Nuno Espírito Santo has now done something that has bettered Frank Clark’s 94/95 heroes

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Nottingham Forest look to be a club back on the up after several years in the doldrums making the glory years seem like a distant memory.

With Nuno Espirito Santo now at the helm, the Reds are trying to enjoy a season of mid-table mediocrity after narrowly avoiding relegation back to the EFL in successive years.

Forest returned to the Premier League during the 2021/22 campaign and the two campaigns that have followed have – at times – felt like a struggle.

Espirito Santo has been given a chance to steer the ship in his own direction and the team feels settled and to a certain extent better than it has done before.

Forest sit eighth in the Premier League ahead of tomorrow’s game with Leicester City and have a golden chance to go fifth before the other teams play at the week.

One of the reasons behind the solid start to the season has been a robust rearguard, with only Liverpool conceding fewer goals than the Reds during 2024/25.

Nikola Milenkovic has been praised by Henry Winter for his efforts, whilst Murillo alongside him lists Ian Wright as one of his many admirers.

At full-back, it’s been Alex Moreno and Ola Aina in possession of the shirts and the pair have added balance to the sturdy rearguard.

• READ MORE: Nuno Espirito Santo shares what makes Nikola Milenkovic so brilliant

Nuno Espirito Santo now beating Frank Clark’s class of 93/94

Although the season is only eight games old, it’s definitely felt like a more positive start for the Reds this season.

Naturally, it’d be nice to score more goals but to get 13 points on the board from 18 games is something that can’t really be critiqued.

Forest’s third clean sheet of the campaign on Monday night against Crystal Palace means that it’s just six goals conceded for the Reds this season.

It also means that Espirito Santo’s team are currently top of the pops when it comes to the fewest goals conceded at this stage of a Premier League campaign in the club’s history.

The club’s highest-ever Premier League finish came in 1994/95 when the club managed third place and even at this stage of that season, Clark’s team had conceded seven goals.

In the modern era, Steve Cooper’s team had conceded 21 goals after eight games in 2022/23 and last season 10 goals has been shipped by this stage.

Forest can really kick on under Nuno Espirito Santo

The Reds have clearly benefitted from a less chaotic pre-season campaign and one that has seen quality added over quantity.

Forest now have a couple of players for each position and even in the absence of a talisman such as Morgan Gibbs-White, the Reds managed to win on Monday.

Now, the challenge is maintaining the defensive solidity that has served Forest well in the early stages of the season and trying to kick on even further.

The Reds at this stage clearly can’t hold a torch to Clark’s famous team that finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup in the nineties.

What supporters can do, however, is recognise the clear progress and appreciate that if the stars align then this season could be a truly memorable one for the club.