Roy Keane challenges Steve Cooper and makes stark…

Roy Keane challenges Steve Cooper and makes stark Nottingham Forest prediction

Former Nottingham Forest player and coach Roy Keane has had his say on his old side's woes.

Forest were preparing to face Aston Villa in the Premier League when Keane was asked for his thoughts on Steve Cooper's side and their tough start to the season so far. At the time of writing the Reds propped up the top flight table following a 4-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Leicester City a week ago.

There was intense speculation about Cooper's future but also those of chief executive Dane Murphy and other members of staff at the City Ground. Cooper ended up signing a new contract with Forest insisting that all focus now shifts to getting the club going on their Premier League return.

Keane, who played for Forest from 1990 to 1993 and had a spell as assistant manager under Martin O'Neill three years ago, gave his take on the current situation on the banks of the Trent. "There were always going to be a lot of players coming into the club, I don't think anyone would have imagined there would have been 22 or 23, that is crazy really," Keane said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football coverage.

"Of course they had a lot of players on loan last year and they were going to have to invest and when you invest and bring in that many players you need a decent start. "It is just, I think what you want from a promoted team is survival if you can, stay in the PL and you want a bit of team spirit and fight.

"It is very hard to create that when you bring 22 players into a club so yeah I have got great sympathy for him. "But if we are led to believe he is a brilliant coach, then we need to see more of that, certainly in terms of tightening up at the back. If they keep conceding the goals they are, then they will be relegated by Christmas."