'So good': Michael Dawson wowed by four 'magnificent' Nottingham Forest players vs West Ham

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Whisper it quietly but Nottingham Forest are a club firmly on the up.

The ridicule has ceased and pundits are scrambling to change their pre-season predictions left, right and centre.

Sam Matterface has already changed his mind about Forest, whilst others have quickly followed suit.

Elsewhere, Robbie Earle no longer thinks Forest will get relegated, whilst even the club’s recruitment is getting praise.

Gary Neville believes Elliot Anderson is a solid signing, whilst Nikola Milenkovic is coming in for lots of rave reviews too.

Forest overcame West Ham 3-0 on Saturday to climb up to third in the Premier League table.

The Reds need to stay grounded but there is already a growing belief that this season can be one when Forest really kick on.

• READ MORE: Shay Given delivers comical new nickname for Chris Wood

Michael Dawson raves about four Nottingham Forest players

In October, Forest won two and drew one of the three games played and picking a Player of the Month will be tricky.

However, this start to the season is one that has really for supporters excited and it’s nice not to be having nervous glances at the relegation zone.

To have 19 points from 10 games is nothing short of remarkable and former defender Dawson has been impressed with the new-look solidity.

He told Sky Sports News: “Defensively, they’ve been so good. Last season they conceded 67 goals and we kept saying that they had to improve – this year it’s seven so far.

“The two in midfield Yates and Dominguez and the two at the back, Milenkovic and Murillo, absolutely magnificent and in transition they always look to hurt teams.

“The counter-attack worked pretty well in the first half but when they get into the final third they have creative players who can hurt teams.

“Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga, and Chris Wood has got another goal today. From start to finish they were far superior to West Ham and this is very concerning for West Ham.”

Defensive solidity is key to Forest success

It’s clear that Nuno Espirito Santo has worked on a number of things at the football club during the summer.

Pre-season was clearly important as Forest looked to iron out the serious conundrum that defending set pieces provided last season.

Only Burnley conceded more goals than Forest from set pieces last season but after 10 games so far during 2024/25, the Reds have stood firm.

Signing Milenkovic to play alongside Murillo has proved a masterstroke and the recruitment deserves a lot of praise.

The competition for places now looks extremely strong at Forest and hopefully, this run of form can continue for a little while longer.