Marco Silva backed embattled Steve Cooper to find his way out of an “embarrassing” situation at Nottingham Forest.
Fulham boss Silva found himself feeling for Forest counterpart Cooper as the Whites romped to a 5-0 Premier League win at Craven Cottage.
Cooper could not even bring himself to thank the City fans for their staunch support after his side’s fourth defeat on the spin.
City owner Evangelos Marinakis left Craven Cottage before full-time, and had been caught staring blankly at the field as his side capitulated.
Cooper knows he is on thin ice, and shouldered the blame for the defeat – while Silva threw his support behind the City boss.
“It’s part of our life, I think Steve said that before the match, that it’s not the first time he is in a position that results are not the best,” said Fulham boss Silva.
“All of us in this job, in some moments in our careers it happens, we know how to handle the situation. Steve knows how to handle the situation.”
The travelling Forest fans chanted Cooper’s name throughout the comprehensive defeat, then again at full-time when he saluted them from the pitch.
Cooper made a hands-up apology gesture, shouldering the burden of blame in defeat.
“It’s embarrassing I don’t deserve it,” said Cooper of the fan backing. “I’m grateful, it’s unique. I know how I feel about them and the club, and what the club and they have done for me.
“I heard it and I’m grateful to them for it, but I am embarrassed as well. We should have been given a different reception from what we got, we had to take whatever was coming.
“I’ve just been asked do I fear for my job and that’s the right question to ask and a normal one to ask. Genuinely I probably think about that the least, I think about what’s right for the football club.
“I don’t worry about what it means for me or my reputation, because I think about the football club. What's right for the football club is right for me – whatever that is.”
While Forest will doubtless launch a major inquest into their entire set-up, Fulham can head into the festive program in a buoyant mood.
Silva’s men will host West Ham on Sunday, with the south west Londoners’ boss quietly pleased with progress.
“I’m delighted for the win and the result, but the players deserve all the credit,” said Silva. “A great result with some good goals, but the great feeling was the clean sheet, which was really important.
“We spoke about that before the match, then we talked about it again at half-time. We’ve scored 11 goals in three games which is great, but having conceded seven goals before, to keep a clean sheet was big for us.”
