Nottingham Forest struggled to cope with Fulham in their 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage on Saturday and could’ve used the expertise of one fan favourite spotted in the crowd.
In Forest’s defeat to Fulham, both of the host’s goals came from headers which would’ve been particularly disappointing for Nuno Espirito Santo given he started with a back five.
Brian Laws hailed Forest’s five-at-the-back system against Brentford over the festive period and the very same tactic was deployed in the 7-0 demolition of Brighton, but something didn’t quite click against Fulham.
The problems may have been in midfield as Danilo’s performance was slated by Forest fans as the Brazilian continued to acclimatise after injury, but the three centre-backs will have been disappointed by Emile Smith-Rowe’s first goal as he ghosted behind to head home.
Conceding from a corner must’ve also been annoying for Murillo and his two partners, with Forest fans potentially looking to the crowd to see one of the club’s former defenders who may have thrived in the aerial situations faced.
Steve Cook spotted in the crowd at Nottingham Forest vs Fulham
Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic were compared to Arsenal’s defence earlier in the season but, alongside Morato today, weren’t at their imperious best with ex-Forest defender Steve Cook watching on in the stands.
Cook’s caption read: “Behind enemy lines,” which showed that he still has an affinity for Forest after playing an important squad role in the promotion to the Premier League under Steve Cooper.
Since leaving the club in 2023, the Englishman has supported Forest in the media, with Cook predicting Forest to finish in the top half in the 2023/24 season, clearly seeing the potential in his teammates that has come to fruition over a year later.
Cook left Forest for Queens Park Rangers to seek more game time at Championship level, but his rugged determination could well have been useful for Espirito Santo as he watched his side struggle to handle deliveries into the box, especially given how well he has done at QPR since leaving the City Ground.
All-action Steve Cook has been a hit at Queens Park Rangers
Before departing Forest, Cooper left Cook out of his Premier League squad but the defender was always said to have been professional about the situation around the Forest training ground, attributes that have seen him kick on at QPR.
Cook won Player of the Year at the London club in his debut season, helping QPR fight off fears of relegation with displays of leadership that saw him become captain.
This season, Cook has started 28 times for the R’s, winning 77.8% of his tackles and only being dribbled past 0.12 times per Championship match.
Looking back on his time at the City Ground, Cook admitted he wished he played more for Forest but his outstanding attitude meant that he never kicked up a fuss under Cooper and under different circumstances, could’ve played a more prominent role under the then Forest manager.
Cook certainly left his mark on the Forest fans, though, who would’ve been delighted to see him supporting Espirito Santo’s side despite the poor result.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
