Nottingham Forest are riding high after a thrilling victory over West Ham, with fans playfully chanting “We’re going to win the league” as a testament to their current form. This win marks Forest's third consecutive Premier League victory, a feat they haven't achieved in over 25 years, propelling them into third place in the league standings. Despite head coach Nuno Espírito Santo being banned from the touchline and owner Evangelos Marinakis unable to attend the match, the team has shown remarkable resilience. Forest boasts the second-best defense in the league, having conceded just seven goals, and they also feature one of the league's top strikers in Chris Wood. Wood, along with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina, played pivotal roles in securing the win against a West Ham side that was reduced to 10 men after Edson Álvarez received a red card in the first half.

**Football Daily | Evangelos Marinakis, Phlegm, and a Full-Throated Discourse** Last Friday, news broke that Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis had received a five-match stadium ban for “improper behaviour” in the tunnel area following his team's defeat to Fulham. Many, including Football Daily, were left wondering what could have warranted such a significant punishment. In contrast, Nuno Espírito Santo and Morgan Gibbs-White received shorter bans for verbally confronting match referee Josh Smith and his officials. It turns out Marinakis's suspension stemmed from a more serious infraction: he was penalized for his outspoken remarks directed at the officials. In reading about Luka Modric, I was struck by a remarkable statistic: he has now participated in over half of Croatia’s all-time men’s national games, with 182 appearances out of 363. Modric has outlasted numerous legends at Real Madrid, including Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, and Toni Kroos. At 39, he continues to perform at the highest level for both club and country, which is truly impressive. It’s surprising that his name isn’t mentioned more frequently in discussions about football greats. While four years can bring significant changes in football, the transformation from a certain period to the current state of Real Madrid is quite striking. The contrast between the unpredictability of past seasons and the current predictability is notable. Arthur Ellis may have been the ‘man in the middle’ during a memorable match in Berne, but that was long before my time. So, I, along with over a thousand other readers, remember him more for his role in the classic television show "It’s A Knockout." Despite the controversies surrounding Stuart Hall, Ellis brought a certain ‘smart, aristocratic’ flair to the show, making the 1979 edition feel rather seedy in retrospect. This is just a glimpse of our daily football email, Football Daily. For the complete version, be sure to check out our subscription page and follow the instructions.