Simon Jordan has warned Nottingham Forest that Steve Cooper needs ‘time’ to turn the Premier League strugglers around with former Newcastle United and Everton manager Rafael Benitez lined up as a potential replacement, speaking to talkSPORT (4 October, 10.40am).
As Carlos Corberan will tell you, patience is not one of Evangelos Marinakis’ strong points.
The Spaniard lasted just 11 games before being given the boot at Olympiakos recently; the club’s 13th different permanent manager since 2010. Steve Cooper would have been under no illusions, then, that a difficult start to Nottingham Forest’s first top-flight season in over two decades – following a summer of unprecedented investment – would soon set tongues wagging.
And wagging they most certainly are.
According to The Guardian, Cooper’s future is now in ‘extreme doubt’. The unattached Benitez has been lined up as a potential replacement too, despite a dismal end to his time at Everton. Much to the chagrin of a man who has never held back in his criticism of a man who walked away from Newcastle in 2019 due to differences of opinion with much-maligned former owner Mike Ashley.
Nottingham Forest eye Rafael Benitez as Steve Cooper replacement
“Forest are roughly where I thought they’d be,” says Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner. “Tragically, I think Cooper’s in trouble. I don’t think he should be, but the owner (Marinakis) is irrational.
“Please God, don’t start talking to me about Rafa Benitez. If this guy, Marinakis, fires Steve Cooper, then he deserves Rafa Benitez.
“He deserves all the trouble he will bring him. All the division, all of the things that Rafa Benitez has bought to most football clubs.”
Now, given the choice, every manager would prefer to be backed in the transfer market. But there can be too much of a good thing. Who can blame Cooper if he doesn’t yet know his best team, or the system that suits them, following a remarkable recruitment drive which saw no fewer than 25 new players arrive. Especially when you consider he’s had just eight games with an entirely new squad.
Cooper needs ‘time’ at the City Ground
“Cooper has got to get his head in gear and pick the games they can win. He needs time,” Jordan insists, adding that Benitez would struggle to do a better job in such trying circumstances.
“He relegated (Newcastle in 2016), and then got them promoted with a Premier League squad in the Championship. Then, he played the most pedestrian, boring brand of football.
“I don’t like people like Benitez. I think they are divisive, self-motivated and their agenda is to achieve the best outcome for themselves. Is he a capable football operator? Yes he is. Can he do anything different with a squad of players who probably don’t know each other’s second name? I don’t think he’s gonna do any better than Cooper.
“I think Cooper is the future of Nottingham Forest and will build Forest with stability, and build a platform. You bring in Benitez, and you deserve everything you get.”
Nottingham Forest lost 4-0 by a James Maddison-inspired Leicester City on Monday night. They are now bottom of the table with just four points to their name.
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