Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis rubbishes claims Steve Cooper is close to being sacked

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has announced that the club are not looking to sack Steve Cooper.

The Tricky Trees lost 2-1 to Leeds United last night to extend their winless run to eight games.

They are 17th in the Premier League after 29 games, with just a superior goal difference keeping them above the drop zone.

Reports emerged this morning that Nottingham were set to part ways with their manager.

Former Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has been linked with succeeding Cooper.

However, Forest have moved to dispel the rumours.

Marinakis’ vote of confidence is reassuring, but Cooper needs to start delivering.

The City Ground club have 11 games to save their Premier League status.

They play Aston Villa, Manchester United and Liverpool next.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford follow before a potential six-pointer with Southampton.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace are their last three fixtures of the campaign, and the London trio are tough to face.

Having spent so much on overhauling their promotion-earning squad in the summer, Forest have failed to impress.

They won just one of their opening 11 league games of the season, losing seven.

Things improved afterwards as they lost just two of the ten games which followed.

Cooper was handed a new deal as a result, but their recent form could get him fired.

A defeat at Villa Park on Saturday could be the final straw.

The public vote of confidence Marinakis has given Cooper means nothing if changes are not forthcoming.

It took Forest 23 years to return to the Premier League the last time they were relegated.

They cannot afford to go down again and will not hesitate to sack their manager if it comes to that.