Nottingham Forest legend Stuart Pearce believes Steve Cooper should be under "no pressure" of being sacked by the Reds this season.
Forest threw away a 1-0 lead to draw 1-1 against Wolves on Saturday in a disappointing result at home to their relegation rivals. The Reds are just a point above the Premier League bottom three going into Tuesday night's fixture against Leeds United.
But Forest are playing Premier League football for the first time in more than two decades this season after Cooper masterminded a revival which saw them rise from the bottom of the Championship to a triumphant return to English football's top flight through the play-offs.
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And Pearce, who made over 400 appearances for the Reds and managed the club between 2014 and 2015, believes the current Forest boss deserves a "free hit" due to his work at the club.
He told talkSPORT: “There should be no pressure on him at all. He’s got Forest up for the first time in 23 years and he’s at the point where he deserves a free hit.
“Even if it meant coming down and going again. I don’t think he’s quite as close to the sack as the reports are making out.”
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