This Christmas week at the City Ground, there was little opportunity for sentiment and festive cheer due to the announcement that Steve Cooper would be fired and replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo. This is where owner Evangelos Marinakis and the new manager’s task to placate a furious fan base begins.
The truth is that Cooper’s dismissal was long overdue. The former Swansea and England Under-17 player was on the verge of being fired twice during the previous campaign as the team’s chances of survival dwindled. However, Cooper persevered, in large part because he had a strong bond with the supporters and in part because there was no other viable option.
However, following the Reds’ crushing 5-0 loss to Fulham two weeks prior, in which Marinakis left Craven Cottage with 20 minutes remaining and his access badge was astonishingly discovered in a bush close to the west London stadium, the writing was clearly on the wall.
Although the loss to Marco Silva’s team was the only truly significant setback during this period, and other outcomes may have gone their way, this was the lowest point in a run of form that saw Cooper’s team win just one of 13 league games.
The team’s lack of performance and dedication on the field has only caused them to drop closer to the relegation zone; at the moment, they are five points ahead of Luton in 17th place.
That was insufficient for Marinakis, who could point to his financial exploitation of the team since becoming over in 2017. Last season, the club spent over £150 million, but the majority of the players were not Cooper’s choices.
After several of these players failed to make an impact at the City Ground, Marinakis fired most of the recruitment team and appointed his 24-year-old son Miltadis as the team’s acting sporting director. If the owner’s domineering demeanor could ever be summed up.
Given that he also owns Olympiacos, the 47-time Greek champions, it is hardly shocking that he wants to make Forest a dominant force in the English game. After being promoted, while everyone else was enjoying their return to
But for the supporters, Cooper will always be remembered as the one who, after a torturous and apparently never-ending 23-year absence, returned Forest to the promised land. He not only took them on, but he did so after taking over the team in September, when they were struggling mightily in the Championship.
After that, he managed to keep them in the top division for the first time since the mid-1990s. Their final Premier League season, 1998–1999, saw them end in a disappointing 20th place, 11 points outside of safety, and include an 8–1 home loss to Manchester United.
Cooper was the most adored manager in Nottingham since Brian Clough, as seen by the innumerable tributes posted on social media following his dismissal. His absence will be deeply felt.
A managerial change would typically be welcomed by all when a club is in crisis, but that is not the case in this instance. The 49-year-old’s once-stellar image has been tarnished by recent seasons and occupations, which doesn’t help either.
Naturally, he performed admirably for Wolves, leading the team to promotion and then to back-to-back seventh-place finishes—the highest the team has seen in almost 30 years—as well as the club’s first FA Cup semifinal appearance in twenty years.
Although the club’s partnership with super-agent Jorge Mendes helped immensely with this, Wolves’ performance declined in Nuno’s fourth and last season at Molineux, as they finished 13th before he left. This was despite the acquisition of several Portuguese talents.
After a miserable tenure at Spurs that lasted just four months and seventeen games, he was among the first to move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, where he won the League and Cup double before the historic summer expansion of 2023 got underway.
Following rumors of dissatisfaction with Karim Benzema and other major names who had moved east, he was fired from his position in November. It barely makes sense for a man who is in demand and who is prepared to challenge Forest.
Nor does his playing style, which did not support him during the tough times at Spurs. On paper, at least, replacing a club legend is a terribly uninspired decision.
Before the year ends and the clock strikes midnight, Nuno has a very tough opening three games against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Manchester United. He needs to get off to a quick start to satisfy both the supporters and his extremely ambitious boss.
The choice may have a significant impact on Nuno’s reputation in the English game, Marinakis’ tenure at the City Ground, and the future success of a well-known team.
