Time for Nuno's men to keep their nerve

FOR most of this season, Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has stuck to a similar script.

- By SARAH CLAPSON

No matter the result or the Reds' position in the standings, the Portuguese insisted the table was not something he concerned himself with. His familiar mantra revolved around taking things game by game.

That was until last week, when there was a very subtle shift from Nuno. He didn't mention Europe or the Champions League outright but there was an acknowledgement of where Forest found themselves.

He had talked about a decisive stage of the season before but this went a little further. "It is in our hands," Nuno said in his pre-match press conference as he responded to a question about England securing five Champions League places for next term.