Former Premier League defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher believes that it was the reaction of the Nottingham Forest fans which saved Steve Cooper from leaving the club earlier in the season.
The Reds boss was under big pressure back in October, with the Welshman the bookmakers’ favourite to be shown the door following a 4-0 loss against Leicester City. The result left the team bottom of the table.
However, in a surprise twist, amid the speculation over his future, Cooper instead put pen-to-paper on a new deal at the City Ground. That loyalty has now been rewarded with the Reds enjoying their best run of form of the season, moving them six points clear of the relegation places.
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Cooper has always been popular among Forest fans, with his name sung by the away end after the defeat against Leicester. And Carragher believes it was the reaction of the fans to the manager that influenced Evangelos Marinakis’ decision to stick by him.
“I know Steve Cooper well, he coached my son at Liverpool at a young age and I think the fans kept him in a job,” he told the Overlap . “It was fan power that kept him in the job. I think Forest will be okay, they’ve got a six-point buffer and they’re getting better.”
Cooper has now been in charge of Forest for almost 17 months. In that time he has led the Reds from bottom of the Championship table to their current position of 13th place in the Premier League.
He will look to improve that position even further when he takes charge of the side for the weekend’s PRemier League clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Avoiding defeat in that game will see Forest extend their unbeaten run in the league to six games.
Do you think the fans had an influence in the decision to stick with Cooper? Tell us in the comments section
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