Ex Managers - They used to manage us

[ClaphamFox]

On 18/08/2025 at 07:58, FoxesTalker said:

Some of Brendan's comments after that FA Cup game at Forest in 2022. It's well over three years since that day, and yet we're still facing the same problems, to the point that these comments could have been attributed to Saturday's performance.

 

"Our players have to look at themselves in the mirror and prove they are good enough to be here."

 

"There was a lack of hunger and you get destabilised when you make errors."

 

"Too many players think they are top players but are a long way off, some players may have achieved everything they can here."

 

"They deserved to win - scored the goals, showed a greater desire and that's the disappointment."

He was completely right and many of us could see it at the time. Since then, Cooper, RVN and now Cifuentes have struggled to change the culture of the squad. Only Maresca had any success, but sadly all the progress he made left the building with him. 

Edited 21 August 2025 by ClaphamFox

[honeybradger]

42 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

He was completely right and many of us could see it at the time. Since then, Cooper, RVN and now Cifuentes have struggled to change the culture of the squad. Only Maresca had any success, but sadly all the progress he made left the building with him. 

All talk.

 

Rodgers was the manager who oversaw and built that culture shift, he set the tone by holding the club at gunpoint midway through a top 4 push for a lucrative contract. The players just followed his lead. He was at the club 3 years before that Forest game and we didn't have that culture problem before him.

 

In the relegation season instead of knuckling down and trying his best he started making weird team selection and substitution choices to try and prove a point to the board. The one that stands out is the first game of the season against Brentford in 30 degree heat when he only used two substitutions and had us draw from 2-0 up. I still think if he hadn't cost us the win that game we start the season more positively and finish midtable.

 

Rodgers was the one who kept starting Danny Ward instead of Iversen as well.

 

Rodgers was the one who spent the summer of 2021 calling up Vestergaard. He also admired Bertrand for many years.

 

Rodgers was the one who insisted we hold onto our best players each summer instead of selling and reinvesting to refresh the squad.

 

There are so so many more examples of Rodgers being one of the architects of the downfall of our club alongside Rudkin and Top, not a victim of them. He joined us with a short term mentality and an aim to get a top 6 job which never came. That lack of long term planning under his leadership was clear long before the Forest game, those comments were just of a man trying to save himself from a sinking ship that he himself had steered into an iceberg long ago.

 

[ClaphamFox]

26 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

All talk.

 

Rodgers was the manager who oversaw and built that culture shift, he set the tone by holding the club at gunpoint midway through a top 4 push for a lucrative contract. The players just followed his lead. He was at the club 3 years before that Forest game and we didn't have that culture problem before him.

 

In the relegation season instead of knuckling down and trying his best he started making weird team selection and substitution choices to try and prove a point to the board. The one that stands out is the first game of the season against Brentford in 30 degree heat when he only used two substitutions and had us draw from 2-0 up. I still think if he hadn't cost us the win that game we start the season more positively and finish midtable.

 

Rodgers was the one who kept starting Danny Ward instead of Iversen as well.

 

Rodgers was the one who spent the summer of 2021 calling up Vestergaard. He also admired Bertrand for many years.

 

Rodgers was the one who insisted we hold onto our best players each summer instead of selling and reinvesting to refresh the squad.

 

There are so so many more examples of Rodgers being one of the architects of the downfall of our club alongside Rudkin and Top, not a victim of them. He joined us with a short term mentality and an aim to get a top 6 job which never came. That lack of long term planning under his leadership was clear long before the Forest game, those comments were just of a man trying to save himself from a sinking ship that he himself had steered into an iceberg long ago.

 

I don’t disagree with any of that. But the fact that Rodgers was one of the causes does not alter the fact that he was accurate in what he described after the Forest defeat. And if he was the sole cause, or even the main cause, of our problems a few years ago, it would have been possible to correct them by now. The fact that things remain as bad points to a deep malaise that stems from a complete absence of leadership from the top. 

Edited 21 August 2025 by ClaphamFox

[FoxesTalker]

On 21/08/2025 at 07:00, ClaphamFox said:

He was completely right and many of us could see it at the time. Since then, Cooper, RVN and now Cifuentes have struggled to change the culture of the squad. Only Maresca had any success, but sadly all the progress he made left the building with him. 

I've often felt the board have struggled to fully recover from Rodgers' exit, as it almost felt like he was a board member. This ties in with the lack of joined-up thinking in terms of managerial appointments since then, like going after Jesse Marsch.

 

It's a massive shame how Rodgers conducted himself during 2022/23. Let down by the club, yes, but if he had acted differently, the strength of feeling towards him would have been toned down. He could have been revered here but his persona in the press, throughout his four years in charge, didn't always help with getting fans onside.

[davieG]

30 minutes ago, FoxesTalker said:

I've often felt the board have struggled to fully recover from Rodgers' exit, as it almost felt like he was a board member. This ties in with the lack of joined-up thinking in terms of managerial appointments since then, like going after Jesse Marsch.

 

It's a massive shame how Rodgers conducted himself during 2022/23. Let down by the club, yes, but if he had acted differently, the strength of feeling towards him would have been toned down. He could have been revered here but his persona in the press, throughout his four years in charge, didn't always help with getting fans onside.

The biggest impact he made was saying the team wasn't good enough which totally undermined it and is still being felt to this day.

[FoxesTalker]

36 minutes ago, davieG said:

The biggest impact he made was saying the team wasn't good enough which totally undermined it and is still being felt to this day.

He also set the tone for the 2022/23 season by stating that getting to 40 points, or staying up, will be the objective. During that same period of time, he downplayed and devalued the quality of the squad by letting it be known in the media he would have to work with what he's got. The continued negative rhetoric of not being able to compete when we were challenging at the top end of the league additionally played a part in our decline in my view.

[Dames]

If it wasnt for the FA cup win Rodgers would go down as one of the worst managers in our history. His mismanagement is a huge part of why we are where we are now. 

[Poznan34]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/36414804/nottingham-forest-brendan-rodgers-nuno-espirito-santo/

 

[Fox-LMA]

Rodgers' Celtic have just been knocked out of the Champions League by Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan.

 

wawaweewa

 

  

[Tielemans63]

Another classic case of Third Season Syndrome for Brendan. Like clockwork 

[FoxnNorfolk]

4 minutes ago, Tielemans63 said:

Another classic case of Third Season Syndrome for Brendan. Like clockwork 

Exactly 👍 

[Sly]

Brendan is a bit like Mourinho, Conte, Bielsa etc, a typical 3 year cycle manager / impact coach.
 

He can firefight, people buy into the vision, passion (bullshiz) and graft that bit harder. 
 

He can’t build a team and the fizz goes, then it all goes to pop. 
 

If he’d left after the Forest defeat and said those things, knowing the board wouldn’t back him, then he’d be thought of so much more highly on here. 
 

He isn’t a bad coach, just one that outlasted his period.
 

Rodgers can’t build teams. It’s a bit like asking a fish to climb a tree. It’s about as effective.

 

You could see him walking into somewhere like United and improving them though. 

[moore_94]

 

[fleshdaddy]

'kin hell, he's fallen on his feet there! Great job for him.

[Corky]

Trip to Brondby to see the great man?

[MonarchFox]

42 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

 

Good luck to him.

 

Never really got a fair crack of the whip here, was on the back front from the start.

 

Completely different footballing outlook to Maresca.   Forest have just done the same, gone from a manager who loves to defend to one that has no idea what defence means, could be a good watch

[Samilktray]

Already seen Brondby fans want him out, and who can blame them he is crap 

[moore_94]

39 minutes ago, MonarchFox said:

Good luck to him.

 

Never really got a fair crack of the whip here, was on the back front from the start.

 

Completely different footballing outlook to Maresca.   Forest have just done the same, gone from a manager who loves to defend to one that has no idea what defence means, could be a good watch

I could probably be more forgiving towards him until you see what he spent our transfer budget on

 

And his weird reluctance to properly use 2 wingers

 

And the shite tactics following the above that seriously isolated the right back

Edited 9 September 2025 by moore_94

[RedSoxUK]

He's a ****ing fraud 

[murphy]

Maybe Brondby will soon be in the market for some aging but experienced journeyman plodders?

 

Well Steve, this could be your lucky day... 

 

 

Edited 9 September 2025 by murphy

[Jobyfox]

I think Cooper was the victim of the overall lack of vision and strategy from the hierarchy at LCFC. 
 

He followed Maresca with a completely different football philosophy from the manager who got us promoted. This instantly caused division and resentment from the players. He was also never the fans first choice so really had to hit the ground running. 
 

As others have said, however, he was given some funds for recruitment. If he was responsible for the significant investment in the likes of Skipp, Ayew and BDCR then that is a sackable offence on its own. 
 

The timing of his sacking was as odd as his initial appointment. We were still above the relegation zone and RvN was a bizarre choice to replace him. (More failure of vision and strategy - see above).

 

I bear him no particular ill will and it will be interesting to observe his career from here. I suspect he’ll be ok organsing teams in the lower reaches of the English structure or lesser leagues abroad, but he’ll be too tactically limited to thrive at the higher levels. We shall see. 

[TamuffFox]

1 hour ago, MonarchFox said:

Good luck to him.

 

Never really got a fair crack of the whip here, was on the back front from the start.

 

Completely different footballing outlook to Maresca.   Forest have just done the same, gone from a manager who loves to defend to one that has no idea what defence means, could be a good watch

I hope he gets his career back on track.

 

Completely out of his depth with us though.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

One of the most vibeless ghouls on planet earth

[winteriscoming]

4 hours ago, MonarchFox said:

Good luck to him.

 

Never really got a fair crack of the whip here, was on the back front from the start.

 

Completely different footballing outlook to Maresca.   Forest have just done the same, gone from a manager who loves to defend to one that has no idea what defence means, could be a good watch

Different outlook is being kind. As robotic tactically Enzo was at least there was tactics. I’m still not sure what tactics if any Cooper had apart from let’s still be level after 60 mins then we’ll have a go. 

[-sodapop]

He was a bad manager both in terms of ability shown while here and also being the right person for the job given th context/situation we were in, but he seems nice enough as a bloke and I can't help but feel for him on a personal level as having your players mutiny like that ("Enzo we miss you") must hurt. Hope he bounces back at Brondby.