What Nottingham Forest managers of the past have had to say about Evangelos Marinakis

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Evangelos Marinakis is a man who has captured the hearts of Nottingham Forest fans ever since he bought the club in 2017.

The fans’ love for the Greek owner was evident in the opening Premier League match against Brentford when the City Ground burst out into a chant for Marinakis.

It has been a long road to success for Nottingham Forest, but they are now back in Europe, following an excellent campaign by Nuno Espírito Santo.

There were claims that suggested Nuno was to be sacked due to tensions with Marinakis, but reports quickly rubbished any suggestions Espirito Santo was leaving.

However, before the Portuguese manager was in the dugout, there were quite a few who came before him, and they have a lot to say about Evangelos Marinakis.

Chris Hughton, Sabri Lamouchi and Steve Cooper praised Evangelos Marinakis

Former managers Chris Hughton, Sabri Lamouchi and Steve Cooper were all hired and sacked by Evangelos Marinakis, but they all said the same thing about the Nottingham Forest owner when they were in charge.

Based on Nottingham Forest’s spending this summer, Marinakis wants the club to succeed. There have been eight new arrivals, and each comes in with a lot of quality. However, this isn’t a one-off.

It is this ambition to improve in the market that each of the former managers named above has credited the owner with.

Back in the summer of 2020, Forest signed 11 players as they looked to return to the Premier League under then-manager Sabri Lamouchi, who had narrowly missed out on the play-offs the season before.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Lamouchi told them, “[Marinakis] has unbelievable passion about the club and is very ambitious to bring the club where it deserves to be. We are very lucky to sign these kinds of players.”

Unfortunately for the Frenchman, he would be sacked following five successive defeats in the 2020/2021 season.

Chris Hughton followed, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, finances for football clubs were stretched thin due to a lack of matchday revenue. However, he still proclaimed that Marinakis provided sufficient support when talking about transfers, saying, “One thing I am very conscious of is I’ve had great support.”

Steve Cooper was next to help guide Forest back to the Premier League, a task he succeeded with. He was backed with 22 new signings ahead of their return and managed to stave off relegation.

Speaking after a draw against Manchester City, Cooper echoed previous sentiments by those who came before him, stating, “He’s shown massive commitment to the club for years and years, so he deserves a positive atmosphere and result.”

However, it hasn’t all been kind words for the owner from his previous hires, with Martin O’Neill previously sharing his issues with Marinakis.

Evangelos Marinakis actually gives managers time to prove themselves

Evangelos Marinakis is not shy about giving his managers all the tools they need to succeed. He has backed them in the transfer market, and it is then up to them to put those tools to good work.

Before becoming Nottingham Forest owner, the Tricky Trees couldn’t hold down a long-term permanent manager.

Billy Davies, from January 2009 to June 2011, was the last one to coach for a full season before the Greek took charge of the club.

Since then, there has been a lot more stability; Lamouchi, Cooper, and now Nuno Espírito Santo have all been given plenty of time to prove their worth to the owner, each having at least one full campaign to showcase their abilities.

It has worked out for Marinakis. Due to giving Cooper time, Forest are back in the Premier League, and due to giving Nuno time, they have brought European nights back to the City Ground.