Latest news with #SteveCooper
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Steve Cooper targeted for shock return to management eight months after being sacked by Leicester
COOP D'ETAT Steve Cooper targeted for shock return to management eight months after being sacked by Leicester Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) STEVE COOPER tops the list of managerial targets Middlesbrough want to replace Michael Carrick. The Championship side announced on Wednesday that the ex-Manchester United and England midfielder had been axed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Steve Cooper has been linked with a shock return to management with Middlesbrough 2 Michael Carrick was sacked by Boro this week Carrick, 43, and his assistants Jonathan Woodgate and Graeme Carrick - his younger brother - have also departed the club. That decision was made by chairman Steve Gibson following a four-week end-of-season review by the club's hierarchy after their dismal second half of the campaign. Carrick, who was the division's longest-serving manager, led Boro from the 21st in the table in October 2022 to the play-offs. That was followed by an eighth-placed finish and a run to the League Cup semi-finals but, despite a positive first half of this season, they eventually ended a disappointing tenth. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS GUNNER GO Arsenal release 17 players as Sterling and Partey learn their fate That has been enough to convince the club to look elsewhere. SunSport understands that Cooper, out of work since he was sacked following a brief and ill-fated stint at Leicester in November, is among the top candidates Boro want to speak with. He shone in the Championship at Swansea City by leading them to consecutive play-off finishes. And he surpassed that at Nottingham Forest, achieving legendary status by guiding them back to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2022. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Cooper was axed in December 2023 and replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. Ex-Bournemouth and Wolves manager Gary O'Neil, who spent four years as a player at the Riverside, is another name among the favourites along with former Luton man Rob Edwards. Middlesbrough fans will agree with Carrick sacking and there's a perfect man ready to replace him
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Steve Cooper targeted for shock return to management eight months after being sacked by Leicester
STEVE COOPER tops the list of managerial targets Middlesbrough want to replace Michael Carrick. The Championship side announced on Wednesday that the ex-Manchester United and England midfielder had been axed. 2 2 Carrick, 43, and his assistants Jonathan Woodgate and Graeme Carrick - his younger brother - have also departed the club. That decision was made by chairman Steve Gibson following a four-week end-of-season review by the club's hierarchy after their dismal second half of the campaign. Carrick, who was the division's longest-serving manager, led Boro from the 21st in the table in October 2022 to the play-offs. That was followed by an eighth-placed finish and a run to the League Cup semi-finals but, despite a positive first half of this season, they eventually ended a disappointing tenth. That has been enough to convince the club to look elsewhere. SunSport understands that Cooper, out of work since he was sacked following a brief and ill-fated stint at Leicester in November, is among the top candidates Boro want to speak with. He shone in the Championship at Swansea City by leading them to consecutive play-off finishes. And he surpassed that at Nottingham Forest, achieving legendary status by guiding them back to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2022. Cooper was axed in December 2023 and replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. Ex-Bournemouth and Wolves manager Gary O'Neil, who spent four years as a player at the Riverside, is another name among the favourites along with former Luton man Rob Edwards. Expert's view BY GARY STONEHOUSE (North East Football Reporter and Boro season ticket holder) FINALLY the inevitable has happened - but what took Middlesbrough so long? The decision to sack Michael Carrick now - four weeks after the season finished - does feel a bit too little, too late. The ex-Manchester United man's time at the Riverside should have been done back in February after a dire run of six defeats in seven games. At that point the prospect of going up through the play-offs was still a real possibility. Instead, Steve Gibson kept faith and, despite a brief little false dawn of results, we've allowed rivals Sunderland to take advantage of what was probably the best chance of achieving promotion out of this league that there will be for a while. For all of those pointing to the fact that he lost 'his best player' Emmanuel Latte Lath in January - the striker's exit was supposed to be last summer. That's why they got Tommy Conway in early and, fair play, when Boro failed to get the money they wanted for Latte Lath they held on to him until the window. The loss of Ben Doak was also critical, and that coupled with the above sale meant all the pace was taken out of Carrick's team. But that was his biggest problem, his stubbornness to have a Plan B. Pretty, boring, pass, pass, tip, tip - Middlesbrough became far too easy to play against. The panic stations started to ring when the Riverside was empty long before the final whistle in several home games - fans were seemingly even past the point of caring enough to boo at the final whistle following several disappointing displays and results. This is a move best for everybody - especially Carrick himself. He has done well, and the loss of experienced Aaron Danks as coach to Bayern Munich has maybe had a bigger impact than any of us thought. But once rumours of fall-outs over transfer targets etc began to surface in January there was only going to be one-way this ended if promotion wasn't achieved. He can still leave with his reputation intact and will be in the running for plenty of other jobs - hopefully after a PR class or two. You always got the impression he didn't think much of the media - except until the pressure was on in his final weeks and we finally got to see a little of his funny and warm character. But the place, and Carrick himself probably, needed something new. And for my money, the man to provide that lift that the whole club needs would be Steve Cooper.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
'A different proposition'
Ideally, this summer will see Nottingham Forest build on the success of European qualification and near-misses in the FA Cup and making the Champions is pretty obvious where we need to recruit – injuries and fatigue caught up with us at the end of the season and losing the likes of Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Murillo cost us in important summer's business, adding Elliot Anderson and Nikola Milenkovic, was particularly astute. But the other signings did not strengthen the squad as we might have hoped, and the recruitment team will do well to find a few more rough, or even polished, are well stocked in central midfield but really need competition in defence and position now, compared with 12 months ago, is a different proposition for potential players - rather than battling relegation, those looking to make a name in the Premier League outside of the 'big six' have a new destination. And financially we are in a fairly good place to be growing the squad said, beyond new signings it is a time to consider how we develop tactically. Steve Cooper tried and failed to move from a 4-2-3-1 formation to 4-3-3, and it is no easy transition without well-drilled players and strategic possession and playing on the break has served Forest very well in recent seasons, but it was evident in the latter games of the campaign that when teams offered up the ball the Reds were not really sure how best to capitalise. What happens when we have more than 50% possession? How do we adapt to those games?That problem will rear its head again. Of course, I'm not the only one thinking this - and Nuno Espirito Santo will have inevitably started thinking about how we depth in players, as well as a settled squad and management team, will make the transition for the first time in a generation, we can start a new Premier League season without nervously looking over our shoulder and instead setting our sights above more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Vardy had a more colourful phrase... I'll just say it was a fiasco'
Here's my quick assessment of Liverpool's Premier League season - and a return to my August prediction: 19thEnded the season: 18thSteve Cooper lasted five months after succeeding Enzo Maresca. Ruud van Nistelrooy replaced Cooper, and took Leicester down. Jamie Vardy had a more colourful phrase for it, but here I will just say it was a were desperate. There was fan discontent. It was not the note on which Vardy wanted to end his 13 years at King Power supporters are often accused of demanding too much. Whether this is true or not, they had every right to demand better than this on and off the I said in August: "Cooper and Leicester could defy the odds but it may well be a steep uphill struggle."Read my assessments of the other 19 teams here
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
From brink of relegation to Europe - the story of Forest's revival
From the brink of the Championship to the brink of the Champions Forest may have fallen short of the top table of European football after their final-day defeat by Chelsea but they have continued their revival. That Forest were even in contention for the Champions League seemed a fantasy after beating the drop on the final day a year ago. In reality, the foundations for success were laid last summer. In Murcia, Spain, Nuno Espirito Santo's plans which would take the club back to Europe for the first time since 1996 were initiated. The chaos and confusion at the end of last season - from four-point deductions to controversial social media posts and final-day survival - were forgotten. A team meal at the Odiseo restaurant in Murcia, with the squad and staff, quickly generated the unity which has catapulted Forest to the Uefa Conference League. Elliot Anderson's initiation song of Stand By Me, after his move from Newcastle, could be the anthem of the season. Pre-season is always important but, internally, there was a sense the summer was crucial given it was Nuno's first with the had already built relationships in the previous six months since replacing Steve Cooper in December 2023, but it was the opportunity to double down on that unity which Nuno puts so much emphasis on. "It started the moment Nuno walked through the door," captain Ryan Yates told BBC Sport. "He gave us that consistency. "He came in at an extremely difficult point in the season where relegation and the point deduction looked like it could happen. It was tough for us as a group but we got through that and we said to ourselves in pre-season it can never happen again."Once home, they lost one of their opening 10 games and the training-ground revamp, unveiled in October, with more catering staff, different meals and a new open-plan canteen allowed a more player-focused environment. A new gym, physio and rehabilitation rooms were all added in a multi-million pound investment. "It's all fillet steak," jokes Yates. "The small things that really do make a difference. That obviously comes from the owner's investment and where he sees the football club going. "Not only have the players bought into that, but also the staff. If the staff are happy, that's going to ultimately help the players as well."The outpouring of support for Taiwo Awoniyi after his freak intestinal injury this month, which left the striker in an induced coma, also highlighted the squad's togetherness. The players hoisted his shirt while celebrating Morgan Gibbs-White's goal in the win at West Ham, with the forward receiving a rapturous welcome before the game on Sunday when he emerged pitchside."We just knew the significance of the result for Taiwo," adds Yates. "What he's been through, you wouldn't wish that on anybody."We're just so happy he's just alive and well." A common bond and Nuno's comfort Double European Cup-winning captain John McGovern is a regular visitor to the training was something former boss Cooper initiated but Nuno has, sensibly, left the door open for the 75-year-old to watch training and integrate with the has often been an unofficial ball boy during sessions, fetching stray shots, while he enjoys a good relationship with the is part of the culture and the desire to ensure everyone feels involved at the City he first moved to England with Wolves, Nuno was adamant he wanted to work with 22 players to let all of them feel they had a chance of playing, therefore raising the intensity and quality in training. That unity was quickly evident during last season's fight against relegation, with Nuno replacing Cooper as the club sat 17th in the Premier League. Sources have told BBC Sport players were almost surprised at how the spirit was compared with other teams they had played for, especially those who had experienced a relegation battle. It has only become stronger while Nuno's ability to remain level-headed is also crucial. He will not pick or turn on individual players after a poor performance, and he placed faith in his players, allowing them to grow in confidence. Goalkeeper Matz Sels arrived with little fanfare from Strasbourg in February 2024 to become the team's third goalkeeper last season, but was immediately given the No.1 spot and Nuno's backing. The 33-year-old has since excelled this season and has shared the Premier League's Golden Glove with Arsenal's David Raya after 13 clean Aina is one of the biggest characters of the dressing room, with Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi also driving the squad off the pitch. There is also a common bond with the players, in that many of them have experienced setbacks in their careers and arrived at Forest with similar journeys. Behind it, as Yates alludes, is Nuno. He can be a stoic figure in media conferences but there is a marked improvement from his demeanor at Wolves. He could be surly with the media at Molineux, but at the City Ground is more relaxed and, even if he avoids a question, it is done with much more grace and understanding of what the journalist was asking. There has been more depth to Nuno this season, publicly at least, and he has been known to play his handpan - a steel drum - in his office at the training ground, and demonstrated his diving abilities during a mid-season trip to Dubai in February. One source described Nuno as "comfortable" at the club, and while there has been speculation about his future, there is a desire for Nuno to build a dynasty - regardless of any on-pitch discussions with the owner. "Look at what he's achieved in his short period at the club," says Yates. "If anything, it should be exciting to see what we can build further." Transfer plans years in the making Nuno was given the faith to build, but there was no talk of Europe before this season. The plan was to take a step forward and avoid a relegation battle, because you cannot become an established or growing Premier League side while fighting the drop. Pushing into the top half was in mind, not becoming a European contender. Forest knew they had good players, and sources have dismissed suggestions this season has been a surprise, labelling it as - understandably - pleasing instead. The clear and precise summer transfer plan was in contrast to when they returned to the Premier League in 2022 - after a 23-year absence - and signed 23 players. This season against Crystal Palace - a 1-0 win in October - only one of those players started the game - Dean Henderson, who was in goal for Palace. It may have appeared outrageous, but it worked and gave Forest the platform for the success of this season. Of those players, Gibbs-White and Neco Williams have played key roles this season while Danilo could have, had he not suffered a broken ankle on the opening Boly, Harry Toffolo, Awoniyi and Wayne Hennessey also remain at the club though are on the periphery, with Boly, Toffolo and Hennessy's deals expiring next month. Last summer Forest were surgical in their approach. They were clear with what they wanted, with a plan to lower the age bracket but also build on the character already at the club. Defender Nikola Milenkovic joined for £10m from Fiorentina - there was no release clause and it has proved a bargain in the current market - and he has formed a crucial partnership with Murillo at the back. The centre-back had been tracked for a number of years and Forest made their move with the Serbia international impressing at Euro 2024. Anderson joined from Newcastle with goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos going the other way in a separate deal, which will have helped with keeping the club compliant with profit and sustainability rules (PSR). This year it will be the same - Liam Delap and James McAtee are of interest but there is an expectation Ipswich striker Delap will join Manchester United. The Champions League would have added extra revenue and therefore more financial wriggle room, but Forest's transfer plans do not hinge on joining the elite. Nuno was clear in the profile of player he wanted, and had total belief in his methods. It brought a mutual trust between the Portuguese and the hierarchy, allowing him to deliver the club's best season in 30 years. The club have not played in Europe since a Uefa Cup quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich in March 1996, and will return in September for the Conference has been unexpected, but after years in the wilderness Forest, two-time European Cup winners, have returned to a stage they used to call home. "It took us a couple of years to find that stability, and when this club gets momentum it's unstoppable," smiles Yates.
