Michael Dawson reacts to Steve Cooper getting sacked by Nottingham Forest

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Michael Dawson says Steve Cooper “did the unthinkable” at Nottingham Forest and will be loved by every fan following his sacking at the club.

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Steve Cooper is expected at the club’s training ground today to say his goodbyes after being sacked by the club yesterday Forest is 17th in the table after five defeats in six games with Nuno espiro Santo the favorite to replace Cooper at the city ground all right let’s get some reaction to it all

Now delighted to say we got the former Forest Defender Michael dawon live down the line to us good to see you Michael thanks very much for joining us I wish it was in you know slightly more positive circumstances so and you know with Cooper so many emotions coming out

From forest fans and also in the media too what were your initial emotions when you heard he’d been sacked well good morning um yeah so so disappointed for for Steve Cooper and those not and for his fans because the love they have for him and have had and

And realize what he did for the football club you got to remember when he went in there they were in a relegation fight in the championship and he ended up getting promotion through the playoffs he did the unthinkable it was a miracle what he did and last year everyone had the odds

That we were going to get relegated however they defied that and and they stayed up and he had he had to deal with a lot 4 to2 players coming through the door since that promotion day at Wembley when they beat Huddersfield he’s had a lot to deal with uh and last year came

Came good to kept them up this year 14 players in seven on the final day and and things just haven’t gone quite the the way he wanted them to I mean the owners probably see a little vision where they they see the football club in in looking for for probably a top 10

Finish that’s that’s Way Beyond where they you should expect at this moment in time in my opinion the size of the football club 23 years out of the Premier League and you’ve just got to stabilize can we become a stable Premier League team and that is a challenge yes

The Five Points above relegation and probably think they should be ahead of where they are but I have nothing but credit for what Steve Cooper has done at that football club and he will be loved by every every n and Forest fan and it

Was a sad day to to see when he got sapped yesterday um but when you only have one winning 13 you know you’re going to be com under scrutiny yeah absolutely and Michael like you say you’ve listed so many incredible achievements and so many incredible moments that Steve Cooper has been

Responsible for at Forest because of all that do you think he deserved more time I mean I said uh a couple of weeks ago Olivia when the lost to to Everton and then the there was speculations surrounding and I didn’t like it I don’t like it any football club when a manager

Is in charge and you you hear the the jobs under threat I think it’s disrespectful if an owner wants to make a decision no problem that that’s their their right but there’s been surrounding they Nottingham Forest and Steve Cooper had this very similar last year when

They went through a run of games but those Nottingham Forest fans got behind the team they got behind Steve Cooper and he ended up signing a new contract and it was the right decision and they kept him in the Premier League and that was their aim at the start of last

Season was to stay the Premier League and I believed it at the start of this season that had to be the aim don’t get carried away don’t have to to higher expectations you try and build and improve on where they finished last year and that was 16th could they improve on

That that was their Aim so I I I’ve got a lot of empathy for for for Steve Cooper he’s had a lot to deal with that the turnaround of players can’t be easy um and he he’ll be disappointed going into training and says goodbyes today because as I say he galvanized that

Football Club when they’re in big trouble and fighting for survival in the championship do you reckon there’s a risk of a real backlash from the fans at this decision um this time last year I I think yes um and seeing everything that’s coming out in in the in the media

And social media that they still love Steve Cooper um and and I think the the players were still fighting for for for Steve Cooper I watched the game against Fulham the performance wasn’t good enough and to lose five against Fulham away from home however I covered them

Against wolves and they turned up they put a fighting performance on not with great quality but they showed a different side of of a performance and desire commitment and fight and that was a fight that showed that they had the respect for the manager um I never saw

Not for is getting relegated this season I still don’t and and if Steve Cooper was in charge he would have turned this round I’m I’m convinced about that Michael Nuno spirito Santo looks to be the man that’s going to replace Cooper at Forest um obviously Reon sat from

Saudi side Al ithad do you think this is a good fit I mean look I came up against Nuno a few years ago when he was at wolves and in the championship he got them promoted and then had two seasons where they were fantastic probably overachieving in my

My opinion uh we see him there stood in the in the Tottenham Dugout and it didn’t go to plan I think that was a hard job for him when he went into to Spurs uh on the on the back of Jose there was a lot of negativity around uh

Him getting the job so it was always was it going to be a real challenge for him going into that football club it was short and then obviously now on on the back of coming back from from Saudi Arabia this is a challenge for him he’s

Going in with a group of players I think you look at his formation he will play a a back three which Steve Cooper’s played at times so that the players will uh maybe won’t take too long to adjust to that formation um I mean and you just

Got to wish him look if if it is who who gets the job and that’s what you we’re starting to read and hear um and generally when this starts coming out in the media it tends to be not a million miles away is he going to face though Michael

The same sort of problems that Steve Cooper faced I mean we had a graphic up earlier showed that Forest have made 44 signings Chelsea have made 303 to put that in context everyone’s been talking about how difficult it’s been for pochettino to sort of knit together the

Chelsea Squad so it’s going to be pretty hard isn’t it for Nuno to come in with all of those new players well this was something I I I looked a few weeks ago um and I sort of realized that maybe when you’re not winning football matches and Cho and

Changes you don’t know your best team players are obviously not not happy that they’re in and out the team um and that’s a surprise because I looked last year and it was probably a more consistent team he knew his team although as I said there was 42 players

I think have come through the door since the the summer of of the promotion which is an awful lot but nooo is going to or or whoever it is who comes in is going to have to try and establish a uh a settle team and try and get the

Best out of them and and find the way of his his formation and the way of playing you’ve already said Michael that you think Forest are going to stay up they’re 17th in the table currently what does evangelos marinakis want you’ve mentioned a top 10 finish but is he

Aiming too high what does he want from Nuno what does he want him to do with this squad survival for me Olivia that’s all it has to be uh as I’ve said before I said at the start of last season if Forest could stay up it would be an

Achievement and they did that and I I said the start this season all be they will look at the players that they’ve recruited this summer and they will have be believe that it was an improvement uh and unfortunately we aren’t seeing that at this moment in time but I mean some

Of the players that we brought in uh sangari an awful lot of money from from PSV he hasn’t hit the ground running it takes time for these players not just to gel as a team but settling with the family and all these all these kind of

Things I mean a one year has been a huge Miss for for nottingam for when he doesn’t play I mean he’s missed the last five games and Forest are a different team when he’s not in it h i mean you look at the Players I’ve talked about

Gibbs white last year for me was player of the Season absolutely magnificent he’s just come off it a little little bit this year so you know when you Peak and then come off it slightly in the Premier League you can get punished um so so there a this year I do believe

Again he is survival and try and keep building and improving and establishing yourself as a as a Premier League team because I mentioned before four Nottingham Forest have been out of that Premier League for 23 years and those fans are enjoying being back in the Premier League the city ground is a

Fortress last year that was the reason why they stayed up this year it’s not been quite the same and what about Steve Cooper because it seems like his stock is still relatively high he plays attractive football and he’s given the right players and the right tools to do

So can you see him back in the Premier League soon and if so where that’s a million dollar that’s a million dollar question now I mean I’ve said I’ve said we we talk about managers and and don’t be disrespectful to them when they’re in the job uh but managers come

Under scrutiny that’s the industry that they’re in if you don’t win football matches do I see him back in the Premier League yes I do um probably ve very soon when a job comes up he will be linked because I think the job is done not just

Um at not and Forest you look what he did at Swansea you look what he did at England he’s a he’s a manager that when you when he speaks you listen uh and I’m I’m a massive fan any anybody who who watches Sky spots uh will realize that

He’s he’s done an incredible job and and I wish him look and as I say all I’m not him for his fans as well uh he will go down as a as an ABS absolute Legend at the football club because what he’s achieved