Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer heaped praise on Steve Cooper on Match of the Day as it was a case of 'mission accomplished' for Nottingham Forest.
The Reds finished 16th in the Premier League after a final day 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace having completed their relegation escape a week earlier against Arsenal. Plenty of pundits had tipped Forest for the drop, but it was Leeds United and Leicester City who join Southampton in the Championship next season.
Forest were relegated to being the final game on last night's show, something their fans will probably be happy with as it meant the stakes were low after an intense season. After discussing the fine job Roy Hodgson had done with Palace, host Lineker also praised Cooper after Forest made 22 summer signings with further recruits arriving in January.
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He said: "As for Nottingham Forest it was mission accomplished. Staying up was the thing. They were rewarded for staying with Steve Cooper and realising they've got somebody good. It was a difficult job as they had so many players at the start."
Former Newcastle United striker Shearer echoed that and said the Reds must push on now under Cooper.
"The turnover of players he had to deal with must have been very, very difficult. He stayed calm when he needed to and he's done a really good job," he said.
"They're going to have to go again in the summer. They won't have as busy a summer as they did last year but have to go again and he's done a really good job."
Speaking about Leicester City's relegation as former champions, Shearer added a cautionary note for clubs like Forest, saying: "When you look at the success that Leicester have had, there are 12 or 13 clubs that could happen to in the near future because the system is designed to make upward mobility very, very difficult so just be careful what you wish for."
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