Steve Cooper fighting for future amid Nottingham Forest sack threat

Steve Cooper is fighting to keep his Nottingham Forest job – starting with Saturday’s visit of Premier League relegation rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers to the City Ground.

Forest will start the game just a point behind Wolves, but only two points above the relegation zone which they could drop into by the end of the weekend.

A failure to beat Wolves could put Cooper in real trouble, with Forest winless since February 5 and having lost four of their last six Premier League games ahead of the international break.

Cooper has seen his future as manager placed in doubt on a number of occasions this season only for the Forest board to give him more time.

Forest’s fans have demonstrated their support of Cooper, who achieved promotion from the Championship with the club and his removal before the end of the season might not be received well.

The 43-year-old even signed a new contract in October last year following rumours he was going to be sacked but Cooper’s job is not rated as being safe heading into the Premier League run-in.

Forest travel to Leeds just three days after the Wolves game, which means the club would presumably have to have someone lined up to replace him if they decided to relieve Cooper of his duties over the weekend.

After being appointed in September 2021, Cooper inherited a team bottom of the Championship and then led them to promotion via the play-off final.

This season Forest have spent over £175million on 30 new players, with owner Evangelos Marinakis determined to establish the club as a stable Premier League outfit.

Of the nine clubs involved in a relegation battle, only Forest, West Ham United and Leicester City have not changed their managers yet this season.

There have been reports that David Moyes and his West Ham staff fear they could be sacked if the Hammers lose at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton.

Moyes was on the brink of being sacked ahead of a game against Everton in January, which West Ham won, and also faced an uncertain future ahead of the visit of Forest in February which the Hammers also won.

As he fights to steer Forest away from relegation and to keep his job, Cooper is also having to contend with a big injury list that has seen January signing Chris Wood ruled out for the rest of the season.