Well what a difference two weeks make. Just 13 days after trudging off a soggy Vicarage Road pitch to a chorus of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’, Nuno has steered us to the top of the Championship.
Four consecutive wins, 16 goals and even a couple of clean sheets. Those calling for his dismissal then must be feeling pretty bemused, now.I wrote a piece after that Watford game, which hasn’t seen the light of day, stating in a rare moment of over-confidence and belief in my club, that we were going to romp this league. The stodgy start to the season had not quelled this over exuberance.
The complaints about over playing, no incision and no end product seemed born of frustration and high expectations. Exacerbated by the white noise of social media outbursts from the usual suspects.
I appreciate that it’s an era where patience and seeing the bigger picture are sparse commodities. But the claims that we’d blown the league, our manager was incapable, our players substandard seemed churlish and dismissive.
A large turnaround in personnel, adapting to being the big fish in the Championship battle for the Premier League's promised land. Time was needed. Yes, the opening three league fixtures didn’t deliver what we wanted, but knee-jerk reactions were not needed.
Here we are, a further four games in. Performances until Wrexham still hadn’t been ideal, far from it. But we have seen player development and the resultant confidence, resilience and desire. Above all we’re beginning to see quality shine through.
Wolves provided a stern test, yet left empty-handed. We should have wrapped the Derby game up after half-an-hour, such was the difference in class. The eventual 3-0 didn’t flatter us.
And then a tricky midweek jaunt up north brought a difficult but hard-fought win at a traditionally unhappy hunting ground. Nine points, performances not entirely satisfactory but more than enough to see us through.
The shellacking of Wrexham seemed to be where everything finally began to gel. Intent, movement, creativity and ability coming to the fore. And the visitors weren’t a bad side.
Before facing us, they'd lost just once in the league and boasted the division's best defence. Yet they couldn’t live with us. Forwards pulled them apart and the interplay between our team was a joy to watch. We seem a side fully in tune with each other, completely comfortable in our style.
In such a fixture-dense slog, we are rotating the squad to good effect. Arne ‘Percy’ Engels looks an astute signing, dictating play, always creating that extra second of time he needs.
Meanwhile the lamented Max Kilman is growing in stature with every game. Our new acquisitions look sensible and promising, those that didn’t jump ship when we were relegated providing a real sense of purpose. Our youngsters have been getting opportunities and thriving
So let’s appreciate the fact the team is growing and developing. I believe it will to continue to do so - and I'm truly believing we’ve still not hit top form yet. There’s a lot more to come from this side.
Perhaps the forthcoming international break is coming at the wrong time, disrupting the momentum we have gathered - but I still see no one else in this division who worries me.
Tonight we face Premier League opposition in the shape of former Hammer Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham in the Carabao Cup - which should prove a good indication of just how far this team has come.
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