Following the 1-1 draw at Molineux, we’re all left wondering where this is all going, and is Brennan’s return going to signal a departure for the manager who put him in the spotlight?
Is Cooper in, or is Cooper out? Is Copper’s job hinged on a game-by-game basis, or has he got until the end of the season? Was it a good performance or were Wolves just crap? Has Cooper got the backing of his players now, or are there just 11 partisan players who are prepared to play for him?
No Maddison; no Perišić; no Van Der Ven but it’s no time for Kenning Van Hire at the back.
We still don’t know what our best 11 are, or do we? Going into a game against arguably one of the best teams in the league, Forest are going to need the best of what the club has to offer.
Despite the injuries, Spurs are still a formidable team with a highly respected manager and there will be no room for error against a side that will keep attacking, time and time again; relentlessly pressing until they punish the opposition with swift precision.
Murillo has had more partners than a Kardashian.
There must be disappointed players, disgruntled with a lack of consistency and a run of games to prove one’s worth.
Murillo has had more partners than a Kardashian and the captain’s armband is like a hot potato. Currently, Toffolo is the only player who has shown the kind of consistent fight that is worthy of the armband.
Just when we thought Harry would be away for six months, sipping a Chai Latte in some back-street café, overlooking Ladbrokes, going cold turkey thinking about the odds against Forest’s Premier League survival, the Toffolo Soldier has shown real character. We know where his heart is and he is worthy of the shirt and the armband in our opinion.
Too Many Questions
There are too many questions and not enough answers! I’m not sure where we go with all this scrutiny. Is this what a relegation dogfight looks like in an insecure second season?
If you go back to the collapse at Craven Cottage, there were no signs of the new and improved Nottingham Forest but the game against Wolves shocked us for many reasons.
Firstly, the changes in the starting eleven were quite surprising. A previously ineffectual Cheikou Kouyaté provided new vigour with the kind of performance you would expect from someone trying to save a beloved manager’s job.
Alongside him was reliable Ryan and an out-of-favour Neco Williams who must be one of the first names on the team sheet against Spurs after his display. He looked very likely. Neco fought well, used the ball intelligently, and delivered for his opposite wing-back, the Toffolo Soldier; left-back master.
Secondly, the thing that shocked most neutral fans was the adulation shown to Steve Cooper following a 5-0 defeat and again against Wolves. The scenario that now rises like mist from the Trent is that, if Cooper is dismissed from his duties following defeat against Spurs, Mr Marinakis knows that any replacement will have to show immediate success to alleviate the owner’s culpability if relegation remains inevitable.
Mr Marinakis can’t risk employing some fly-by-the-night chancer. The club needs stability and that requires a top-class manager with a flourishing C.V. of accomplishments, who is tactically astute and a meaningful motivator.
Has Cooper got a win in his locker for the Spurs game?
Is this how Brighton fans felt? Did they experience this kind of stress in their second season in the Premiership? After all, they were lucky not to be relegated in their second season.
We all just want a bit of stability and that can only come if Cooper can put a string of wins together for us. But is Cooper capable of that? Has he got wins in his locker against Spurs, Bournemouth, Manchester United and Newcastle?
We’re all over the place at the moment as there are more questions than answers.
Just taking everyone back to the Luton game, it would all be brighter if we were 7 or 8 points clear of the drop zone, and Sangaré had put away that chance, elevating his status as a multi-million player and boosting his confidence and enthusiasm to that of a six-year-old girl who has just won a new pony and a set of equestrian jumps in a maths quiz.
It will be interesting to see if he leaves a serious amount of talent on the bench against Spurs and stays with Kouyate, Mangala and Yates in midfield because, if Steve Cooper picks the wrong team, he’s finished.
Having said that, if Forest get thrashed and £50 million Sangaré is getting cold on the bench like a brass monkey, it doesn’t look good either. I think the top boss will want to see Sangaré earning his money and giving the fans some value.
COYR!
With the return of Brennan Johnson, we know that his performance has the potential to end Cooper’s tenure at Forest. One arrow from his bow could go straight through the heart of every Forest fan who appreciates what Steve Cooper has done for Nottingham Forest Football Club and its city walls.
And with this in mind, it brings me to conclude that the only way is for the faithful Forest fans to emulate Sting’s 1985 hit single and build a ‘Fortress Around Your Heart’, or else it could be impaled.
My own heart tells me that Forest will win 1-0 on the night but my head tells me otherwise – COYR!
