Why Tottenham and Nottingham Forest's panic appointments CAN work despite clear red flags

View 7 Images

Igor Tudor is seen as a massive gamble by the Tottenham fan base. But as the Croatian starts work as Tottenham’s interim boss, the club hierarchy view him as a sure thing. That is why they have hired him.

The reason is simple. Incredibly, this is the SEVENTH time Tudor has taken a job mid-season - and none of those clubs have ever gone down.

Tudor, 47, is known in Italy as a hard taskmaster, a tough character and it is so wrong to paint him as a defensive coach. No, he bought into the Juventus DNA and his coaching style is pressing, attacking and going on the front foot.

He does not suffer fools gladly and is renowned for setting high standards with players. In terms of shock treatment, Tudor’s methods are well established.

His first full management position came with Hadjuk Split and, after taking charge with a month or so left, he led them to the Croatian Cup. At Galatasaray, he led them into Europe just three months after taking charge. He took over Udinese with them staring at relegation… but he kept them up.

Verona, Lazio and Juventus are similar stories. But Juventus - where he won eight, drew six and lost three in a 17 game reign across two seasons - is most instructive.

In his first season in 24/25, Tudor guided them into the Champions League and was rewarded with a contract until 2028. Then he clashed over transfers, he can be combative and tough.

His reign only lasted into October with those who saw him at close hand describing as being “black or white.” There are no grey areas - it’s either his way or the highway.

Tottenham fans should expect a reaction. If that comes in his first game - the North London derby - then he will be an instant hit.

View 7 Images

This cannot be seen as anything but a massive gamble… no matter how the Spurs hierarchy want to paint it.

There is also no long term plan other than a small carrot that if Tudor does well enough then he is in with a shot of getting the job permanently in the summer.

Is that realistic? Not really, not judging by the negative reaction from some sections of the fanbase which is, of course, another big obstacle.

Tottenham is a massive club and the fans expect more - and they have got a left field appointment with close connections to ex-Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici thanks to their Juventus links.

There is little stability and also the first thing that Spurs have done is get rid of the remnants of the Thomas Frank era as coaches Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga and Chris Haslam have all departed.

View 7 Images

Tudor has brought in Ivan Javorcic as Assistant Coach, Riccardo Raganacci, Physical Coach, and Tomislav Rogic as Goalkeeping Coach.

There is little stability here and maybe that is fine because this is a clearout for a more ambitious summer appointment.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Tottenham want a big-name and Mauricio Pochettino is a strong emotional pull for the fans. The current United States boss would clearly relish the challenge and a return to the Premier League after the World Cup.

But what happens before then? Just write off the season? Tottenham are into the knock-out stages of the Champions League and, while Premier League survival is a priority, another season finish in the lower reaches is a bad look.

The players do not know what direction the club is going in, it creates uncertainty and, while an interim hopes for a new manager bounce, they rarely get anything longer term.

View 7 Images

Vitor Pereira will not have time for pleasantries or much time on the training ground… his task starts now ahead of Thursday’s Europa League trip to Fenerbahce.

Then it is straight into the fight for survival with Nottingham Forest out of confidence, struggling for results and desperately looking to their fourth manager of the season to turn things around.

And if ever there was an admission from Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis that he might have got things wrong, then this is it.

Pereira is a throwback to Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager who led Forest into Europe and is now effectively plotting their downfall because West Ham are creeping up and they are the biggest threat to Premier League survival at the City Ground.

Pereira’s methods will bring some familiarity and stability to Forest. He plays a similar way, they share an agent in Jorge Mendes and are both Portuguese.

View 7 Images

He is also likeable, personable and became so popular last season with Wolves fans that a trip down to the Wetherspoons became quite the tradition.

But do not mistake his generosity for him being an all-round nice guy. He is fierce, has a temper and is very temperamental. He is also someone that does not tend to hang around for long.

The 18 month contract at Forest is probably quite optimistic because the manager goes from job to job - and the owner has a revolving door policy.

His magic at Wolves - which is certain to be introduced at Forest - was he broke down tactics, went back to basics and made them harder to beat and made things simple.

Having said that, the shock treatment can only last so long. They beat all their relegation rivals, went on a six game winning run but then the feel good factor wore thin… and he even began to get tired of the endless talk about the pub.

It will be fun… while it lasts.

View 7 Images

The biggest single mistake of Vitor Pereira made at Wolves was staying too long.

Pereira made himself at instant hit at Molineux by keeping them up in his first season in charge at Wolves when they had looked dead and buried.

But, in the summer of 2025, it was blindingly obvious that Wolves were not going to build on the previous season and, despite him signing a new contract in September 2025, he should have left at the end of the 2024/25.

And in fairness, that - by all accounts - is Pereira’s biggest regret. He did a great job by keeping them up but by staying on he became damaged goods.

He was tarnished by what had happened before and now he arrives at Nottingham Forest with a few negative perceptions rather than an all-round positivity.

Incredibly, Pereira is now onto the 15th club of his managerial career which also spans across eight different countries.

Pereira already has a relationship with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis from their rime working together at Olympiacos - the club the Greek businessman also owns - when they won the Double together in 2015.

View 7 Images

But this is Forest’s FOURTH manager of the season and it is hard to know whether the squad will actually listen to him.

The accusation was that during former manager Sean Dyche’s reign if the players did not like what they were hearing - then they had a hotline to the owner.

It is an incredibly difficult club to manage and results are in a downward spiral while West Ham - under the most successful Forest boss of recent times Nuno Espirito Santo - is narrowing the gap at a very quick rate of knots.

Pereira is known for having a short fuse, being a bit temperamental and when you are getting results that is a good thing. If it does not go well, then there could be more dressing room civil war.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.