Going from ‘perfectly adequate’ in his first few months as Nottingham Forest’s manager to turning them into European competition qualifiers took some doing. Nuno Espírito Santo used some specific, detailed strategies to lay the foundations of the Tricky Trees’ second season success.

Detailed this afternoon is an in-depth exposé of exactly how the Portuguese and his coaching team Tok the Nottingham side from relegation contenders into European qualification one season later – and how he will aspire to use the same tactics at West Ham. writing in the NYtimes.com/athletic, Paul Taylor details the strategies coming to London stadium in his article entitled:

What West Ham can expect from Nuno: Compact squad, extensive use of subs, and straight talk

[Nuno] “Uses his bench extensively, normally utilising all five substitutes — he averaged 4.4 substitutions per game in the Premier League last season — and frequently rammed home the message that those players were just as important as those who started.

His team were disciplined, well-organised and fiercely difficult to break down. The starting point was a finely honed back four that gave little away…

Installing a similar backbone will almost certainly be his starting point at West Ham….Pace was...