Pints After Points: Vitor Pereira's Fiery Pledge to Save Forest from the Drop
Vitor Pereira has taken over as Nottingham Forest's fourth manager this season, banking on his past success with owner Evangelos Marinakis at Olympiakos to guide the club to Premier League safety. The Portuguese coach is brimming with confidence in the squad's quality despite the turmoil of multiple bosses, and he's reviving his famous 'points then pints' mantra from his Wolves days. Facing a gruelling run of fixtures starting with Fenerbahce in Europe, Pereira insists pressure brings out his best.
Alright, lads, grab a pint – though hold off on necking it just yet, because Nottingham Forest's new gaffer Vitor Pereira has laid down the law: points first, pints later. The Portuguese firecracker has swaggered into the City Ground as the Tricky Trees' fourth boss this season, hot on the heels of Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, and poor old Sean Dyche, who barely had time to unpack his bags before getting the boot after 114 days. Owner Evangelos Marinakis is pulling out all the stops to dodge the Championship trapdoor, and Pereira's got history with the Greek tycoon that could be the secret sauce.
Picture this: back in 2015, Pereira steered Olympiakos to a league and cup double under Marinakis's watchful eye. 'He's ambitious, emotional, full of fire,' Pereira grinned at his first presser, like two old mates reminiscing over ouzo. 'Greece is mad for passion, bit like Turkey – they want energy, and he told me to be myself.' No wonder Marinakis trusts him; they've got that mid-season magic from before, and Pereira's banging on about passion sleeping and waking with him. 'I trust his personality; football needs that fire,' he says. Sounds like the perfect combo to tackle the relegation scrap.
Forest are hanging on in 17th, three points clear of the doom zone, but it's been a right mess with managers chopping and changing like dodgy referees. Pereira's not fazed, though. 'I took this gig because I rate the players' quality and the club's potential,' he insists. 'We've had different styles, but I believe we can rack up points and stay up.' Pressure? He thrives on it. 'This is what makes football beautiful – we shine under the cosh.' Blimey, if only all managers had that vibe instead of hiding in the dugout looking like they've lost a tenner.
But here's the bit that'll have Reds fans chuckling into their halves: Pereira's Wolves stint, where he became the king of post-match bevvies. After a February 2025 win over Bournemouth, he quipped, 'First the points, then the pints!' and joined the Molineux masses for a knees-up. Fans loved it – flags waving, chants about seeing him in Wetherspoons. Guiding Wolves to safety by 17 points? Piece of piss after that. Now, asked if he'll bring the party to Nottingham, he laughs: 'It's my personality – I'm no actor, just a simple, honest bloke. When we earn those pints, count me in!'
No time for hangovers yet, mind. Pereira's baptism of fire kicks off Thursday with Fenerbahce away in the Europa League knockout play-off first leg (5.45pm kick-off). Then it's Liverpool at home on Sunday (Sky Sports, 2pm), live and loud. Second leg vs Fener at the City Ground follows on the 26th (8pm), before Brighton away (March 1, 2pm), a midweek Manchester City nightmare (March 4, 7.30pm), and Fulham at home (March 14, 3pm). Tough slate, but Pereira's warning: 'Premier League's ruthless – no mistakes, or it bites you. One second you're up, next you're down.'
He's not wrong. Forest need results, not excuses, and with his Olympiakos nous and Wolves charisma, Pereira might just be the spark. Marinakis's gamble on familiarity could pay off, turning relegation dread into survival joy – and maybe a manager-led lock-in at the local. Fancy a wager? Points before pints, lads. Cheers to that.