Chris Sutton has delivered an emotional verdict on whether or not he thinks Nottingham Forest should sack Steve Cooper.
The Reds were humbled 5-0 at Fulham last night and the manager is thought to be clinging to his job.
Forest slipped to defeat in West London and they’re now firmly embroiled in a relegation fight once again.
Evangelos Marinakis was in attendance last night. He was so incensed with the display that he tossed his matchday pass into a bush on the way out.
Sutton says whether Forest should sack Cooper
The Reds do have a decision to make. Indeed, we’re glad Marinakis is the one having to make this call that during a worst-case scenario would be heartbreaking.
Nobody deep down wants Cooper to leave Forest. He’s revolutionised the football club and done something that several couldn’t manage in returning the Reds to the Premier League.
Sutton supported Forest as a boy having been born in Nottingham. He’s explained whether or not the manager should be sacked.
He said on the It’s All Kicking Off Podcast: “Do you know what, if I ever wanted a manager to get a stay of execution it would be Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest.
“The Forest fans were applauding him, there’s pictures of him saying he was sorry, the club means so much to him. You often see managers come out after defeat and they care but they don’t care like Cooper seems to care about this club.
“Look, am I going soft? But I actually think this season being a season where Nottingham Forest will stay in the Premier League, I actually feel he deserves to stay on in his position.
“It’s about small steps and if the owner genuinely at the start of the season thought or thinks that they could get into a European spot then he’s deluded.”
Sutton makes intriguing points about Forest
This situation has divided the Forest fan base. The club appears to be in relative turmoil apparently and another win looks a million miles away.
Sutton makes the interesting point that Forest won’t go down this year. However, with just six points between the Reds and the relegation zone, he’s a bold man to predict that.
Forest are sleepwalking towards the bottom three. They have a difficult Christmas period to come and ultimately things could go very sour very quickly.
Marinakis is ambitious but he has to make sure the level of ambition he craves is realistic. Progression is key this season and right now, Forest are making small steps from 12 months ago.
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