The feel-good factor is certainly present at Nottingham Forest this season, with their incredible start to the season leaving fans delighted with Nuno Espirito Santo.
After yet another impressive result in Forest’s win over Aston Villa, Espirito Santo has every right to be proud of his Forest squad as they rose up to fourth in the Premier League table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 13 | 18 | 36 |
| 2 |  ChelseaChelsea | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 34 |
| 3 |  ArsenalArsenal | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 30 |
| 4 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 28 |
| 5 |  Man CityManchester City | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 27 |
| 6 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 25 |
With the Villa result coming off the back of Forest’s win at Manchester United, many pundits are having to rethink their season’s predictions as Espirito Santo’s side show no sign of faltering in their pursuit of European football.
Gary Neville mocked Jamie Carragher for his Forest prediction after the former Liverpool star had Forest to be relegated this season. Pessimism may have also been felt in the stands at the City Ground about the season, though, a feeling that Espirito Santo is proud to have seen change.
Nuno Espirito Santo on stronger ‘bond’ with Nottingham Forest fans
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brentford, the Forest manager was keen to stress how important the connection felt between the club and the fans is during their strong run.
He said: “We’ve been out to a lot of community actions, the hospital, the food bank and all of these things and we have a lot of contact with people.
“What I see are happy people. Enjoying the moment, feeling involved with the team, bonding with the club and this is what we want. […] Let’s enjoy it but keep our feet on the ground because after tomorrow [vs Brentford] will be another big test for us.”
Of course, winning games of football is always going to help to build up a bond like this, but the longevity is built on the connection between the fans and Espirito Santo which seems very apparent currently.
The Forest squad will be helping to build on this connection with their displays, too, with Alan Shearer praising Nikola Milenkovic and the impact that he has had on the Forest defence. However, Espirito Santo is expecting a tough test against Brentford, which might test this bond.
Espirito Santo on ‘tough’ test against Brentford
Espirito Santo continued his press conference by talking more specifically about Saturday’s opponent, saying: “We’re going to face a very tough opponent, they’re a very good football team.
“They have lots of energy, lots of solutions, threats in attack and solid behind, they’re a good team and Thomas [Frank] knows.
“We’ve been analysing their previous games and they really start strong and achieve goals. So from minute one we have to be focused to contain what Brentford do and see if we can do something.”
Remarkably, Brentford have averaged two goals per match in the Premier League this season, but they also concede 1.9 goals per game.
Therefore, if Milenkovic can marshall the Forest defence and if the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood are on form, Forest will have every chance to continue their positive run and continue to build on this ever-growing bond with the fans.
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