Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has confirmed that Steve Cooper will remain at the City Ground... for now.
The former Swansea City boss is under increasing pressure at the City Ground following defeat in Tuesday's basement battle against Leeds United at Elland Road. Despite taking the lead early on, they ended up losing 2-1 to leave them deep in the Premier League mire. They are without a win since February 5th.
Some reports on Wednesday morning claimed that Cooper could be sacked following the defeat. However, Marinakis has elected to stick by Cooper , who led the side to promotion last term, but has also demanded that results improve sooner rather than later.
A statement from the Greek businessman read: “No one denies that our Club is in a difficult position in the Premier League, but we wish to end the speculation and the false and disruptive reporting in the media to confirm that Steve Cooper remains our manager at Nottingham Forest.
“We have all been disappointed with recent performances and it is very clear that a lot of hard work needs to be done to address this urgently. Results and performances must improve immediately.
“Now is the time for everyone connected with our club, from us as owners, to the board, our supporters, backroom staff, coaches and players - to come together and fight to secure our status in the Premier League.
“There can be no time for distractions, rumours and speculation. There is only time for hard work, determination, a commitment from Steve and the players to getting the results we need and, of course, the continued magnificent support of the fans of Nottingham Forest.”
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The latest development is another intriguing chapter in Cooper's rollercoaster stint in the Midlands. He has been in charge at the City Ground since taking the reins from Chris Hughton in September 2021 with the club stranded in the Championship relegation places.
An excellent run of form under him saw the Reds secure a place in last season's Championship play-offs and they eventually won promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 1999 by beating Huddersfield Town at Wembley.
After a huge summer spend, the season started horrendously with just one win from their first 11 Premier League games - a run of results that saw Cooper's position called into question. There were suggestions that he would be dismissed following a 4-0 defeat to neighbours Leicester.
Instead, Forest owner Marinakis stuck by Cooper and handed him a new contract at the City Ground until 2025. That initially looked to be the correct decision after Forest won five out of ten Premier League matches between October and February to lift them to 13th.
Their form has taken another nosedive over recent weeks though, leaving Cooper once again on unsteady ground. He is set to stay though and will oversee this weekend's clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park.
