Nottingham Forest’s poor run of form continued against Leicester City, but Russell Martin thinks he has spotted a positive for the Tricky Trees.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were lacklustre in the East Midlands derby, being held to a disappointing 2-2 draw with the already relegated Foxes.
Given Chelsea and Manchester City’s results on the weekend, the draw is hugely damaging to Forest’s Champions League hopes, with owner Evangelos Marinakis showing his frustrations at full-time.
But with European football secured, there is still room for optimism at the City Ground, according to former Southampton boss Russell Martin.
Russell Martin speaks on Nottingham Forest’s rise
Forest’s dreams of playing in the Champions League may be slowly fading away, but Nuno’s men will still have a guaranteed place in Europe next season.
Given that Forest finished as low as 17th last campaign, the Tricky Trees have enjoyed a meteoric rise this season.
Former Swansea City boss Martin has praised this drastic turnaround, singing the praises of Forest despite their recent fall-off.
“The level of disappointment at that club today shows how far they’ve come this season. To be that disappointed and to be qualified for Europe,” Martin told Match of the Day.
“The season they’ve had and still to be that disappointed shows huge improvement.”
Danny Murphy praises remarkable Forest
Featuring alongside Martin on Match of the Day was Danny Murphy, and the former Premier League midfielder was also keen to shine a light on Forest’s climb up the table.
Murphy wasn’t a fan of Marinakis’ confrontation with Espirito Santo at full-time, but insisted it shouldn’t overshadow what has been a hugely successful season for Forest.
“He’s (Evangelos Marinakis) disappointed. It’s not ideal him coming on. Look, they’ve got in Europe, they are guaranteed some form of European football, which is a remarkable achievement.
“He’s (Nuno Espirito Santo) done a tremendous job. The fans have had a season way above expectations, semi-final of the FA Cup.
“I think it would be remiss to dwell on some small interaction.”
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