‘You should know that your time is up’ – Steve Cooper on the brink at Nottingham Forest after Fulham rout

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor believes that Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has to be firmly looking over his shoulder after the trouncing at Fulham on Wednesday evening.

Forest were hammered 5-0 at Craven Cottage to heap more pressure on Cooper, with a report prior to the game revealing that he already felt as if his number was up at the City Ground.

Football Insider claimed that Cooper ‘expects to be sacked soon’ by the Premier League outfit after their recent slump, despite being lauded for the tremendous job he has done since being appointed Forest coach back in 2021.

They reported: “A well-placed source has told Football Insider that the 43-year-old has told friends he is ‘aware of the whispers’ about his position.

“It is believed that this time there is a growing sense that the end of his time at the City Ground is near.

“Sources say the ex-Swansea boss has let it be known to his inner circle that he doesn’t expect to be manager at Forest for much longer.”

If that statement is true then perhaps it comes as no surprise that the Forest players were clearly not focused on their job in west London on Wednesday night.

Cooper’s men were simply rolled over at Craven Cottage and after Alex Iwobi scored on 30 minutes, the game was seemingly over as a contest.

The former England Under-17s World Cup-winning coach has been in charge of the Reds since September 2021 and took over when they were bottom of the Championship.

Clock ticking on Cooper tenure

He has since worked wonders to get the club into the Premier League but Agbonlahor feels his reign could well be coming to a sad close. That news could be of interest to Crystal Palace, who are rumoured to want Cooper to replace Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

The talkSPORT pundit was quizzed on Cooper and his position at Forest on Thursday morning, with host Alan Brazil asking whether the Welshman should now be under pressure.

Agbonlahor replied: “Yes! You look at those who are below them, you look at the six points Everton are below Forest and Everton lost 10 points, it’s not good enough.

“If you’re going away to Fulham and you’re losing 5-0, I think as a manager you should know that your time is up, to be honest.”

Following results on Wednesday evening, Forest currently sit 16th in the Premier League table and are six points above the drop zone.

But, despite the fact that Cooper appears to be on the brink, there is no mention who could take his job at the City Ground, at this stage.

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