fbpx
Connect with us

English Premier League

Nottingham Forest ‘banish’ two players from training with update given on Steve Cooper’s future

Nottingham Forest reportedly ‘banish’ two players from training with an important update given on Steve Cooper’s future at the club.

Pressure is mounting on Steve Cooper, while he also comes under scrutiny for freezing out captain Joe Worrall, with the boss expected to being in charge for the game at Wolves on Saturday.

However this could end up being his last game in charge, with the Reds weighing up potential successors, with ex-Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui among a number of candidates being looked at.

According to The Telegraph, club owner Evangelos Marinakis has become increasingly frustrated after seeing his side pick up just one win from 11 matches and now is the time to seek for someone else to potentially replace Cooper.

It has also claims that Joe Worrall was instructed to train with Scott McKenna in a separate group away from the first team before matches, no longer in Cooper’s plans.

The situation regarding McKenna is understood to be down to the player in a contract dispute that occurred before Forest lost 2-0 at Manchester City back in September, with Marinakis having what is described to be a fractious relationship with McKenna’s agent, who also looking after Harry Arter, a player currently refusing to leave.

Marinakis is said to have been so angry at the game against Fulham that he chucked his match accreditation lanyard into a bush outside the stadium.

www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies

The owner wants the club to finish within the top 10 this season having spent another £100 million on new players over the summer.

Cooper insists he can’t go into the game fearing for his own future: ‘The players are in this afternoon and we have to get ready for the game on Saturday. It was a difficult night at Fulham, but now it’s about standing right at the front and accepting responsibility for that.

‘I spoke to Miltos on the phone about the game, and Ross Wilson (chief football officer). We just spoke about the game. It was a good conversation, as it always is. We all got on the bus and back on the laptops and carried on.

‘But I’ve not heard from anyone else. We were back in early and carrying on with our day’s work.

‘I won’t walk out of here fearing for my job, that’s a terrible thing to think. All I will think about is changing last night into something more positive.’

Asked if he had been let down by the team at Fulham, he said: ‘I never split myself front the players we’re a collective.

‘It’s not about me being let down, it was the supporters, but that was from all of us and that starts with me.

‘The opportunity we have short term is to show the supporters what it means to play for the club and then beyond that is to show it on a more consistent basis.

‘Last night was an outlier and I hope it remains an outlier to the three defeats before. Last night’s manner was completely different to the one before when we reviewed with the players – and we have to talk about it for what it was. We didn’t support those failures with any desire to recover.’

When questioned if this was his toughest challenge since coming to Forest just over two years ago, Cooper replied: ‘You get challenging moments in management, but working here isn’t tough.

‘There’s no doubt that we’re still trying to build connections on the pitch. But I couldn’t be any more confident in myself and that’s what it should take in challenging moments – confidence and belief in yourself and mine couldn’t be any higher.

‘We have two choices, we change it or hide and sulk away. We need to show what it means to work for this football club to the supporters.

‘A real negative has given us an opportunity to stand up for the football club and show that we really want to be here.’

Forest fans sang Cooper’s name throughout the 5-0 defeat against Fulham. They then applauded the manager and players after the final whistle, with the boss holding his hands up as an apology for the performance.

Cooper added: ‘Everything we do is always for the supporters. We want to prove the support right for sticking by us – and that’s a massive motivation and something I take personally and desperate for it to be that way.’

Nottingham Forest currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, with 13 points from 15 games played, 6 points above the drop zone.

This is how fans reacted with Nottingham Forest reportedly taking to ‘banish’ two players from training with an update given on Steve Cooper’s future…

@missTyped: What’s going on? Coops and Joe seemed joined at hip not so long ago. 🤔

@ivan_nffc: I get the feeling there are some uneasy internal politics going down at the CG that involves more than the players and SC

@shipman15_tim: Somethings def off at nffc 🙄💯🌳🏹

@trickytrees12: Something definitely happened a few weeks ago. Whilst we wasn’t getting results necessarily there was performance and progress until the West Ham game. The great Cooper togetherness model has fallen apart and whatever has happened it’s awful to see. #nffc

@FleetNFFC: Can tell the togetherness has left, coopers lost it, just get rid in a nice way and move on, its nottingham forest fc not steve cooper fc

@Rob_Everitt13: What on earth is going on?

@Craig74Nov: I think it’s a bit of a disgrace how Joe is being treated.

@BrummieTricky: Sack. Him. Now.

@lardlikesdogs: Players have already thrown the towel in, I have lost all respect for the overpaid tossbags .

@TGBN1341: They’re not prem quality and haven’t proved it. If they have thrown their toys out the pram maybe they should wonder how they ended up here in first place #nffc

@jtweets92: Now this is the Nottingham Forest I remember growing up with. We are so back.

@TrickyLMA: But I thought Cooper said we don’t people die at this club we pick them up 🥴 Too many people believe Cooper is a saint all because he speaks nice about the club and fans but I feel it’s dangerous knowing saying all that is making it harder for the owner to sack him #nffc

@jbnffc1865: I’m neither Cooper in or Cooper out, all I want is for the football club I’ve supported for 57 yrs to compete and do well in the top division, there’s no room for sentiment in a money driven business #nffc

@warrenallsworth: Everyone is entitled to their opinion on the manager. But really sad to see some Forest ‘fans’ being quite so disrespectful to a man who’s given many of us the highest highs we’ve had as fans and someone who is so attached to the club. #nffc

@nffc999: I personally get the feeling that the players want a change, there is no way some of those players are as bad as the performances suggest. It wouldn’t surprise me if we look a different team once a change is made and we bring in one or two additional signings in January. #NFFC

Related Topics
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in English Premier League