Stuart Pearce loves Nottingham Forest decision as he makes Steve Cooper U-turn

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Stuart Pearce has admitted that he has had a change of heart over the decision to sack Steve Cooper.

The Forest legend was initially one of those to question the club’s decision to sack Cooper in December 2023.

His replacement, Nuno Espirito Santo, was viewed by many as an uninspiring appointment at the time.

However, as proven this season, it was a decision that favoured the Reds in the long run, with Forest in the hunt to secure a top four Premier League finish and Champions League football.

In return, it seems that Pearce has been convinced that the right decision was made after all.

• READ MORE: They told him he was too small, so he became a Nottingham Forest legend and won 19 trophies

Stuart Pearce claims Nuno Espirito Santo appointment was a ‘masterstroke’

Speaking about Cooper’s dismissal back in June 2024, shortly after the Welshman was appointed by Leicester City, Pearce backed Cooper to succeed at the Foxes and still felt he was treated harshly by the Reds.

He said: “Obviously I have been following his career, certainly at Nottingham Forest. When he left the club, I was really disappointed for the club. I thought he had done a really good job there.”

Just over six months on from that, the former England international was asked about the decision to hire Espirito Santo instead and that the bold move paid off.

Speaking on Football’s Greatest, he said: “I believed so at the time, but they’ll turn around now and say they’re third in the league. Yeah it was a masterstroke, so whichever way you look at it, he played his part in developing that club.”

Stuart Pearce made Forest Champions League claim earlier in the season

Few could’ve predicted the season to have gone as well as it has for Forest.

Espirito Santo is in line for a new deal after a sensational transformation at the City Ground.

With each week that goes by the prospect of Champions League football returning is more and more realistic.

When asked about defying the odds earlier in the season, Pearce stated that ‘the sky is the limit’ for the Reds.

“Nuno’s come in and pushed the club on a little bit further,” he said. “Chris Wood is in the form of his life and the fanbase there, the atmosphere around the City Ground is as good as I’ve ever known.

“Back in my day we were winning trophies but I believe the atmosphere’s better now and the fans have played a big part in pushing the team and they look like a team that can do more than just survive in the Premier League.

“Forest as a football club have had a lot of dormant years outside the Premier League. All of a sudden they look like they can be a real force.”