Grenville 1898
'the Prince of Inside Lefts'
I make it 273 minutes on the Morato cleansheetometer run now since Man City scored their 3rd.
Felipe Rodrigues "Morato" da Silva
- Thread starter RichNFFC
- Start date
valspoodle
Ian Bowyer
If I remember correctly a few of us (me included) wondered why we had purchased another CB when we were complaining we needed this, that and the other in various positions.
I think they had a plan and it's turned out pretty good. Of course we still need stuff elsewhere, but for the minute it's working.
I think they had a plan and it's turned out pretty good. Of course we still need stuff elsewhere, but for the minute it's working.
Put it this way, if I came home and caught him in bed with my missus I'd ask him how many sugars he takes.
He's probably a lovely bloke but he looks like he could kill a gorilla with his bare hands.
Him and Milenkovic remind me of that Mike Bassett scene...
"I don't know what he does to the enemy but he scares the shit out of me."
He's probably a lovely bloke but he looks like he could kill a gorilla with his bare hands.
Him and Milenkovic remind me of that Mike Bassett scene...
"I don't know what he does to the enemy but he scares the shit out of me."
BryanRoy22
Bob McKinlay
Morato and Milenkovic are exactly the type of serious characters in defence Forest have been crying out for.
No nonsense. Hard as nails. Rather die than concede a goal.
Their mentality I’m sure is a big part of why Forest are doing so well right now.
No nonsense. Hard as nails. Rather die than concede a goal.
Their mentality I’m sure is a big part of why Forest are doing so well right now.
When you look at our defensive and goalkeeping recruitment it's clear that in a scouting meeting last summer the message was quite clear.
"Big, nasty bastards."
GOBIAS
Ian Bowyer
They've basically gone on FM, into scouting and then click 'sort by height'.
GOBIAS
Ian Bowyer
Ideally neck tattoos
Monkman
Jack Burkitt
MOTD highlights didn't give quite the same impression I'm seeing here I have to be honest - Ndiaye ghosted past him easily for his shot early on, he left Mangala free to hit the side netting from the near post and allowed DCL a free header on goal late on. I'll watch the full replay later.
Gyros Peter
Sauce salad?
Not sure if you saw the full game but if you did you have rated him highly. Handled himself very well.
Monkman
Jack Burkitt
Not yet, like I said I'll watch the full replay today.
Gyros Peter
Sauce salad?
Enjoy - aside from this guy keep an eye on Anderson and Dominguez.Not yet, like I said I'll watch the full replay today.
weejockmcplop
Jack Burkitt
He played pretty well. Very good at getting to every possible ball and getting something on it.
I think with time and experience maybe he'll do less of the agricultural 'boot it up in the air' or 'slice it out for a corner' stuff.
I know that's picky, and its preferable to trying to play it and failing, but it is definitely a thing he needs to look at.
I think with time and experience maybe he'll do less of the agricultural 'boot it up in the air' or 'slice it out for a corner' stuff.
I know that's picky, and its preferable to trying to play it and failing, but it is definitely a thing he needs to look at.
GOBIAS
Ian Bowyer
He also steps out and intercepts the ball well
Rzar
Bob McKinlay
MaxiRobriguez
Bob McKinlay
Ndiaye's was a great turn which would have done Murillo. The Mangala side netting was at such a tight angle it wasn't dangerous and the DCL free header was far enough out that you'd expect Sels to get it.
He's a clever player, he'll only engage when he's certain to win the ball or whether it's a toss up but he knows he needs to. If it's not particularly dangerous he'll prioritise structure. Top defender.
Rzar
Bob McKinlay
He made several key tackles again when he came on
You may as well go home when he is on cause we are giving nothing away
You may as well go home when he is on cause we are giving nothing away
Yoghurt Slice
First Team Squad
Wicked player.
BryanRoy22
Bob McKinlay
Let me tell ye Sonny Jim. Morato did a good job, so he did.
GOBIAS
Ian Bowyer
Morato would have just stepped in and bear hugged Jim to death if this situation was in our half
BryanRoy22
Bob McKinlay
A lot of you won't be able to access this. The link opens on my phone but not my laptop. Anyway, I've copied and pasted it below.....
www.nytimes.com
For Nottingham Forest fans, he is the Brazilian brick wall who is brought off the bench to shore things up; the man trusted by Nuno Espirito Santo to help see games out.
During the 383 minutes Morato has spent on the pitch — across two starts and 11 sub appearances — since signing from Benfica in the summer, Forest have conceded only one goal.
He is the 6ft 4in (193cm) no-nonsense powerhouse; one of few men who can be more physically imposing than his central defensive colleague, and Serbia captain, Nikola Milenkovic.
But behind the hard-man image, there is a softer side to the 23-year-old.
Even among myriad tattoos that adorn his arms and hands, there is one that tells an emotional story — one that reveals something about what motivates Morato every day as he looks to play his part in the remarkable season that is unfolding under Nuno.
On his right arm, he has a tattoo that is a tribute to his sister, Rafaela, who passed away in 2018 from cancer at the age of just 15. Morato says he works in her memory, every day.
When a young fan who followed Morato’s Sao Paulo under-20 team was fighting her own battle with cancer, it unsurprisingly struck a chord with the defender.
The entire team shaved their heads ahead of a cup final, in honour of seven-year-old Larissa, with the exception, that is, of Morato, who got the youngster to shave his head herself in the changing rooms prior to kick-off.
“She was a girl who had cancer in Brazil and she had followed all the matches of the youth team I was playing in at the time. That was in January 2019 and a year earlier, in August 2018, I had lost my sister (Rafaela) to cancer so it was very special for me to see that and very emotional for me,” Morato says in an interview with journalists at the Nigel Doughty Academy.
“At the end, as a team, we all came together and gave her a present. It is a present we as players will never forget and hope that she won’t either. I still keep in touch with her.”
In September 2019, Morato left Brazil’s Sao Paulo region where he had been born, in the city of Francisco Morato, and made his move to Europe, joining Benfica in a €6million (£5m) move.
In Portugal, he got to experience Champions League football and won the Primeira League title in 2022-23 before Forest paid £12.6million to sign him last August.
Despite making only two Premier Leaguestarts, he has already established himself as something of a cult figure among fans. In the final stages of games, Nuno regularly brings on Morato and switches to a back three, to help preserve victory — something that is vital for a side that has taken the lead in 16 of their 20 league games.
“Absolutely. That’s my job,” says Morato when asked if he takes pride in having conceded only a single goal during his time on the pitch. “In the moment, I have to go out there, help to shut out goals and shore up the defence so that’s what I’m proud to do. But the championship is not over yet and we want to make sure that the number of clean sheets only continues to go up.
Morato during his time at Benfica (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
“I think it does show he (Nuno) has got faith in me. He has put me in there for some big games and I think he is going to carry on doing that.
“He is someone who is calm. He is very open and he speaks with all of us, all of the time. At training, he can be a little bit more agitated but that is normal. The work he has done has been exceptional. But it is also quite simple, what he does. He is somebody who gets great results and who is very efficient in what he does.”
Morato says it has been helpful to have a head coach who speaks Portuguese — as well as the company of fellow Brazilians Carlos Miguel, Murillo and Danilo.
“It’s been absolutely crucial. I’m new here and I’m still learning English,” says Morato. “But it’s not only the players, we have a manager in Nuno who’s also a Portuguese speaker. That’s a huge help.”
Morato is likely to start in the FA Cup clash with Luton Town at the City Ground and could come face to face with former Benfica team-mate, Darwin Nunez, when leaders Liverpoolvisit for a huge Premier League clash on Tuesday.
Forest have notched up six consecutive league wins following their 3-0 success at Wolves last week — the most back-to-back victories they have secured in the top flight since 1967. It was enough to secure Nuno his second manager of the month award of the season.
Morato could face his former team-mate Darwin Nunez (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
But still, many continue to question how long Forest will be able to maintain the form that has pitched them into Champions League contention.
“We take it match by match. We have been through a hard sequence of matches but we have won them and that gives the team confidence,” says Morato. “Up next, we have a direct match against our rival at the top. We can cut their advantage and that would give us even more confidence.
“Each team is different, sometimes experts are talking from having played in different eras. Our team has experienced and young players. Our job is to go out there and win matches and that’s what we’re doing. We are in this fight for the title because we deserve to be.
“I may be young but I have a lot of games under my belt. I have won titles. That’s the sort of thing that counts for a lot. We have other players with a lot of experience. You have Murillo as well, who has been called up for the Brazil team so it creates a sense of experience and solidity. We can handle big games in the Premier League.”
When he looks at the players around him, Morato sees a group with the quality to challenge for a place in the Champions League. But he also believes they can forge a push for the title — and the FA Cup.
“If you ask me now whether to go for the league or the cup I would say either of them because we have that confidence,” he says. “This has to be the objective as the more we win the more it gives us the confidence we need to continue in that vein.
“Brazilians know about Nottingham Forest. They know it is a historic club. There is a lot of support for Forest out there, and even more so now. Brazilians loved what Leicester City did when they won the title (in 2015-16). They love that underdog story. I feel really proud to be part of what feels like the best moment this club has been in, since our own glory days.”
However it unfolds, Morato will have a role to play in Forest’s latest underdog story.
Morato: The emotions of losing teenage sister to cancer that inspire him at Nottingham Forest
Morato explains how the death of his sister, aged 15, pushes him on at Nottingham Forest in their quest for a European place
www.nytimes.com
For Nottingham Forest fans, he is the Brazilian brick wall who is brought off the bench to shore things up; the man trusted by Nuno Espirito Santo to help see games out.
During the 383 minutes Morato has spent on the pitch — across two starts and 11 sub appearances — since signing from Benfica in the summer, Forest have conceded only one goal.
He is the 6ft 4in (193cm) no-nonsense powerhouse; one of few men who can be more physically imposing than his central defensive colleague, and Serbia captain, Nikola Milenkovic.
But behind the hard-man image, there is a softer side to the 23-year-old.
Even among myriad tattoos that adorn his arms and hands, there is one that tells an emotional story — one that reveals something about what motivates Morato every day as he looks to play his part in the remarkable season that is unfolding under Nuno.
On his right arm, he has a tattoo that is a tribute to his sister, Rafaela, who passed away in 2018 from cancer at the age of just 15. Morato says he works in her memory, every day.
When a young fan who followed Morato’s Sao Paulo under-20 team was fighting her own battle with cancer, it unsurprisingly struck a chord with the defender.
The entire team shaved their heads ahead of a cup final, in honour of seven-year-old Larissa, with the exception, that is, of Morato, who got the youngster to shave his head herself in the changing rooms prior to kick-off.
“She was a girl who had cancer in Brazil and she had followed all the matches of the youth team I was playing in at the time. That was in January 2019 and a year earlier, in August 2018, I had lost my sister (Rafaela) to cancer so it was very special for me to see that and very emotional for me,” Morato says in an interview with journalists at the Nigel Doughty Academy.
“At the end, as a team, we all came together and gave her a present. It is a present we as players will never forget and hope that she won’t either. I still keep in touch with her.”
In September 2019, Morato left Brazil’s Sao Paulo region where he had been born, in the city of Francisco Morato, and made his move to Europe, joining Benfica in a €6million (£5m) move.
In Portugal, he got to experience Champions League football and won the Primeira League title in 2022-23 before Forest paid £12.6million to sign him last August.
Despite making only two Premier Leaguestarts, he has already established himself as something of a cult figure among fans. In the final stages of games, Nuno regularly brings on Morato and switches to a back three, to help preserve victory — something that is vital for a side that has taken the lead in 16 of their 20 league games.
“Absolutely. That’s my job,” says Morato when asked if he takes pride in having conceded only a single goal during his time on the pitch. “In the moment, I have to go out there, help to shut out goals and shore up the defence so that’s what I’m proud to do. But the championship is not over yet and we want to make sure that the number of clean sheets only continues to go up.
Morato during his time at Benfica (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
“I think it does show he (Nuno) has got faith in me. He has put me in there for some big games and I think he is going to carry on doing that.
“He is someone who is calm. He is very open and he speaks with all of us, all of the time. At training, he can be a little bit more agitated but that is normal. The work he has done has been exceptional. But it is also quite simple, what he does. He is somebody who gets great results and who is very efficient in what he does.”
Morato says it has been helpful to have a head coach who speaks Portuguese — as well as the company of fellow Brazilians Carlos Miguel, Murillo and Danilo.
“It’s been absolutely crucial. I’m new here and I’m still learning English,” says Morato. “But it’s not only the players, we have a manager in Nuno who’s also a Portuguese speaker. That’s a huge help.”
Morato is likely to start in the FA Cup clash with Luton Town at the City Ground and could come face to face with former Benfica team-mate, Darwin Nunez, when leaders Liverpoolvisit for a huge Premier League clash on Tuesday.
Forest have notched up six consecutive league wins following their 3-0 success at Wolves last week — the most back-to-back victories they have secured in the top flight since 1967. It was enough to secure Nuno his second manager of the month award of the season.
Morato could face his former team-mate Darwin Nunez (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
But still, many continue to question how long Forest will be able to maintain the form that has pitched them into Champions League contention.
“We take it match by match. We have been through a hard sequence of matches but we have won them and that gives the team confidence,” says Morato. “Up next, we have a direct match against our rival at the top. We can cut their advantage and that would give us even more confidence.
“Each team is different, sometimes experts are talking from having played in different eras. Our team has experienced and young players. Our job is to go out there and win matches and that’s what we’re doing. We are in this fight for the title because we deserve to be.
“I may be young but I have a lot of games under my belt. I have won titles. That’s the sort of thing that counts for a lot. We have other players with a lot of experience. You have Murillo as well, who has been called up for the Brazil team so it creates a sense of experience and solidity. We can handle big games in the Premier League.”
When he looks at the players around him, Morato sees a group with the quality to challenge for a place in the Champions League. But he also believes they can forge a push for the title — and the FA Cup.
“If you ask me now whether to go for the league or the cup I would say either of them because we have that confidence,” he says. “This has to be the objective as the more we win the more it gives us the confidence we need to continue in that vein.
“Brazilians know about Nottingham Forest. They know it is a historic club. There is a lot of support for Forest out there, and even more so now. Brazilians loved what Leicester City did when they won the title (in 2015-16). They love that underdog story. I feel really proud to be part of what feels like the best moment this club has been in, since our own glory days.”
However it unfolds, Morato will have a role to play in Forest’s latest underdog story.
YellowBelly Red
Geoff Thomas
We are so lucky to have players like this lad, each contributing to our success in their own individual way.A lot of you won't be able to access this. The link opens on my phone but not my laptop. Anyway, I've copied and pasted it below.....
Morato: The emotions of losing teenage sister to cancer that inspire him at Nottingham Forest
Morato explains how the death of his sister, aged 15, pushes him on at Nottingham Forest in their quest for a European place
For Nottingham Forest fans, he is the Brazilian brick wall who is brought off the bench to shore things up; the man trusted by Nuno Espirito Santo to help see games out.
During the 383 minutes Morato has spent on the pitch — across two starts and 11 sub appearances — since signing from Benfica in the summer, Forest have conceded only one goal.
He is the 6ft 4in (193cm) no-nonsense powerhouse; one of few men who can be more physically imposing than his central defensive colleague, and Serbia captain, Nikola Milenkovic.
But behind the hard-man image, there is a softer side to the 23-year-old.
Even among myriad tattoos that adorn his arms and hands, there is one that tells an emotional story — one that reveals something about what motivates Morato every day as he looks to play his part in the remarkable season that is unfolding under Nuno.
On his right arm, he has a tattoo that is a tribute to his sister, Rafaela, who passed away in 2018 from cancer at the age of just 15. Morato says he works in her memory, every day.
When a young fan who followed Morato’s Sao Paulo under-20 team was fighting her own battle with cancer, it unsurprisingly struck a chord with the defender.
The entire team shaved their heads ahead of a cup final, in honour of seven-year-old Larissa, with the exception, that is, of Morato, who got the youngster to shave his head herself in the changing rooms prior to kick-off.
“She was a girl who had cancer in Brazil and she had followed all the matches of the youth team I was playing in at the time. That was in January 2019 and a year earlier, in August 2018, I had lost my sister (Rafaela) to cancer so it was very special for me to see that and very emotional for me,” Morato says in an interview with journalists at the Nigel Doughty Academy.
“At the end, as a team, we all came together and gave her a present. It is a present we as players will never forget and hope that she won’t either. I still keep in touch with her.”
In September 2019, Morato left Brazil’s Sao Paulo region where he had been born, in the city of Francisco Morato, and made his move to Europe, joining Benfica in a €6million (£5m) move.
In Portugal, he got to experience Champions League football and won the Primeira League title in 2022-23 before Forest paid £12.6million to sign him last August.
Despite making only two Premier Leaguestarts, he has already established himself as something of a cult figure among fans. In the final stages of games, Nuno regularly brings on Morato and switches to a back three, to help preserve victory — something that is vital for a side that has taken the lead in 16 of their 20 league games.
“Absolutely. That’s my job,” says Morato when asked if he takes pride in having conceded only a single goal during his time on the pitch. “In the moment, I have to go out there, help to shut out goals and shore up the defence so that’s what I’m proud to do. But the championship is not over yet and we want to make sure that the number of clean sheets only continues to go up.
Morato during his time at Benfica (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
“I think it does show he (Nuno) has got faith in me. He has put me in there for some big games and I think he is going to carry on doing that.
“He is someone who is calm. He is very open and he speaks with all of us, all of the time. At training, he can be a little bit more agitated but that is normal. The work he has done has been exceptional. But it is also quite simple, what he does. He is somebody who gets great results and who is very efficient in what he does.”
Morato says it has been helpful to have a head coach who speaks Portuguese — as well as the company of fellow Brazilians Carlos Miguel, Murillo and Danilo.
“It’s been absolutely crucial. I’m new here and I’m still learning English,” says Morato. “But it’s not only the players, we have a manager in Nuno who’s also a Portuguese speaker. That’s a huge help.”
Morato is likely to start in the FA Cup clash with Luton Town at the City Ground and could come face to face with former Benfica team-mate, Darwin Nunez, when leaders Liverpoolvisit for a huge Premier League clash on Tuesday.
Forest have notched up six consecutive league wins following their 3-0 success at Wolves last week — the most back-to-back victories they have secured in the top flight since 1967. It was enough to secure Nuno his second manager of the month award of the season.
Morato could face his former team-mate Darwin Nunez (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
But still, many continue to question how long Forest will be able to maintain the form that has pitched them into Champions League contention.
“We take it match by match. We have been through a hard sequence of matches but we have won them and that gives the team confidence,” says Morato. “Up next, we have a direct match against our rival at the top. We can cut their advantage and that would give us even more confidence.
“Each team is different, sometimes experts are talking from having played in different eras. Our team has experienced and young players. Our job is to go out there and win matches and that’s what we’re doing. We are in this fight for the title because we deserve to be.
“I may be young but I have a lot of games under my belt. I have won titles. That’s the sort of thing that counts for a lot. We have other players with a lot of experience. You have Murillo as well, who has been called up for the Brazil team so it creates a sense of experience and solidity. We can handle big games in the Premier League.”
When he looks at the players around him, Morato sees a group with the quality to challenge for a place in the Champions League. But he also believes they can forge a push for the title — and the FA Cup.
“If you ask me now whether to go for the league or the cup I would say either of them because we have that confidence,” he says. “This has to be the objective as the more we win the more it gives us the confidence we need to continue in that vein.
“Brazilians know about Nottingham Forest. They know it is a historic club. There is a lot of support for Forest out there, and even more so now. Brazilians loved what Leicester City did when they won the title (in 2015-16). They love that underdog story. I feel really proud to be part of what feels like the best moment this club has been in, since our own glory days.”
However it unfolds, Morato will have a role to play in Forest’s latest underdog story.
He'll not be facing Nunez though, as he's suspended.