Carragher thinks he knows why Cooper wasn’t sacked in October and makes exciting Forest call

Add as preferred source on Google

Jamie Carragher has told The Overlap why he thinks Steve Cooper still has a job at Nottingham Forest. The ex-Liverpool and England defender has also made a prediction regarding the fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Forest currently sit 13th in the table after Sunday’s 1-0 win over Leeds United. Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game and the Reds actually have more points than any other Premier League team since the turn of the year.

Cooper’s stock continues to rise on the banks of the River Trent. He’s been in charge of the Reds for 16 months and has achieved so much – with more still to come from his team.

Forest go to Fulham next before facing Manchester City at home. After that, it’s a trip to West Ham and the hugely important games show no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Carragher believes it could have been easy for Forest to sack Cooper earlier in the season. However, he believes that the Reds’ fan base saved him from the clutches of the grim reaper and he also thinks they’ll be fine this season.

The ex-defender told The Overlap: “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. 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.”

Carragher explains why Cooper has a job at Forest still

It’s fair to say that he has a point. After a 4-0 defeat to Leicester in October, the writing appeared to be on the wall, with Rafa Benitez reportedly lined up to take over.

Fans weren’t impressed. Following a glut of new arrivals it was always going to take time and Evangelos Marinakis was extremely wise to take stock of the situation and instead gave Cooper a new deal.

Since the World Cup, Forest have gone from strength to strength. Naturally, some of the experts and pundits are starting to change their harsh opinions from earlier in the season.

Receiving praise won’t be on Cooper’s agenda just yet, however. He will know there is work to do and he will demand that Forest continue to improve this season.