Premier League: Tottenham and Nottingham Forest are ready for battle in the Championship’s relegation battle

Forest’s plight has been self-inflicted, but there is still more loneliness than in north London.

Thursday’s penalty shootout win over Midtjylland gave them a Europa League quarter-final tie with Porto, moving them closer to their early season target of winning the competition.

That was before four permanent managers this season – Nuno Espirito Santo, Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and now Vitor Pereira – underscoring a turbulent season at the City Ground.

Nuno entered into a dispute with international sporting director Edu and team owner Evangelos Marinakis, which led to his dismissal, while Postecoglou’s replacement lasted only 39 days.

Daiichi never won over during his 144-day tenure, prompting Marinakis to appoint former Wolves coach Pereira in February, having worked with him at Olympiacos.

Despite the revolving door, Marinakis retains fan support – unlike Tottenham – with the club’s season ticket prices also frozen.

James Pugh of the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Trust (NFST) said: “I’m sure the owners – who are not stupid – will look at solutions to the problems off the pitch.”

“But no one can argue that it wasn’t his own doing. Nuno didn’t get the new players he wanted and it all went downhill from there.

“You will – and must – learn lessons, as you have to organize everything on and off the field properly.”

However, this season should have been a platform for Forest after their seventh-placed finish last season.

They failed to reach the Champions League on the last day of May, then spent £180m in the summer to try to keep up at the top.

Few have made an impact, with striker Arnaud Kalimuendo worth £26m transferred to Frankfurt in January, and the loan of Douglas Luiz and Oleksandr Zinchenko cancelled.

James McAtee and Dylan Pacua, who signed for £60m, have made four league appearances between them.

Forest were not expecting Chris Wood, who scored 20 goals last season, to miss most of the campaign with a knee injury, but despite the chaotic season, Pugh believes fans will not change ownership of the club.

“Their ambition shines through,” he said, with Forest promoted in 2022 after 23 years outside the top flight. “We love it. The ambition has taken us from the foot of the Championship to the team in Europe.

“I made mistakes and it’s a failed season, but what do we want?

“Do we want owners who are not ambitious, who want to sit in 13th and 14th place, or do we want to go higher? I would choose the latter.”