2M8153H Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper ahead of the Carabao Cup Quarter-Final match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Wednesday January 11, 2023.
Current thoughts on Nottingham Forest amid rumours that Steve Cooper is “under pressure” to improve the Reds’ dismal performance following their loss to Brighton on Saturday.
According to reports in the national press, Steve Cooper, the manager of Nottingham Forest, is “under pressure” to remain in his position at the City Ground.
First and foremost, it is important to emphasise that Cooper’s job is not in immediate danger. According to rumours, the club’s board has not chosen a replacement manager and has not made any approaches, suggesting that he will have time to make improvements. According to NottinghamshireLive, there has been no indication that the Welshman is in danger.
Cooper has previously seemed to be on the verge of death at Forest and has lived. Cooper, who has been in charge since September 2021, turned things around by keeping Forest in the Premier League after assisting them in securing promotion in 2022, despite claims made back in March that he was fighting to keep his job.
Here are five reasons the Reds should hold off on making any manager-related decisions for the time being.
No threat of relegation… as of yet
Following their September victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the Reds have only triumphed once in their previous nine games. Any team would be surprised by this awful run, as many would anticipate from a team fighting to stay in the division.
Nevertheless, Forest still has a reasonable buffer separating them from the bottom three despite their recent struggles. The Reds are currently 14th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
No clear substitute
Is there a manager available for Forest that is more capable than the one they currently have?
There is a contention that the Welshman has reached his limit with the team and that a shift is necessary to propel Forest forward. However, there isn’t a manager in existence right now who could perform noticeably better than the former Swansea manager.
He has produced amazing results.
Remember that in the same season, Cooper pulled a miracle and propelled Forest to the playoffs, despite the fact that the team was at the bottom of the Championship. It is something that very few other managers could have accomplished.
Why fire a manager who has improved the City Ground to such a commendable degree? Under Cooper, Forest made it to the top division for the first time in 23 years and remained there.
Forest continues to be competitive.
The Reds have only lost badly once in their current run of nine games, and that was against Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield—a loss that most teams can endure.
Even though any kind of loss is undesirable, a team’s performance during a loss can indicate whether or not the manager still has influence over the team. Despite their disappointing results, Forest’s players still have faith in Cooper, as evidenced by the fact that many of their recent draws could have easily resulted in three points on another day.
Winnable games are about to take place.
A difficult run of games has seen Forest play tough home games against Aston Villa and Brighton as well as tough away games against Manchester City and Liverpool, with the Reds emerging victorious against the Villans.
With games remaining against Everton, Fulham, and Wolves, Cooper’s team can now climb the standings and allay fears of relegation. Given the upcoming kind games, doesn’t a manager who has accomplished so much for the team deserve the opportunity to make things right?
