Will Nottingham Forest do the unthinkable: keep an under-fire manager
To part company with one manager in a week may seem normal for Evangelos Marinakis. Two might appear excessive, even by his standards. But Michel resigned at Olympiacos on Tuesday: the serial Greek champions are now looking for their fourth manager of the campaign, perhaps to be followed by a fifth.
Admittedly, the first of them, Pedro Martins, lasted 52 months, which, given Marinakis’ impatience, may be a greater feat of longevity than Sir Alex Ferguson surviving for 26 years at Manchester United. But there is something strange that in the sacking season in the Premier League, the Nottingham Forest owner has not joined in. Not yet, anyway.
Were it to go to a vote, Steve Cooper would remain Forest manager. He was serenaded at the start at Elland Road, defeated by the end. He insisted a wave towards the fans at the final whistle was not his intention to say goodbye. “I will be forever grateful to the supporters,” he said. “When they are so good to me, when we let them down it is painful. The more support I get, the more determined I get and the more paranoid I get about not letting them down. Tonight, I feel as though I did.”
Their argument would be that Cooper rarely has, though; by ending Forest’s 23-year exile from the top flight, by masterminding a Wembley play-off win and October’s victory over Liverpool, by reaching their first major semi-final in three decades, by proving their best manager since Frank Clark. In contrast, Marinakis may feel starved of love after funding a spending spree that has approached £200m. He risks alienating many, however: dismissing Cooper would rival Chelsea’s decision to dispense with Thomas Tuchel as the most unpopular sacking of the season with the fanbase.
Marinakis’ penchant for change means Forest have had unprecedented numbers of arrivals in a season of 29 signings. The focus is on the departures lounge now, however. The probability is that Cooper will be found in it, though it seems familiar terrain. He felt on the brink of the sack in autumn before emerging with a three-year contract after Marinakis changed his mind.
Now a second reprieve feels less likely; now Cooper accepted the validity of questions about his position but tried to downplay the personal element. “I think of the greater good of the club,” he said. “Any worry, frustration and disappointment I am feeling now is that Forest have lost a game.”
The immediate problem is that they have lost too many of late. If most of the managers fired have underachieved this season, arguably he has not. Forest stand 17th: finish there and their season would rank as a success. But they were six points and five places clear of the relegation zone when they beat Leeds in February. Since then, they are winless in eight games and if a draw against Manchester City was laudable, Forest have lost momentum.
Their January signings are taking time to gel just as, a few months ago, many of their summer buys were. Cooper’s task is to form a team from strangers, to make sense of the madness. It may seem illogical, then, to parachute in another stranger, in the form of a new manager. His team off the pitch has helped bring some unity: with a lone defeat in 11 league games at a raucous City Ground, Cooper’s fanbase in the stands could keep him in a job and them up.
But Forest only have four home games left, and two are against Manchester United and Arsenal. They are imperilled by the fixture list – five remaining April games are all against top-half teams – and their away form, the worst in the country. “Nothing short of really, really poor,” said Cooper. “I can’t hide away from that. There has been a lot of negative comments and accurate comments.”
The most pertinent comments will come from his employers. He had talks with Marinakis this week, but none immediately after defeat to Leeds. His side were overwhelmed at Elland Road. They had a lone shot on target; five second-half changes spoke of more experiments to find the right blend. “I really believe in the players and what we do,” Cooper said. “I really believe in the club. I really believe in myself and my work and the level I can work at.”
There is a sense that he is likely to be a Premier League manager next season if Forest dispense with his services, admirers may act. In turn, that may give him greater job security. “I have been answering questions about my future for a while now,” said Cooper, and they may remain a constant for as long as he stays at Forest.
Which may not be long. In a year when other clubs have got more impatient and trigger-happy, Marinakis is the odd man out. But perhaps the most unpredictable thing he could do now would be to stick with the manager the Forest fans love.
