In Nottingham, it is known simply as ‘dobby’. In the U.S., it is more commonly called ‘tag’. Hollywood even made a film about it.
For Vitor Pereira, growing up in Portugal, the closest thing to it would have been a game called ‘gato e rato‘ — cat and mouse.
Whatever you choose to call it, the age-old playground activity has become a fun part of Nottingham Forest’s warm-up since Pereira’s appointment. At the Nigel Doughty Academy, the last player holding onto a football when the whistle blows must tag a team-mate.
There is probably some practical value, perhaps promoting movement and the ability to change direction on a dime. But judging by the accompanying laughter as The Athletic watches an open training session, you sense that the main motivation is to put a smile on the players’ faces.
And doing exactly that has been at the heart of Forest’s revival under Pereira.
When the former Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach and his coaching staff arrived at the club in February, club sources, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, tell The Athletic that their initial priority was to restore confidence within the group.
Vitor Pereira plans training before his side’s home game against Porto (Harriet Massey/Getty Images)
Pereira did not believe the squad lacked ability — only a sparsity of belief, focus and unity. Restoring confidence and instilling a fresh level of ‘collective organisation’ were the initial goals of Pereira and his coaching staff.
Next on their list was introducing an on-pitch philosophy that suited the players’ characteristics — but also one the group would trust.
No side has scored more goals in the Premier League since Pereira was appointed (16, level with Liverpool) and Forest sources believe form has improved because the players are embracing his tactics.
There has been no magic formula, no complicated methodology, merely an attempt to simplify and bring the squad together. Pereira, 57, is fond of telling his players that they are “family”, not least because he spends as much time with them as anyone.
“It’s a feeling, we take care of the members of our family,” Pereira said in a press conference before this month’s 4-1 win against Burnley. “This is what I said to the players: ‘You are my second family, because I spend a lot of hours with you, fighting, suffering, celebrating. Happiness, difficult moments… and we need to take care of the family’.”
Vitor Pereira has welcomed Chris Wood’s return to the Nottingham Forest side (Kate McShane/Getty Images)
Pereira wants the atmosphere on the training ground to be positive. There is a fun aspect to the warm-ups every day, before the hard graft begins, and on the day before games, Pereira allows his players to play music on a giant speaker during training.
“I had realised that sometimes they are a bit stressful and tense,” Pereira said. “I want to see them happy and with confidence.
“The music is something that makes me feel good, the vibe. I give them the responsibility to choose the music. Often, it’s not of my time, as I’m getting older. We’ll criticise the choice and go, ‘Change it, change it’. I prefer the ‘80s music — that’d be my choice, from when I was a teenager. Now it’s ‘pump, pump, pump’. But the rhythm is there, so I go with it.”
When seeking a replacement for Sean Dyche, Forest’s hierarchy was drawn to the fact that Pereira has some of the qualities of former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo. Like Nuno, Pereira was seen as maintaining a calm, engaging manner around players, a figure who could bring the group together and immediately restore positivity.
As with Nuno, Pereira’s messaging to his players is clear and concise. Meetings are regular but short, lasting no longer than 30 minutes. Pereira is regarded as a charming, genuine character by staff at the training ground — but also as somebody who has a steely edge to him when required.
Training is intensive. In-game situations are replicated on the training ground to ensure players know how Pereira wants them to respond to challenges. Individuals know their roles implicitly, within many different scenarios. Pereira is well known for his fondness for using a whiteboard on the training ground — and is always armed with a notebook packed with his observations.
Another similarity with Nuno is Pereira’s reliance on his coaching staff. As the man who oversees much of the set-piece coaching, Luis Miguel was encouraged to take the plaudits of supporters after the final whistle in Sunderland, where three of Forest’s five goals came from his routines. Felipe Almeida, Pereira’s other assistant coach, casts his focus on Forest’s own players; on where they can improve as a side. Bruno Moura — the head of physical performance — and Pedro Lopes are the two men tasked with opposition analysis; with finding areas that Forest might be able to exploit.
The 4-2-3-1 formation that Forest have favoured in recent weeks is the same one that brought them success last season, when Nuno led them to seventh — but there have been tweaks.
In the last two games, Morgan Gibbs-White has thrived from a slightly wider position within the three, even if he is given the freedom to drift into the spaces of a central ‘No 10’ when Forest have the ball.
Morgan Gibbs-White has four goals and an assist in his last two Premier League outings (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Taking on that role just behind a fit-again Chris Wood, Igor Jesus has looked less isolated. Against Sunderland, as well as scoring, Jesus created another two goals.
Forest’s attacking quartet, with an increasingly confident Omari Hutchinson on the right, are looking more dangerous. Gibbs-White (16) and Jesus (15) have scored 31 goals between them in all competitions this season.
The biggest challenge for Pereira has been juggling resources to cope with the twin challenges of European football and Premier League survival. Forest have played 14 games on their way to a semi-final clash with Aston Villa, with the first leg to be played at the City Ground on Thursday.
Pereira has often shuffled his pack, prioritising the fight to retain their top-flight status. Forest sources believe the rotation has also helped strengthen the dressing-room bond — because it has given everyone in the dressing room the sense that they have a part to play.
James McAtee, Dilane Bakwa, Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates are among the players who have been given regular opportunities in Europe. The coaching staff wanted everyone to feel important.
There is a real sense that each individual has proved decisive in Forest’s eight-game unbeaten run. It has put them in a strong position in the relegation battle, even if there is work still to do, which will continue at Chelsea on Monday.
Amid the chaos of four managers in one season, it might have taken Pereira a little time to win over Forest fans, who could have been sceptical, given he left Wolves in November after a poor start to the campaign.
Vitor Pereira enjoyed a close relationship with the Wolves fans in his first season at the club (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Pereira has always regarded supporters as a ‘source of energy’ for him and the team. But there was a belief that the style of play — aligned with the swift counter-attacking tactics that had been Forest’s trademark — would help win people round.
With consecutive wins over Porto, Burnley and Sunderland, Pereira’s stature in the eyes of fans has only grown. In the north east, he celebrated joyously with some fist-pumps in front of the away end.
In Wolverhampton, Pereira would mark victories by sharing a beer with supporters in the pubs around Molineux — “first the points, then the pints” — but despite his side’s upturn in form, Pereira has been cautious about doing the same in Nottingham.
However, if Forest can continue their recent upward trajectory in the final weeks of the season, there could be more to celebrate.