Steve Cooper will always be the MAN!

[Louth Red]

Last May after the final whistle at Wembley we were poorly prepared for Premier League football both on and off the pitch. Our focus for months had been on securing a play-off place and hopefully secure promotion against all the odds given our start.

We had five loan players returning to their clubs, and others leaving for different reasons. We had a short timeframe to recruit multiple players to bed into a team playing in probably the toughest league in the world - one we had not competed in for twenty three years.

SC built a great spirit within the team and with supporters. Despite a very tough start with some heavy defeats that bond never wavered - the away support at Leicester was incredible in adversity. We were repaid in full with some great results and staying up.

This is why so many supporters fully back SC. These supporters understand that nothing lasts forever, and that all managers ultimately will survive or not on the basis of results. This season SC is creating a new team and a new more offensive playing style. This takes time especially when we have again suffered so many injuries.

Of course we all want to see some good results as soon as possible, but most Forest supporters have recognised that short-term decisions have not served us well this century. Our repetitive cycle of poor managerial recruitment and quick sackings led to a lengthy exile in the second and third tiers.

Most Forest supporters back SC to get it right and believe he deserves the opportunity especially compared to the recruitment lottery.

Off the pitch there has been considerable expansion of off-field staff, some directly related to playing support, but also many related to running the business to ensure that we have the revenues and support to ensure a competitive team.

At long last we have a strategy geared to ensuring long term stability at elite level. Of course it will take time to deliver some of the off-field initiatives whether it’s a new Main Stand, tidying up the City Ground, or improvements to other supporters services.

The main focus must be longevity in the Premier League - the rest will then be delivered over time.

Now is the time for calm heads - retain our trust in the manager who has delivered so much in such a short time from such a low start.

Control our expectations and allow steady progression so that we can become an established PL Club.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

FIND YOUR VOICES AND BACK THE TEAM

COYR

 

[Erik]

Last May after the final whistle at Wembley we were poorly prepared for Premier League football both on and off the pitch. Our focus for months had been on securing a play-off place and hopefully secure promotion against all the odds given our start.

We had five loan players returning to their clubs, and others leaving for different reasons. We had a short timeframe to recruit multiple players to bed into a team playing in probably the toughest league in the world - one we had not competed in for twenty three years.

SC built a great spirit within the team and with supporters. Despite a very tough start with some heavy defeats that bond never wavered - the away support at Leicester was incredible in adversity. We were repaid in full with some great results and staying up.

This is why so many supporters fully back SC. These supporters understand that nothing lasts forever, and that all managers ultimately will survive or not on the basis of results. This season SC is creating a new team and a new more offensive playing style. This takes time especially when we have again suffered so many injuries.

Of course we all want to see some good results as soon as possible, but most Forest supporters have recognised that short-term decisions have not served us well this century. Our repetitive cycle of poor managerial recruitment and quick sackings led to a lengthy exile in the second and third tiers.

Most Forest supporters back SC to get it right and believe he deserves the opportunity especially compared to the recruitment lottery.

Off the pitch there has been considerable expansion of off-field staff, some directly related to playing support, but also many related to running the business to ensure that we have the revenues and support to ensure a competitive team.

At long last we have a strategy geared to ensuring long term stability at elite level. Of course it will take time to deliver some of the off-field initiatives whether it’s a new Main Stand, tidying up the City Ground, or improvements to other supporters services.

The main focus must be longevity in the Premier League - the rest will then be delivered over time.

Now is the time for calm heads - retain our trust in the manager who has delivered so much in such a short time from such a low start.

Control our expectations and allow steady progression so that we can become an established PL Club.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

FIND YOUR VOICES AND BACK THE TEAM

COYR

^Nailed it.

 

[Omar Devone Little]

Actually Omar, I'd argue that you would have got away with your 'Der Drater' alter-ego for a little longer had you not tried a bit too hard. It became so obvious that it was your creation.

You need to be a bit smarter with your next one.

I'll try harder next time, I promise.

 

[congo_red_49]

I'll try harder next time, I promise.

I suggest letting AI write your posts. It's come a long way and can, under the right circumstances, write at the level of a Derby fan.
At least they haven't rumbled my AI generated account over on their forums yet.

 

[Captain Sinister]

Probably thinks that we’re all too stupid to see what it reads backwards.

Paul is dead, and I miss him, miss him, miss him.

 

[chaospunx]

Last May after the final whistle at Wembley we were poorly prepared for Premier League football both on and off the pitch. Our focus for months had been on securing a play-off place and hopefully secure promotion against all the odds given our start.

We had five loan players returning to their clubs, and others leaving for different reasons. We had a short timeframe to recruit multiple players to bed into a team playing in probably the toughest league in the world - one we had not competed in for twenty three years.

SC built a great spirit within the team and with supporters. Despite a very tough start with some heavy defeats that bond never wavered - the away support at Leicester was incredible in adversity. We were repaid in full with some great results and staying up.

This is why so many supporters fully back SC. These supporters understand that nothing lasts forever, and that all managers ultimately will survive or not on the basis of results. This season SC is creating a new team and a new more offensive playing style. This takes time especially when we have again suffered so many injuries.

Of course we all want to see some good results as soon as possible, but most Forest supporters have recognised that short-term decisions have not served us well this century. Our repetitive cycle of poor managerial recruitment and quick sackings led to a lengthy exile in the second and third tiers.

Most Forest supporters back SC to get it right and believe he deserves the opportunity especially compared to the recruitment lottery.

Off the pitch there has been considerable expansion of off-field staff, some directly related to playing support, but also many related to running the business to ensure that we have the revenues and support to ensure a competitive team.

At long last we have a strategy geared to ensuring long term stability at elite level. Of course it will take time to deliver some of the off-field initiatives whether it’s a new Main Stand, tidying up the City Ground, or improvements to other supporters services.

The main focus must be longevity in the Premier League - the rest will then be delivered over time.

Now is the time for calm heads - retain our trust in the manager who has delivered so much in such a short time from such a low start.

Control our expectations and allow steady progression so that we can become an established PL Club.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

FIND YOUR VOICES AND BACK THE TEAM

COYR

Brilliant

 

[Harvey]

I'd say it's the very definition of entitlement.
Same as fans have an entitlement to boo , get on players back, transmit fear to nervous goalkeepers -as a paying customer , nevermind in a free country .It's your right. No laws are being broken.
Bigger point - Entitlement, in my opinion, isn't helpful toward getting what we all want - team playing better and winning more matches.
So. I'd prefer to take the view (to have) no entitlement to beat Luton and instead try and support the team in thick and thin. Although,I fully appreciate that it is testing when you throw away a two goal lead at home.

I mean you could argue that expecting anything in football, or indeed life, makes you entitled

I like to think I'm realistic as a Forest fan - we were out of the top flight for over two decades and did fantastically well to stay up last season. And we're still finding our feet. I think staying up again this season would be another great achievement, particularly if we can build the side and move toward playing a more progressive style of football, and I think we're currently on a trajectory achieving both

I agree that expectations of beating some of the more modest sides in this league do need to be tempered with realism; we were a Championship side ourselves all of eighteen months ago, and the sides that came up got promoted for a reason. It's a horrendous cliché but there are no easy games, and anyone expecting us to just turn up and roll over Luton, for example, well shouldn't quite honestly, for their own sanity as much as anything!

Also, becoming established in the Premier League is very much a long term project that will inevitably have its ups and downs, and should we go down this season whilst it would hurt I would try and see it as a bump in the road toward a greater goal and argue in whatever scenario that retaining Cooper is the best thing for the club long term

So with that said I see what you're saying, however I don't consider myself "entitled" just because I expected us to beat Luton after going 2-0 up at home with 15 minutes to play, and was extremely disappointed when we didn't

 

[Harvey]

I suggest letting AI write your posts. It's come a long way and can, under the right circumstances, write at the level of a Derby fan.
At least they haven't rumbled my AI generated account over on their forums yet.

Maybe if Cooper does go we should get ChatGPT to generate an AI manager for us?

 

[congo_red_49]

Maybe if Cooper does go we should get ChatGPT to generate an AI manager for us?

Knowing our luck with Managers prior to Cooper, we'd probably get Artificial Incompetence.

 

[Bob Fossil]

Last May after the final whistle at Wembley we were poorly prepared for Premier League football both on and off the pitch. Our focus for months had been on securing a play-off place and hopefully secure promotion against all the odds given our start.

We had five loan players returning to their clubs, and others leaving for different reasons. We had a short timeframe to recruit multiple players to bed into a team playing in probably the toughest league in the world - one we had not competed in for twenty three years.

SC built a great spirit within the team and with supporters. Despite a very tough start with some heavy defeats that bond never wavered - the away support at Leicester was incredible in adversity. We were repaid in full with some great results and staying up.

This is why so many supporters fully back SC. These supporters understand that nothing lasts forever, and that all managers ultimately will survive or not on the basis of results. This season SC is creating a new team and a new more offensive playing style. This takes time especially when we have again suffered so many injuries.

Of course we all want to see some good results as soon as possible, but most Forest supporters have recognised that short-term decisions have not served us well this century. Our repetitive cycle of poor managerial recruitment and quick sackings led to a lengthy exile in the second and third tiers.

Most Forest supporters back SC to get it right and believe he deserves the opportunity especially compared to the recruitment lottery.

Off the pitch there has been considerable expansion of off-field staff, some directly related to playing support, but also many related to running the business to ensure that we have the revenues and support to ensure a competitive team.

At long last we have a strategy geared to ensuring long term stability at elite level. Of course it will take time to deliver some of the off-field initiatives whether it’s a new Main Stand, tidying up the City Ground, or improvements to other supporters services.

The main focus must be longevity in the Premier League - the rest will then be delivered over time.

Now is the time for calm heads - retain our trust in the manager who has delivered so much in such a short time from such a low start.

Control our expectations and allow steady progression so that we can become an established PL Club.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

FIND YOUR VOICES AND BACK THE TEAM

COYR

To echo others....
..... absolutely fantastic post & bang on with every point.

Some folk have such short memories it's astonishing.

Let's get back to rocking the WFCG to it's core on Sunday!

 

[Omar Devone Little]

I think, on the evidence of last season when he stood by Cooper, that Marinakis will not judge him as harshly as you seem to want him to until such time as he can point to a Premier league club having a Premier League set up and backroom team requiring a Premier League manager.

People use Brighton as an example for Forest - They didn't do it overnight, it took them about 4 years of just staying up before they got to where they are now - And they weren't having to rectify being the worst run club in the country for the 25 years prior to being promoted.

I'm not sure Marinakis has the patience for that. There's no evidence to back that up but it's just a gut feeling I have. He strikes me as a passionate bloke who is highly demanding and I genuinely think he was just about ready to pull the trigger last season at least twice but actually instead of sacking Cooper he went on a sacking spree behind the scenes. Almost like he has to sack someone to get his fix .

He's a bloke who is not afraid to make heads roll if he's not happy as we've seen here and in Greece.

I would like to add that I would be very disappointed if I logged on today and saw Cooper had been sacked. But if our poor run continues then just like any manager, particularly at this highly pressurised level, he'll be in serious danger and sentiment can't play any part in the decision-making. A lot of money has been provided for Cooper and the recruitment team to build a squad capable of competing at this level, more than the majority of promoted clubs spend and if that isn't happening then it'll be curtains.

 

[Redemption]

I would like to add that I would be very disappointed if I logged on today and saw Cooper had been sacked

I haven't got any evidence to back this up but no you wouldn't. You'd find one of your posts where you predicted it and tell us you were right all along.

 

[Omar Devone Little]

I haven't got any evidence to back this up but no you wouldn't. You'd find one of your posts where you predicted it and tell us you were right all along.

Can't win can I?

 

[congo_red_49]

Can't win can I?

That depends on how you define 'winning', I suppose.

 

[Otis Redding]

A lot of money has been provided for Cooper and the recruitment team to build a squad capable of competing at this level, more than the majority of promoted clubs spend and if that isn't happening then it'll be curtains.

Make your mind up. You were highly critical of Ross Wilson's recruitment last week.

 

[Redemption]

Can't win can I?

Not if you're relying on gut feeling.

 

[Omar Devone Little]

Make your mind up. You were highly critical of Ross Wilson's recruitment last week.

Last I checked Ross Wilson didn't pump his own money into the club.

 

[Otis Redding]

Last I checked Ross Wilson didn't pump his own money into the club.

OK, I'll play. Last week you were highly critical of Ross Wilson's spending of EM's money on recruitment.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

To completely dismiss a new manager as not suitable is bonkers. All you have to do is look at the first few pages of this thread when Cooper was mentioned to see he was dismissed by people now saying he's the best thing that has happened to Forest.

You could probably apply the same logic about the team being in League One without Cooper on the bench to Marinakis if he hadn't took over.

What is to say the next manager wont be better and bleed Forest as much? Take Brighton as an example and the transition from Potter to De Zerbi to see that some times change can be for the best.

I'm not saying Cooper should be changed, I like the guy and think he's a good manager albeit with limitations at the moment. Once it clicks for him and the team you'll fly up the table whether its this year or next, but I don't understand the complete blind loyalty for a manager when its the team that matters more than any player, manager or owner.

Because we've had 33 changes of manager in 25 years and the only times that led to an obvious improvement were:
- Paul Hart, taking on from a disastrous David Platt era.
- Billy Davies MK1, with an awful lot of money given to him compared to bolster the squad Calderwood got promoted with.
- Sean O'Driscoll, because Steve Cotterill was a retard and I'd have trusted almost everyone on this forum to do a better job than him.

And of course Steve Cooper, who is the only manager in Championship history to lead a side to promotion who were bottom after 7 games, and who kept us up last season after being written off by every man and his dog.

You're right to say the next manager could be better, but the odds aren't particularly good. Rather stick to what we know, given what we know is and has been amazing.

 

[Erik]

I'm not sure Marinakis has the patience for that. There's no evidence to back that up but it's just a gut feeling I have.

I think he's a bit smarter than you give him credit for.

I'll leave it there though.

 

[Professor Wolfgang Schnell BSc. PhD.]

Being smart and lacking patience are two different things, though.

 

[Ashley]

The type of manager who would be an improvement over Cooper is highly unlikely to entertain the thought of becoming Forest manager at this moment in time. Anyone who thinks we'd be getting a De Zerbi or Emery calibre appointment if Cooper did get sacked this season is going to be in for a nasty shock (if it did come to that).

Villa aside (who were clearly underachieving under Slippy G), none of the appointments made by sides in the bottom half of the league who changed their manager last season were particularly inspiring (and some were downright shocking). We'd be fishing in similar waters were we to make a change at this point.

Quality managers tend to go to teams in the top half of the table with top half quality squads and top half budgets. We aren't at that point yet, and likely won't be for a few more years at the very least.

 

[Statto]

Because we've had 33 changes of manager in 25 years and the only times that led to an obvious improvement were:
- Paul Hart, taking on from a disastrous David Platt era.
- Billy Davies MK1, with an awful lot of money given to him compared to bolster the squad Calderwood got promoted with.
- Sean O'Driscoll, because Steve Cotterill was a retard and I'd have trusted almost everyone on this forum to do a better job than him.

And of course Steve Cooper, who is the only manager in Championship history to lead a side to promotion who were bottom after 7 games, and who kept us up last season after being written off by every man and his dog.

You're right to say the next manager could be better, but the odds aren't particularly good. Rather stick to what we know, given what we know is and has been amazing.

Davies II vs Mcleish, though the Mcleish era is one which most necessarily would have been eviscerated from memory because it was so short, so shite, and futile because we already had a better manager. We almost made the play offs the last day of that season and were only just outside them when he got sacked.

I would say also that Warburton after Montanier and indeed Karanka after Warburton were obvious improvements as well, though that Montanier/Warburton season was a bit strange, we scored and conceded loads as well as loads of Bertie reds so matches could easily go either way with the odd goal from 5/6, and ultimately we were quite close to going down when it mattered having not spent any time at all in the bottom 3 during the course of the season. But then on the other hand there was an obvious improvement under MW even though we could never defend under him either, we looked less chaotic but at the same time ended up being lower down in the league. But the Karanka time was a definite improvement - we brought in a lot of players in both windows but it was better than silly little Scottish boys like cumdog and fanny mckay which MW got in, and players like Lolley and Grabban who took us to the next level and made us largely more a top half/play off contending side save for a season under Hughton. In terms of improvement on league position the Lamouchi season was definitely progression on the Karanka/O'Neill season too, though I don't think Lamouchi was an improvement on O'Neill, but then I think it's clear he was an interim.

I think aside from Hughton every Marinakis appointment has been an improvement on the other, and you can see easily why they did go for Hughton, it just didn't work out here. Although there are other examples such as the above where a manager has been an improvement on the predecessor, the ones you have provided are clearly the most obvious.

Calderwood is a funny one though, and perhaps other than Hart in for Platt the only one of the Doughty era which was actually progressive save for Davies in for Calderwood. Actually I think that season we were showing signs of improving towards the end of the Calderwood era. Having Lee Camp and that other lad we loaned (Carl Fletcher I think) in mf was experience in what was largely a young squad anyway with not much CH experience - that 1-1 with Derby, and actually the City cup game and Norwich win were under Pemberton as caretaker, though Billy took us to the next level he was backed well with players. Indeed, though, Earnshaw whose goals were key was a Calderwood signing. I think if we'd not twisted there we would have stayed up but not as easily and definitely not 2 play off finishes in the seasons after.

It's interesting how many appointments have been a step down though especially in the Doughty and Fawaz eras, or more an equivalence.
We had the whole Hart - Kinnear - Megson sketch, and whilst Kinnear did a short term job and gets a fair amount of unfair stick on here, he did turn it around initially and wasn't backed. That 2nd half of the season we had Louis-Jean still at the club and Williams and the plan was clearly for Evo to win it, give it to Williams who did something with it and drove us on, Commons turned out to be a decent signing but not used much initially, and there was all the talk about Reidy and Daws, we had to play kids who weren't good enough liek Robertson, and I doubt Kinnear had envisaged that level of squad investment coupled with the ST publicity. Megson was simply an unmitigated disaster who should have been nowhere near the club to begin with. Then we had the whole Davies - McClaren - Cotterill sketch where again the replacements got worse.

Fazza started well with SOD then ended up McLeish (crap) then Davies II (OK until he went mental) then Psycho (crap but hard to say so because he was a club legend) then Dougie (about the same level but did klopp all either and isn't liked for succeeding Psycho) then we ended up with Monty (almost took us down).

 

[EmmersonForest4]

Who is out there that would be better than super coops? If anyone suggest Russell Martin I’ll punch you in the face…

 

[Statto]

Who is out there that would be better than super coops? If anyone suggest Russell Martin I’ll punch you in the face…

Who would also come? No-one I don't think.

It's a no-brainer for me - no point changing, we stick with Cooper even if we go down.