Thoughts On The Next Nottingham Forest Manager

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Pap a serious question for you. As a matter of interest and to get the thread back on track who would be your choice to replace Cooper if he moved on?

[Paplane]

I think that the thing that worries me most about our situation is how so many of players are performing below their normal standard. Last season most played above what was expected and that coupled with a very positive togetherness on and off the pitch was special. Something has changed that so that the likes of Johnson and Toffolo are underperforming and Worral has been dumped. If Mr Cooper is unable to turn that round then with great sadness he will have to replaced. I don't know how much of what's happened is his fault really because it seems to me that so many new players and staff leaving to be replaced by a crowd of strangers was bound to create a mess.

The real truth is probably that he wasn't really totally 100% responsible for the success of last year and that this season it will be harsh to hold him hold him 100% responsible for the debacle.

Hard to argue with the turnaround in the players performance levels from Ch to Cooper though, pretty much the same group with Spence added late. So was Spence the key to everything?!

I think our tactics worked better in the championship as most teams lined up this way anyway. 

In terms of changing manager, the question is are the players once again underperforming or are they just not good enough and this is their level. probably somewhere in between but will anyone else be able to get them to reach their peak this season, I'm not sure. Would rather show loyalty, continuity and long term planning personally. Allow Cooper to learn at this level as well as the players as opposed to another manager coming in and inevitably going down anyway.

The turn around happened though Wassy even before Cooper walked through the door. Can you remember the astonishment we all felt when we watched the team beat Huddersfield away under Reid?  It was like we were a completely different side. The change in player's performances was probbaly as much to do with the departure of CH rather than then arrival of Cooper. Granted, Cooper then worked his magic and did great, no, amazing things, got the fans on board witht he club etc but my point is he wasn't probably totally 100% responsible.

[Paplane]

Pap a serious question for you. As a matter of interest and to get the thread back on track who would be your choice to replace Cooper if he moved on?

My ideal scenario is that Cooper stays and sorts things out but having watched performances go from bad to worse, and then not so bad, to meh again, I just cant see that happening. We look tighter on the pitch now and I applaud that approach as it just couldn't continue as it was but having done so Cooper looks like the football equivalent of Liz Truss now. Like her he's had to abandon his core beliefs in exchange for some stability and he looks like it's only time till he gets booted. 

We need someone who has recent prem experience and knows the league very well, can get that extra bit out of average players and who can organise a side. If we do go down that person would typically know the rigours of the championship very well too. As a bonus he might have former connections to Forest, perhaps even live locally so he understands the history and scale of the club and he might have a backroom staff share those attributes. If we're really lucky the guy and his staff would currently be out of a job so no compo to pay.  It would need to be a guy who would jump at the chance of joining us, and who might have been constantly trying to sign one of our best players every summer for the last few years. I just can't think who would tick all those boxes though......

[Ciscokid]

I found that interesting as well PPL. It's I suppose scant evidence ie 1 game but I wondered what effect the loss of Reid has had maybe on 2 levels. Firstly, the breakdown of the positive dynamic that I have referred to and secondly, possibly, the loss to the quality of our coaching. I still wondering just what has gone so dramatically wrong and is Reid's departure a part of the collapse of form and spirit. I got shouted down but I still think that we don't have enough of an understanding as to what has gone wrong. I don't think that the fact that the opposition is better explains it after all Bournemouth in particular have coped ok.

[wassy04]

Pap a serious question for you. As a matter of interest and to get the thread back on track who would be your choice to replace Cooper if he moved on?

My ideal scenario is that Cooper stays and sorts things out but having watched performances go from bad to worse, and then not so bad, to meh again, I just cant see that happening. We look tighter on the pitch now and I applaud that approach as it just couldn't continue as it was but having done so Cooper looks like the football equivalent of Liz Truss now. Like her he's had to abandon his core beliefs in exchange for some stability and he looks like it's only time till he gets booted. 

We need someone who has recent prem experience and knows the league very well, can get that extra bit out of average players and who can organise a side. If we do go down that person would typically know the rigours of the championship very well too. As a bonus he might have former connections to Forest, perhaps even live locally so he understands the history and scale of the club and he might have a backroom staff share those attributes. If we're really lucky the guy and his staff would currently be out of a job so no compo to pay.  It would need to be a guy who would jump at the chance of joining us, and who might have been constantly trying to sign one of our best players every summer for the last few years. I just can't think who would tick all those boxes though......

So basically Dyche then

[wassy04]

I found that interesting as well PPL. It's I suppose scant evidence ie 1 game but I wondered what effect the loss of Reid has had maybe on 2 levels. Firstly, the breakdown of the positive dynamic that I have referred to and secondly, possibly, the loss to the quality of our coaching. I still wondering just what has gone so dramatically wrong and is Reid's departure a part of the collapse of form and spirit. I got shouted down but I still think that we don't have enough of an understanding as to what has gone wrong. I don't think that the fact that the opposition is better explains it after all Bournemouth in particular have coped ok.

Personally I think we've been a bit unlucky, 10 goals outside the area is crazy. We're not a good team, there's no denying that but we are so low on confidence it's tough to get that back. If that Bournemouth wonder goal doesn't go in and we win 3-0, do we then go and beat Fulham too?

Against Leicester there was a massive deflected goal (I know we were bad) after Taiwo misses a sitter. Taiwo scores they start panicking and maybe we score a few more. Villa they only had a few chances, 30 yarder goes in, could easily have been a foul or better yet saved.

Against Bournemouth Taiwo missed an open goal to equalise late on. Wolves we miss a penalty, might've gone on to win from there.

I'm not saying we've deserved more than we've got but perhaps we get some better luck and the momentum and confidence is with us and it translates to improved performances.

[Salvatore Matrecano]

We need someone who has recent prem experience and knows the league very well, can get that extra bit out of average players and who can organise a side. If we do go down that person would typically know the rigours of the championship very well too. As a bonus he might have former connections to Forest, perhaps even live locally so he understands the history and scale of the club and he might have a backroom staff share those attributes. If we're really lucky the guy and his staff would currently be out of a job so no compo to pay.  It would need to be a guy who would jump at the chance of joining us, and who might have been constantly trying to sign one of our best players every summer for the last few years. I just can't think who would tick all those boxes though......

Ooh let me think….experienced manager, Forest connections, someone with ginger hair…..

Its Gary Megson isnt it?

[Paplane]

We need someone who has recent prem experience and knows the league very well, can get that extra bit out of average players and who can organise a side. If we do go down that person would typically know the rigours of the championship very well too. As a bonus he might have former connections to Forest, perhaps even live locally so he understands the history and scale of the club and he might have a backroom staff share those attributes. If we're really lucky the guy and his staff would currently be out of a job so no compo to pay.  It would need to be a guy who would jump at the chance of joining us, and who might have been constantly trying to sign one of our best players every summer for the last few years. I just can't think who would tick all those boxes though......

Ooh let me think….experienced manager, Forest connections, someone with ginger hair…..

Its Gary Megson isnt it?

You got it.

[Paplane]

I found that interesting as well PPL. It's I suppose scant evidence ie 1 game but I wondered what effect the loss of Reid has had maybe on 2 levels. Firstly, the breakdown of the positive dynamic that I have referred to and secondly, possibly, the loss to the quality of our coaching. I still wondering just what has gone so dramatically wrong and is Reid's departure a part of the collapse of form and spirit. I got shouted down but I still think that we don't have enough of an understanding as to what has gone wrong. I don't think that the fact that the opposition is better explains it after all Bournemouth in particular have coped ok.

Personally I think we've been a bit unlucky, 10 goals outside the area is crazy. We're not a good team, there's no denying that but we are so low on confidence it's tough to get that back. If that Bournemouth wonder goal doesn't go in and we win 3-0, do we then go and beat Fulham too?

Against Leicester there was a massive deflected goal (I know we were bad) after Taiwo misses a sitter. Taiwo scores they start panicking and maybe we score a few more. Villa they only had a few chances, 30 yarder goes in, could easily have been a foul or better yet saved.

Against Bournemouth Taiwo missed an open goal to equalise late on. Wolves we miss a penalty, might've gone on to win from there.

I'm not saying we've deserved more than we've got but perhaps we get some better luck and the momentum and confidence is with us and it translates to improved performances.

You're dead right Wassy. I was screaming at the tv at how unlucky we were v Leicester for their goal. And then when Villa scored their equaliser I was thinking you couldn't make this up. But luck goes both ways. Samba's toe end kept us from losing the play-off semi (what a terrible night that would have been), and then at Wembley the VAR decision, Lowe's foul and the own goal went our way.

[wassy04]

I found that interesting as well PPL. It's I suppose scant evidence ie 1 game but I wondered what effect the loss of Reid has had maybe on 2 levels. Firstly, the breakdown of the positive dynamic that I have referred to and secondly, possibly, the loss to the quality of our coaching. I still wondering just what has gone so dramatically wrong and is Reid's departure a part of the collapse of form and spirit. I got shouted down but I still think that we don't have enough of an understanding as to what has gone wrong. I don't think that the fact that the opposition is better explains it after all Bournemouth in particular have coped ok.

Personally I think we've been a bit unlucky, 10 goals outside the area is crazy. We're not a good team, there's no denying that but we are so low on confidence it's tough to get that back. If that Bournemouth wonder goal doesn't go in and we win 3-0, do we then go and beat Fulham too?

Against Leicester there was a massive deflected goal (I know we were bad) after Taiwo misses a sitter. Taiwo scores they start panicking and maybe we score a few more. Villa they only had a few chances, 30 yarder goes in, could easily have been a foul or better yet saved.

Against Bournemouth Taiwo missed an open goal to equalise late on. Wolves we miss a penalty, might've gone on to win from there.

I'm not saying we've deserved more than we've got but perhaps we get some better luck and the momentum and confidence is with us and it translates to improved performances.

You're dead right Wassy. I was screaming at the tv at how unlucky we were v Leicester for their goal. And then when Villa scored their equaliser I was thinking you couldn't make this up. But luck goes both ways. Samba's toe end kept us from losing the play-off semi (what a terrible night that would have been), and then at Wembley the VAR decision, Lowe's foul and the own goal went our way.

Yes no denying that, I feel after some of the luck we've had in the previous years we were due it! I don't regret using it all to win at Wembley, what a great day that was.

[nffc93]

Sounds like folk want Big Sam

[Alf Garnett]

If a vacancy came up I think the safest pair of hands would be Dyche.
Having said that I am not sure why but I can't imagine Marinakis or Giraldi appointing him though.