Simon Jordan says he understands why pressure is mounting on Steve Cooper after last night’s defeat at Leeds United extended Nottingham Forest’s winless run to eight games.
But the pundit says even with all the debate around the Welshman’s future, Forest are unlikely to find a better candidate to fill the City Ground hot-seat and urged owner Evangelos Marinakis to ‘stick rather than twist’.
Speaking on the White and Jordan show on talkSPORT, the former Crystal Palace chairman admitted he didn’t have much sympathy for managers who find themselves sacked. However, he also pointed out the reasons why the Reds should keep faith with the man who took them into the Premier League.
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“By the standards of current, modern-day requirements, which are to make you team effective and move yourself away from jeopardy and to arrest momentum going the wrong way then Steve Cooper will be in trouble because his team is in absolute free-fall,” Jordan said.
“They are fourth from bottom in the league, they are dropping down from a position of apparent safety, they can’t win a game, they are as feeble as feeble can be away from home.
“Anyone suggesting that Nottingham Forest, despite the emotive outbursts from the owner when they got promoted last year, which is entirely understandable because he is exhilarated with the circumstances – Nottingham Forest have landed back in the Premier League after 23 years. But Aston Villa with equally as well-heeled and well-financed people in their first season in the Premier League finished fourth from bottom and managed to escape relegation by the skin of their teeth. So you would be in a situation.
“But this is the moment when people get nervous, this is the moment when people become slightly anxious about the direction of travel. So I am not in the camp, I don’t have one single scintilla of sympathy for managers that get fired because most of the time they get fired for reasons that are in their jurisdiction. Football has moved, it’s changed and the game-plan is that managers have to be good from the get-go.
“There are two kinds of scenarios. There’s a scenario where the person in office is so toxic, it doesn’t matter who you replace them with, you have just got to get them out of the building. There is the other scenario where you have got a better alternative. Now, Steve Cooper’s not toxic and Nottingham Forest are unlikely to have a better alternative. Unless you have a better alternative you might as well stick rather than twist.”
Forest, who are only out of the bottom three on goal difference, head to Aston Villa on Saturday, to face one of the division’s most in-form teams.
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