ForestAreMagic

Largely agree with you on the youth point. He obviously played Gibbs-White and Johnson once we got promoted, but they were outstanding. Beyond that he went for a mixture of Champo and top division experience. When we got to midseason it was all about signing serious experience like Navas, Wood and Felipe. He did a good job for us in season 1 in the PL as he had to build a team 95% from scratch. How he did in season 2 will always be up for debate amongst our fanbase. I never understood where the idea came from that Cooper didn’t want all the signings we made. He constantly spoke to the press about how we needed to strengthen. Most of our fans would have stuck with Cooper in season 1 even if we’d been relegated. Obvs your expectations are very different as you’re an established PL team.

I’m surprised to hear his subs have been bad - he was generally good on this at Forest, at least in home games Biggest weaknesses were: - away games - we usually set up like a League 1 team looking to do little more than damage limitation, with no real attacking intent. We got some real wuppings. - set pieces - we were extremely poor both at taking them and at defending them For what it’s worth I think he’ll keep you up. You’ve seen decent Prem football more recently than we had though - so I’m not surprised you’re finding it a tough watch, and unambitious

looked like the Newcastle player’s shoulder to me, not the Bournemouth player

The jury is still out a little on Nuno, but I ended last season thinking he was a slight upgrade. The football is certainly more enjoyable and we compete with most teams now, even if the results haven’t always reflected that. Interested by the comments about Leicester’s recruitment. Cooper (we believe) drove a lot of Forest’s recruitment, despite the jokes about Marinakis. He tended to go for players he’d known in past lives. When he’d known them from England (eg Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi) that was great. A couple from elsewhere were terrible though - Ayew and Shelvey. I very rarely disagreed with his team selections, and he was usually an effective user of substitutes.

There’s not much us Forest fans would criticise Cooper for, but we’d all agree that he usually set us up far too passively away from home. There were many occasions (including v Leicester) where we looked like a League 1 side - really terrible; in awe of the opposition; like we had no idea how to even attempt to get up the pitch. Then we’d play really good teams at home (Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal) and beat them.

Cooper is a manager who demands signings from his club. At Swansea I believe he left when he didn’t get them. At Forest he almost always got his way (plus he ended up with quite a few players that others wanted).

That’s true He had skeleton staff, and they were all beginners. No set-piece coach, no real strength & conditioning guys…and as a result an unimaginable number of injuries once we were in the PL and chasing games. Not his fault of course as we were a Champo club. Forest are still building up the back room team even now. I assume you’re better stacked in this department? With more stability, swanky training facilities etc he might be better up to succeed with Leicester.

You’re right that our crowd played a massive part in keeping us up, and Cooper did everything to crank us up. It was a love affair - from the Paul Smith clobber; to the constant complements about the city; to saying our ground ‘oozed football soul’; to the fist pumps as we sang our song to him (which, awkwardly, insulted Leicester) He’s got lots of qualities (adaptable, good with youth, good diplomat, plays good football if he’s got the players..). It will be interesting to see if the Forest baggage holds him back, with him being a hero for us so recently. Presumably you’ll forgive him if he starts well. He might need to say ‘Forest are &@“£ers for sacking me and I want revenge’.

I think people are basically saying ‘we hate Derby more’. The Derby rivalry is a lot more poisonous. When popular Forest players like Commons and Tyson have gone there, our fans have really turned on them - unlike Wes Morgan and others that have gone to Leicester. A lot of Forest fans were quite pleased you won the league (unthinkable if it had been Derby), and no one will turn on Cooper if he goes to Leicester. But no denying we’ve got a few songs about hating both clubs

All Forest fans in South Notts, Loughborough etc hate Leicester more than anyone. Elsewhere it’s Derby then Leicester. Sheffield United and Leeds come next.

20pc ish thought it was, sadly, time for him to move on - due to the start of the season and in some cases fans who thought we should ‘make the next step’ The rest thought it was premature or harsh, partly because the owner seemed to destabilise everything by meeting other managers 6 months later I think a small majority see Nuno as a slight upgrade, but not a dramatic improvement. We’re more competitive in big games, and more attacking. Maybe every manager has a shelf life - Steve had possibly run out of steam, not because he’s a bad manager, just because that’s what happens now. We’d have loved him to spend many successful years with us though.

Cooper wasn’t blameless on the transfers. It seems that he asked for Jonjo Shelvey, for example. But I think he’d do OK for you. He’s adaptable, a good talent-spotter, and a good politician when dealing with fans, players, mad owners etc. Biggest risks from my POV would be: - we weren’t just bad, we were APPALLING away from home in the PL under him. - I can see that he’d get less time from your fans than another manager would. If Forest were to employ, say, Brendan Rodgers, it would be the same. It’s hard to believe that a manager has a special bond with your club if he’s managed your rivals a year ago. Probably a different situation to MON, who’d not been at Forest for 10 years when you employed him; or Wes Morgan, who was an unknown defender

Gary Megson 💀

Cooper worked with a minimal coaching staff - Leicester would have to build that from scratch if yours have gone to Chelsea. He had Steven Reid (now back at Forest under Nuno), Andy Reid (a beginner) and Alan Tate (another beginner really, fired with Cooper). One of our biggest problems in our first season back was lack of coaching team.

Predictions if you get Cooper: - you’ll win loads of home games including against some big clubs - you’ll get walloped in lots of away games - you’ll stay up, endangering Forest in the process - you’ll feel conflicted about all of this because he hates the Leicester, he hates the Derby and he thinks Forest are magic