Steve Cooper: Almost feels like Nottingham Forest couldn’t wait to get rid, says Glenn Murray

Nottingham Forest’s sacking of manager Steve Cooper “almost feels like they couldn’t wait to get rid of him”, former striker Glenn Murray said.

The 44-year-old was revered by the Forest fans after ending their 23-year absence from the top flight.

“I feel he was going to keep Nottingham Forest safe for another year,” said Murray on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said after Cooper’s dismissal that “his achievement in guiding Forest back [to the Premier League] will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history”.

Marinakis also said that “Steve will always remain a friend of the club and will forever be welcome at the City Ground”.

Forest are in talks with former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo to replace Cooper.

The 49-year-old Portuguese manager was sacked by Saudi Pro-League club Al-Ittihad in November.

Former England Under-17s boss Cooper was appointed when Forest were bottom of the Championship in September 2021, leading them to promotion in the same season and ensuring top-flight safety with a 16th-place finish.

Forest’s squad was overhauled after promotion with 19 players joining on permanent deals and three arriving on loan, while 17 left the club.

“It has been such a romance between Cooper and Nottingham Forest and their re-emergence into the top flight,” added Murray, who spent one season with Forest at the end of his career.

“But am I surprised regardless of results on the field? I am not.

“It almost feels like they could not wait to get rid of him in some way and bring someone else in.

“He has had a dressing room full of players in his first year in the Premier League. He has done extraordinarily well to gel them together, to get them playing together, and to keep them in the Premier League.

“As far as I am concerned, the second season in the Premier League, the prerogative does not change – stay in the Premier League.

“I am surprised by it – and I am not, on the other hand.”

‘Seeing Cooper be successful elsewhere will be painful’

Cooper is likely to be in demand from clubs in the Premier League and Championship, with Crystal Palace known to be long-term admirers.

Rich Ferraro from 1865: The Nottingham Forest Podcast told BBC Radio 5 Live that Cooper’s stock has risen throughout his career and the club may end up with “seller’s remorse”.

“It’s like the end of a relationship,” said Ferraro. “We’ve got to be sad that Coops has gone, but we also have to remember the good times.

“I’ve lived through those 23 years [outside the Premier League], I’ve seen Forest get relegated many times. It could be a lot worse, but at the same time, once you go up, expectations go up and ultimately that’s what leads to managers getting the sack.

“One of the most painful things about it is knowing that Steve Cooper has been a manager whose star has been going upwards for his entire career.

“Getting into the Premier League and keeping us in the Premier League was one thing, making us competitive after that – and especially with the turnover of players – is a different ball game.

“A few of us have been saying that the most painful thing will be when you see Cooper being successful with another club and thinking ‘have we got seller’s remorse?’

‘Maybe there’s something positive in Nuno’

Ferraro added that a few Forest fans are “underwhelmed” by the links with Nuno, after former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui or ex-Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner were both linked.

“I’d argue that there’s something to be optimistic about there because Wolves was quite a similar situation,” said Ferraro, who highlighted the way Nuno moulded a strong squad at Molineux after the club brought in a number of players represented by agent Jorge Mendes.

“They took a lot of Jorge Mendes signings. It seemed like a bunch of players signed for their names as much as what they could do together, but he really brought them together.

“Players like Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez became real stars playing under Nuno. Maybe there’s something positive there.”

‘Fascinating to see what reshaping Nuno will be allowed to execute’ – analysis

Simon Stone, BBC Sport football reporter

The tricky bit for Nuno will be to navigate the strength of support for Cooper and mould it into something resembling what he had at Wolves.

In much the same way as Cooper did at the City Ground, Nuno created a special bond with the supporters at Molineux, who revelled in the way in which the Portuguese also took their club from Championship mediocrity into the Premier League and then into Europe.

That run was based around a specific recruitment plan that allied Nuno with a largely Portuguese squad that had the heavy hand of Jorge Mendes over it. He also used a trusted three-man defence, with wing backs, and relied mainly on a counter-attacking style.

Given how much Marinakis has invested in players over the past three transfer windows, it will be fascinating to see what reshaping Nuno is allowed to execute next month.

At least he has time to work with his squad though.

After the home game with Manchester United on 30 December, Forest have a single Premier League game – at Brentford – before the encounter with Arsenal at the City Ground on 30 January.