TOM COLLOMOSSE: Steve Cooper allowed Nottingham Forest fans to dream again, but his irreparable relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis and a poor run of results made his sacking inevitable
- Steve Cooper has been sacked by Nottingham Forest after two years at the club
- He got the side promoted, but his relationship with the owner broke down
- West Ham can WIN the League Cup… don’t get hung up on rotation. Sod it! Go all out at Anfield – It’s All Kicking Off
As Nottingham Forest set the transfer market alight by signing five players on summer deadline day, the man who would actually have to coach them found himself on the periphery.
One by one they arrived, from Nuno Tavares to Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahim Sangare, not forgetting Divock Origi or Andrew Omobamidele.
Yet as Forest made their moves on September 1, Steve Cooper was a long way from the action.
He had taken charge of Forest when they were bottom of the Championship and led them to instant promotion, before keeping them in the top flight in his first full season – one of the finest managerial achievements of recent times. It has, however, been rare for Forest to sign a player requested explicitly by their manager.
Forest are not the only club to operate in this way, and some of the owner-driven signings of the last two seasons have been excellent, notably Brazilian pair Danilo and Murillo. Nuno Espirito Santo, who is set to succeed Cooper, is used to that way of working. It is probably not the best way to achieve harmony between ownership and head coach, however.
Steve Cooper has been sacked by Nottingham Forest after a run of poor results
Cooper had very little say in signings, and his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis (pictured) became irreparable
Former Wolves and Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the leading contender to replace Cooper
Your browser does not support iframes.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis and his trusted circle – his son Miltiadis, co-owner Sokratis Kominakis and director of football Kyriakos Dourekas – should consider this aspect carefully as they move forward with Nuno, who is represented by Portuguese ‘super-agent’ Jorge Mendes.
If Origi was the answer, what on Earth was the question? Why are there four right-backs in the squad? What purpose is on-loan Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos serving at Forest?
Mail Sport understands the relationship between Cooper and Marinakis Snr had deteriorated to the extent that they have barely spoken in months.
The 43-year-old’s departure had long appeared a matter of when, not if, and it was a surprise to many that Cooper was allowed to soldier on for two more matches after the humiliating 5-0 hammering at Fulham on December 6.
Marinakis was never going to stand for a run of one win in 13 but the departure of Cooper after barely two years still feels like an opportunity wasted. He brought results, cared deeply about the club and forged a lasting connection with its supporters. It will be quite a task for a successor to achieve that.
Some of Forest’s signings have been baffling, with Divock Origi failing to make an impact
Andrey Santos arrived on loan from Chelsea but has hardly played this season
It seems harsh but the perception of key figures within Forest’s ownership group differs from that of the wider football world. There was a sense that Cooper had reached his ceiling by winning promotion and securing survival.
With Cooper at the helm, they decided, there was little chance Forest would ever escape the bottom half of the table. And ultimately the fractures between owner and head coach had grown so deep as to be irreparable.
That should not have been allowed to happen when both men had played such a huge role in Forest’s rise, yet in the end the relationship became unworkable. Phone calls were missed and sometimes unreturned. Some of those close to Cooper were angry at what they saw was unfair treatment from Marinakis.
Forest might not hit the top 10 – Marinakis’ stated target – this term, but they have a set-up to finish solidly in mid-table. No longer can a team win promotion and compete quickly with the leading clubs, as Newcastle, Blackburn and Leeds did in the 1990s and – improbably – Leicester did when they won the title in 2016. There is too much wealth and power concentrated among the elite now.
Marinakis has invested nearly £300million on transfers alone in the last three transfer windows, an astonishing sum for a club promoted barely 18 months ago, and improvements have been made to both the City Ground and the training ground, where there are larger changing rooms, a better canteen, improved gym and superior pitches.
Sadly, though, this is the bare minimum required for progress these days. Marinakis could have hired Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp to job-share. It still wouldn’t have given him a fast track to the Champions League.
In Cooper he had a talented young coach who was one of the most popular Forest bosses since Brian Clough.
Keeping them up last season with an overhauled squad was a fine achievement and though there have been bumps in the road this year, Cooper lost key attacker Brennan Johnson to Tottenham and has once more had to manage a punishing injury list. With a little patience and with sustained investment, Cooper believed he could keep Forest moving in the right direction.
Cooper has forged a lasting connection with Forest fans after taking them back to the Premier League
The team have struggled to kick on since returning to the top flight, and losing promising winger to Brennan Johnson to Tottenham in the summer was a big blow for Forest
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, with a show every Monday and Thursday this season.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify
Your browser does not support iframes.
Cooper is well-regarded enough in the English game to have been offered two Premier League jobs during his time at the City Ground. He was admired for his coaching ability, man-management and thoroughness even before he took charge at Forest. Crystal Palace have followed Cooper closely for some time and it would be no surprise if eventually he succeeds Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.
Cooper was close to being sacked twice last season and he has always seemed only a couple of poor results away from danger. Cooper’s in-game management has sometimes left his employers frustrated, particularly some of his substitutions, and it is thought he irked his bosses by often describing last season’s challenge as ‘unique’.
Marinakis likes a manager he can speak to frequently to discuss progress and performance. As the man signing the cheques, he will challenge his manager often, sometimes in very blunt terms. If the manager fires back in similar fashion, all well and good. But he has to be available to speak to Marinakis at all times.
Among Forest supporters, there is sadness that the Cooper era has ended. It gave them some of their happiest times since Clough led them to 11 trophies in 18 years from 1975-1993. Marinakis will point to his success in sport and business and argue that his judgement should be backed. The coming months will determine whether he is justified.
Source: Read Full Article
