Jorge Sampaoli will not be replacing Steve Cooper at Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest after signing on the dotted line with Flamengo over the weekend.
It wasn’t the result on Sunday afternoon which had Nottingham Forest fans fearing for their top-flight status. It was, rather, the nature of it.
With Forest’s away form so dismal, Cooper’s side need to be at their very best on home soil between now and the end of May if they are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Against Manchester United, however, the hosts were as limp as a pan of overcooked noodles. Forest failed to manage even a single shot on target. They posed a threat only from set-piece situations. And, if it wasn’t for the outstanding, overworked Keylor Navas, the scoreline would have more closely resembled that iconic 8-1 from all those years ago.
According to the Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest had sounded out veteran Argentine Jorge Sampaoli as a potential replacement for Steve Cooper; pressure rising from the terraces even if the former England U17 boss remains a largely popular presence.
Steve Cooper under pressure at Nottingham Forest
Sampaoli has never worked on English soil before. Perhaps he never will; the former Sevilla, Marseille and Chile coach signing on at Brazilian giants Flamengo.
“I’m happy with the opportunity,” smiles the madcap 63-year-old. “And I hope to live up to all the expectations you have of me.”
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“We are very happy with the hiring of Sampaoli,” adds Flamengo CEO Bruno Spindel. “It is an old dream of this board. Every time we tried to hire him, he was employed (elsewhere).
“Now, we did it and I’m sure it will be a very successful job. Flamengo, our fans, the group, everyone will be very happy with him leading the team. I’m sure we’ll fight in all competitions, and God willing, win big titles this year.”
Ex-England international Danny Murphy believes Nottingham Forest would be better off sticking with Cooper. After all, if they do go down, Forest will still have a coach who has proven himself capable of securing promotion out of the Championship.
“Cooper has done a tremendous job,” Murphy tells talkSPORT (12 April, 11am). “And I think he deserves the chance (to turn things around).
“He will still has a squad capable of bouncing straight back and he has shown he can get out of the Championship.
“I think it would be stupid (to sack him).”
In other news, Javi Gracia predicts ‘brilliant’ future for Leeds United’s Georginio Rutter
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