Ultimately, the statement announcing Steve Cooper’s departure from Nottingham Forest could have included the phrase ‘mutual contempt’.
Cooper’s tense relationship with Evangelos Marinakis is finally over: after two years and three months, he becomes the Premier League’s second managerial casualty of the season.
He will forever be remembered as the hero who brought this famous old club to heel, united players and supporters and propelled them into the top division after a 23-year absence.
Cooper made those supporters fall in love again, at a time when Forest were exhausting the ways to fail in the Championship. Ending that painful period in the wilderness means Cooper’s achievements are the most significant since Brian Clough’s magical tenure (and that’s not ignoring the post-Clough impact Frank Clark made in the 1990s).
He was the ‘Pontypridd Pep’
Keeping Forest in the top division after a season that saw the arrival of 30 new players was perhaps even more impressive and allowed the club to continue to build.
There may never be another forest manager who enjoys the relationship Cooper had with his supporters. He was the ‘Pontypridd Pep’ who understood the club’s rich history and taught them to dream again. But when managers leave football clubs, it is inevitable that this has been shelved.
Not many at this level can survive a run of one win in thirteen games regardless of previous performances, and Cooper is sacked just two weeks after the Forest owner’s discarded accreditation pass was found in nearby bushes following a 5-man beating -0 by Fulham.
The story of Cooper’s departure away from Nottingham will be presented as a new club panicking and stretching beyond their resources. It is of course much more complex than that. In recent weeks, Cooper and Marinakis have hardly spoken to each other. Their relationship had broken down long ago, to the point where even phone calls were ignored.
Marinakis had stayed at Cooper longer than anyone at the club had imagined. The Greek billionaire has a scary reputation for being ‘trigger-happy’, which he resents.
At Olympiacos, the Greek superpower that he also owns, it may be justified. At Forest it is undeserved. He has high expectations and the results have not been good enough in recent months. Since completing his takeover in May 2017, he has sacked Mark Warburton, Aitor Karanka, Martin O’Neill, Sabri Lamouchi and Chris Hughton.
None of them could really complain. You could even say that Lamouchi and Hughton in particular were given more than enough time to turn the results around. Marinakis will feel the same goes for Cooper.
It may have only been the fear of a fan backlash that allowed Cooper to limp through.
For the many supporters who pay money every week to watch their club, there was also a feeling that it was coming. It is possible to hold someone in high esteem and be grateful, but at the same time feel like he or she has lost his or her way. The fanbase has become increasingly divided and Cooper did not deserve for the situation to become toxic. As has been well documented, he came close to losing his job many times this past season.
The 4-0 defeat at Leicester in October 2022 was the most infamous event when Rafael Benitez was drafted as a possible replacement. With Cooper’s future uncertain, Wolves and Southampton both contacted agents to potentially appoint him. A hectic few days ended with the Welshman signing a new £2.5million-a-year contract.
There were many more crucial moments – after a 4-0 defeat at West Ham in February, Marinakis came very close to wielding the axe. After a 2-1 defeat at Leeds on April 4, even Cooper thought he would go.
Replacements were considered, including Patrick Vieira and even former Wolves manager Bruno Lage, but Cooper survived. He was aware of Forest’s work behind the scenes and used it to build a siege mentality on the club’s training ground.
‘I gave you the players’
During the summer he lost even more control over signings as Forest were unhappy with a number of players he had previously recommended. Backroom staff who had club appointments were added.
He angered Marinakis on the opening day defeat at Arsenal with post-match comments about the club’s transfer activities.
Cooper was frustrated when seven new players came in on deadline day, feeling that it meant they had to play catch-up to understand his methods. They also suffered injuries after a troubled preseason. Yet, in terms of pounds spent, he had invested more in his side than most managers in Europe’s top five leagues. Marinakis has spent more than £250m on fees alone since promotion and has plans for Forest to become a top 10 club.
He is an owner whose mentality is: “I gave you the players, now it’s up to you.”
Marinakis is undoubtedly demanding. He could not fathom tactical decisions, team selections, game management and the inability to rule out mistakes. There didn’t seem to be a consistent, recognizable playing style. When they were without striker Taiwo Awoniyi, the whole setup seemed to collapse and Cooper reverted to a low block.
Forest have won just two of 28 away games since promotion, losing 19 of them.
Tension began to rise in the locker room. Scotland international Scott McKenna was frozen out after the club made it clear he would not be offered a new contract.
Cooper then had a major disagreement with Joe Worrall, the Forest captain. Worrall was told on the morning of the match against Aston Villa on November 5 that he would not be in the matchday squad. Worrall reacted angrily and did not attend the match, as he did not feel in the right frame of mind.
Days later, he reported to the training ground, had a heated confrontation with Cooper and was ordered to train with McKenna before matches, away from the first-team squad. From ‘matchday minus 2’, and sometimes even earlier, they received personal programs and were only called in to train with the first team when numbers were low.
That situation occurred just weeks after Worrall suffered the tragic death of his uncle. Two of Forest’s promotional heroes had been discarded in cold blood.
Some players also clashed with Cooper and the coaching staff over what they perceived as inconsistent team selection.
Two summer signings, Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos and £11million signing Andrew Omobamidele, have yet to make a single league start, while Nuno Tavares and Gonzalo Montiel – the latter a World Cup winner with Argentina – have just one each to their name so far . Questions will inevitably arise about recruitment, and they are completely understandable.
As results plummeted, the atmosphere on the training pitch is said to have become ‘tense’ in recent weeks.
Cooper marginalized former chairman Nicholas Randall KC and club director Jonny Owen: two key figures who fought for him in board meetings last season when his position looked bleak, especially after the defeat at Leicester.
A 2-2 draw at home to Luton, in which Forest conceded twice after some strange substitutions, was extremely damaging. Chaotic defeats against West Ham and Brighton increased the pressure. After the home defeat in Brighton, there were furious clashes in the tunnel between Cooper’s coaching staff and Roberto De Zerbi’s backroom team.
After the 1–0 defeat to Everton at home, some fans booed Cooper and the team. It was a rare event and felt important at the time. The heavy defeat at Fulham – when Marinakis stormed out after the fourth goal – was the final blow.
Although Cooper was in charge of the Wolves and Tottenham games, he was on his way out: it was not about Marinakis assessing him on a game-by-game basis, but about finding the right replacement.
What now?
Nuno Espirito Santo is set to make his return to English football after leaving Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad last month. He will have a point to prove after his unhappy spell at Tottenham. He was doing wonders for Wolves before falling out with chairman Jeff Shi, and for three years he was thrilling to watch.
Julen Lopetegui, the former Wolves and Real Madrid manager, was initially probed. He is said to be looking for a “bigger” job and sees himself as a contender for Manchester United (if Erik ten Hag leaves) or West Ham.
Marco Silva was much admired but a potential move came to an end when he signed a new contract with Fulham in October. Former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner had talks, but Marinakis was not convinced.
What about Kuiper?
Leaving Forest will hurt, but at the same time feel like a relief. If Forest had ended up in the bottom three on his watch it would have been awkward. He threatened to damage his legacy.
His reputation remains relatively high and Crystal Palace are known to be admirers. Palace would now have to pay no compensation if they replaced Roy Hodgson with the 44-year-old.
When Cooper inevitably returns to the City Ground in charge of another team, the reception will be incredible. Palace visit on March 30.
He is assured of a place in Forest history. With every punch after victories, he brought a club and its fan base closer together.
He will always be ‘Super Cooper’, but in the end there was no room for sentiment. Marinakis wanted more than his Premier League promotion manager could deliver.