Former Premier League midfielder Danny Murphy believes Nottingham Forest would be ‘stupid’ to sack Steve Cooper now and bring in former Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli as his replacement.
Now, at the risk of attracting a pitchfork-wielding mob descending from out of England’s East Midlands, would relegation really be the end of the world for Nottingham Forest?
As Burnley, Fulham and Sheffield United will tell you, a spell back in the Championship can actually be beneficial, allowing you to build up confidence again before bouncing back at the first time of asking.
Even if, say, Brennan Johnson was to leave, this Forest side would have more than enough talent and experience to dominate England’s second tier; returning to the top-flight a more mature, well-rounded side in 2024.
And, as Murphy points out, Nottingham Forest already have a manager in Steve Cooper who has proven himself to be an elite-level coach at Championship level; peeling the two-time European champions off the bottom of the table and all the way to Wembley within a matter of months during his debut season at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest like Jorge Samapaoli amid Steve Cooper doubts
“Cooper has done a tremendous job,” the former England international tells talkSPORT (12 April, 11am). “And I think he deserves the chance (to turn things around).
“He will still has a squad capable of bouncing straight back and he has shown he can get out of the Championship.
“I think it would be stupid (to sack him).”
Despite a dismal nine-game winless run – Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at an in-form Aston Villa leaving Forest in the relegation zone – Cooper still appears to retain the support of most on the City Ground terraces. A quick look at Olympiakos’ rapid-fire managerial turnover, however, will tell you that patience is not one of Evangelos Marinakis’ strengths.
The Daily Mail believe that Nottingham Forest ‘sounded out’ 63-year-old Jorge Sampaoli as a potential replacement for Cooper; the madcap Argentine available after being sacked following a horrendous spell at Sevilla in March.
Murphy admits that Sampaoli’s whirldwind personality could potentially give the Nottingham Forest dressing room a timely kick up the proverbial. But replacing the calm, level-headed Cooper for the combustible Sampaoli would be a ‘high risk’ strategy, and one made almost entirely with the short-term in mind.
“Any manger coming with a drastic type of management can have an impact,” Murphy adds. “It would be high risk but I don’t think that is the way to go.”
