Nottingham Forest fires manager Steve Cooper as club fights for Premier League survival

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Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper rues a missed chance during the English Premier League soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

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Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper gestures, during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

By STEVE DOUGLAS

Nottingham Forest fired manager Steve Cooper on Tuesday after owner Evangelos Marinakis lost patience seeing the club plunge toward the Premier League’s relegation zone.

Cooper was popular with Forest’s fans and appeared to retain their support despite the team dropping to fourth-to-last place.

Yet Marinakis has opted to make a change approaching the halfway point of the season. In April, he gave Cooper public backing but warned that “results and performances must improve immediately.”

Forest managed to stayed up last season but has won just one of its last 13 games in the league in this campaign.

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Former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been linked with the vacancy and has reportedly held talks with the club.

“Everyone at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his superb contribution to our football club. His achievement in guiding Forest back to the Premier League will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history,” Marinakis said. “We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us, as well as the incredible connection he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham.”

Forest is five points above the bottom three in its second straight season in the top flight, having previously not been in the Premier League since 1999.

Cooper had been Forest’s manager since September 2021.

“Steve will always remain a friend of the club and will forever be welcome at The City Ground. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” Marinakis said.

Espirito Santo’s most recent job was in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, where he was fired last month. He was coach of a team containing Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho.

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