Nottinghamshire

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Neco Williams is in awe of what came before him. The names of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy revered as everlasting icons of Welsh football.

But is walking in their footsteps a gift or a curse? Living up to the soaring standards set by the aforementioned trio is an expectation Williams and his Wales colleagues have no option but to cope with.

Wales' shot at World Cup qualification arrives as a welcome distraction from Nottingham Forest's fight against relegation for Williams.

From a personal perspective, the 24-year-old is having the most consistent season of his career, having made 48 appearances for club and country.

On his own form, Williams said: "I'd say it's probably been one of my best and consistent seasons I've had as a player.

"I think I've missed one Premier League game from my own doing when I obviously got sent off.

"I've always found it a bit difficult to get that consistency and I think as a professional you need that consistency especially when you're playing in the Premier League."

Yet Williams' personal achievements are tempered somewhat by Forest's collective difficulties.

Of course, the managerial changes – current boss Vitor Pereira is the fourth head coach the Forest squad have worked under this season after Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche – have not necessarily helped the team find a consistent rhythm.

"Every manager or coach has their different ways," added Williams.

"I guess this is just part of the parcel of football where the manager goes, you've got to be ready for the next one and you've got to take on his ideas and his style of work straight away.

"You know, to have four different managers with four different styles and ways of working - you've just got to adapt quickly and get used to it.

"There's no time to sulk. You've just got to get on and you've got to get on board with his ideas straight away."

Ream more on Williams before Wales' key play-off

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We asked for your views on what you have made of Vitor Pereira's start as Forest boss.

Here are some of your comments:

Kris: Pereira feels like the right fit, after the mixed tenures of Ange and Dyche. Both of the latter seemed keen to reflect on their past successes when faced with adversity, and neither convinced. Pereira does more than talk the talk though. There has been more identity, structure and purpose to our play since he came in, and the players are visibly lifted. The majority of fans are behind him, the players too, so it can only get better from here…can't it? Take nothing for granted at Forest and enjoy the ride.

Edward: To have any chance of staying up a club has to have momentum. There can't be momentum without unity. 2022-23 was all about on field chaos until Cooper finally gelled the team that April. 2025-26 is all about off field chaos, but could the last two performances hint at a similar positive outcome for Pereira?

Grahame: Vitor has got the team playing again as one. Giving the players confidence has been the key. They look like the team from last season, long may it last.

John: Pereira seems to have recognised the style that suits the players and they seem to be responding. Will it be enough? I certainly hope so but Forest fans have learned not to underestimate what's happening behind the scenes so let's hope the powers that be leave Pereira and the squad to get on with it and we'll be alright. Some of the squad might even want to stay.

Tony: Finally the players seem like they are gelling and become the team that 'on paper' says they should be. The main task now is keep it going, stay up and stay together.

Nottingham Forest and West Ham will face competition from AC Milan for the signing of Bologna's Argentine forward Santiago Castro, 21, this summer. (Tuttomercatoweb - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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Nottingham Forest have a habit of blowing things up in your face. So when I say it feels like Vitor Pereira might be the head coach we need right now, there's a high chance it could backfire.

It's still early days, of course, but there's already a sense that Pereira understands the club. He might be our fourth manager of the season, but his comments after the 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur suggest there's a continuity with the Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo eras.

"Each time that we fight, we need to feel that we are a family. The players need to feel they are fighting with our supporters, and with the club, with the city. Because if we are together - of course, we can lose games - but the energy that they send to us is something special."

Sometimes saying the right things and doing the right things seem to be blatantly obvious. And yet, many managers can't even bring themselves to say the right thing - for example, Ange Postecoglou - let alone do the right thing. Pereira has managed both with aplomb.

Cooper and Nuno clearly knew when to put an arm around a player and how to motivate them. Pereira has been very clear from the start that confidence is key and he's sought to instil that. You only need to look at the away performance against Midtjylland to see that the fringe players - long maligned, although not necessarily their fault - have responded and delivered on that trust.

There is method, there is structure and there are clear commands that have allowed this talented squad to flourish once again. The belief and determination that has seen us through demanding times is clearly there. It just needs to stay.

It might only be his first Premier League win but it follows battling performances against Liverpool and Manchester City. There's a growing sense that there is unity and resilience returning.

It doesn't matter now where the points come from, we just have to believe that Pereira's methods will deliver.

What have you made of Pereira's start as Forest boss? Is he proving to be the head coach you need or do you still have reservations?

Get in touch with your views here

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external