Steve Cooper's dismissal from Leicester City after just 12 games highlights the complex issues associated with managing a club with past connections to Nottingham Forest. Comparisons to successful predecessors like Martin O'Neill and Wes Morgan illustrate the unique challenges Cooper faced.
Managing Leicester City with the baggage of past Nottingham Forest links is not an impossible task. Martin O’Neill managed it. Fellow Forest icon Wes Morgan captained the Foxes to Premier League title glory. But for Steve Cooper , it was a job too far.
Success clearly has much to do with it. O’Neill was a brilliant manager for the Foxes, arriving from Wycombe Wanderers and carving out an impressive reputation underlined by trophy success. Ditto Morgan, and then some. For Cooper, though, the odds were always stacked against him - potential points deductions , tight player budgets and a shambles of a pre-season just some of the contributory factors.
“But Cooper was not helped that the club themselves had alienated supporters. The issues around matchday prices and season-ticket charges were of huge frustration to supporters, with many saying it exacerbated their feelings of disconnect from the club. Yet there was still more to it than just that. Cooper, as the architect of a stunning revival in Forest’s fortunes, was obviously loved. Because of that, he was able to get away with far more on the City Ground pitch than was going to be endured just 30 miles away at a club fighting for their top-flight survival, so tactics tolerated at Forest were deemed ultimately unacceptable for the Foxes, and so came the inevitable consequences.
Steve Cooper Leicester City Nottingham Forest Martin O'neill Wes Morgan Premier League
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