to several renditions of "he's breaking ankles everywhere he goes. His name's Murillo, Murillo dos Santos."

Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo told me: "Definitely there will be interest from other clubs.

"We just have to wait and see. In football you never know."

I am sure most Forest fans understand where they sit in the food chain. It is likely they will lose one, if not both. However, unlike last summer's sale of Brennan Johnson, which was eventually confirmed on the 1st September 2023, the club will look to get any potential business done by the 30th June 2024 PSR deadline.

After Nottingham Forest's victory in their final game of the season against Burnley, we asked for your views on the match and the season as a whole.

Here are some of your responses:

Doug: Good game to finish off an indifferent season. A more relaxed performance and good to stay up with a six-point difference rather than goal difference. Now is the time to let Nuno Espirito Santo decide what players to bring in and more importantly, what players to get shot of (there is a few who are simply not good enough for the Premier League).

Shaun: We should not have conceded so much possession to a relegated team. Whoever is in charge next season has to sort out set-piece organisation - have someone who can bully the opposition but pass the ball with ease.

Jason: Just happy we stayed up and got the win. Hoping next season we get rid of the deadwood in our ranks and sign quality over quantity this transfer window. COYR!!

Matt: Fitting victory to end a troubled season. Certainly no better under Nuno than Cooper. It’s easy to say we were, but Cooper had to deal with the incoming lack of fitness and likely would have build in that. Glad we’ve survived and really hope we hold on to key players, but time will tell. A hard-fought survival for a third term in the top flight!

Alex: Another turbulent campaign but hopefully we have a foothold in the Premier League now. Some talent starting to settle too - Hudson-Odoi, Wood, Elanga, Boli, Murillo. Gibbs-White consistently the engine. Let us consolidate next season. Don’t change too much and go for a mid- table finish.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from the final 10 games of the Premier League season.

If you missed Sunday's Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.

Also, listen back to the two BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 3-1 West Ham

• Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth

Image source, Getty Images

Nuno Espirito Santo says he will celebrate Premier League survival with "two or three beers" tonight.

Nottingham Forest can now look forward to another season in the top flight and – hopefully for them – one that will not come with the stress of a points deduction for breaching financial rules which kept them in the relegation scrap until the end.

"We are very happy and proud of the way we finished the season," said Nuno. "We all know how hard it is, how tough it was for all of us at the football club and it was important to finish on a high, winning and achieving what was the main objective when we arrived, Premier League status.

On joining in the middle of the season: "It was the first time as a coaching staff we joined a football club in the middle of the season and it was a new experience. We embraced the challenge as it was something new.

"But what we didn’t have and what we are getting now was what you normally achieve in the pre-season, the bond. We had to build our relationships through the season while competing, so when you asked me if it was hard it was because we didn’t have the chance to build the bond.

"Now we are starting to see the players trusting us more, trusting each other. Definitely it was the most difficult."

Here are the key facts and figures from Sunday's game between Burnley and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

• Nottingham Forest have now won back-to-back away matches in the Premier League for the first time since April 1995 (run of four). Prior to this, they had played 95 top-flight away matches without recording consecutive victories on the road.

• Chris Wood has now netted 14 league goals this season, with only Stan Collymore in 1994/95 (22 goals) scoring more in a top-flight campaign for Forest.

• Burnley kept just two clean sheets in the Premier League this season, which is their fewest ever in a single Premier League campaign. Vincent Kompany’s men also conceded 78 goals, their most in a top-flight campaign since 2009/10 (82 goals conceded).

• Six of Chris Wood’s Premier League goals this season have been assisted by Anthony Elanga, which is the most any player has assisted another in the competition this season.

• Burnley have finished the Premier League season with 24 points, their lowest ever points total in a top-flight campaign (when considering three points for a win). Burnley have also lost 24 matches, their joint-most ever in a top-flight campaign (also 24 defeats in 2009/10).

• Elanga provided nine assists from open play in the Premier League this season, with only Bryan Roy in 1994/95 (10) providing more assists from open play in a single Premier League season for Forest.

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

This had all the hallmarks of the final game of the season, but Nottingham Forest’s campaign ends with victory after Chris Wood’s double sealed their top-flight safety as they beat Burnley.

Wood’s early double, putting them ahead by two goals after just 14 minutes, helped set up a comfortable win for Forest.

It was Burnley who held the lion’s share of the possession, but Forest’s efforts in the final third were more promising.

Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White troubled Burnley on the counter-attack and the hosts found it difficult to deal with Forest on the break.

Wood, who ends the Premier League season having scored 14 goals, was unable to achieve a hat-trick but Forest continued to test the hosts.

Josh Cullen’s shot taking an unfortunate deflection off Murillo meant Forest missed out on the opportunity to achieve a clean sheet, but that will not weigh heavily on Nuno’s mind.

Despite having to deal with being deducted four points, they’ve ensured they will play Premier League football for another year.