“Complete the treble” – Derby County urged to appoint Steve Cooper to replace Paul Warne | OneFootball

Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has urged the Rams to appoint ex-Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper as Paul Warne’s successor.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County are in the process of finding a new manager after they parted ways with Paul Warne earlier today.

The Rams sacked the former Rotherham United coach after a dismal run of form, losing seven consecutive games in the Championship since their victory over West Brom on Boxing Day.

Scoring just three goals in that run, Derby have slipped into the bottom three and have decided to act with the club just two points from safety.

With 16 games remaining of the Championship season, the pressure is firmly on the Derby hierarchy to find a replacement as soon as possible, with their Championship status hanging in the balance as we enter a crucial closing period of the second tier season.

A number of candidates are likely to be linked with the hotseat over the coming days, but Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has outlined who he would appoint to help keep the Rams in the division.

Derby County urged to appoint Steve Cooper

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has urged the club to make a shock approach for former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, who is out of work after most recently departing Premier League outfit Leicester City.

Woodward said: “We should go all out to get Steve Cooper in because he really is the man who could turn our fortunes around. He’s done it with Nottingham Forest and managed at Leicester, so why not complete the treble and manage at Derby?

“We’re the biggest club out of all three anyway, we’ve got the best support, an amazing ground and fantastic training facilities, it’s all there apart from the football playing side of it, so surely it’s an enticing job for somebody, and for me, Steve Cooper should be the one that turns it around for us.

“Let’s go all out to try and get him and I’ll be more than happy to see him come in.”

Derby County, Steve Cooper appointment would be surprising

It’s a bold claim Derby could go and appoint someone like Steve Cooper, particularly as he’s managed bitter rivals Nottingham Forest in the past.

It’s unknown at this stage whether Cooper would be prepared to betray the red side of the East Midlands, but if Derby could pull this kind of deal off, then you would expect them to remain in the Championship next season.

The Welshman achieved what many thought was impossible with Forest, taking the club from the foot of the second tier and all the way to the Premier League, securing promotion through the play-offs.

Cooper has such an impressive record in the division, winning 63 of his 130 games, drawing 37, and losing just 30. He has picked up 226 points in the second tier, averaging 1.74 per game, as per Transfermarkt.

The 45-year-old is someone who has a proven pedigree of gaining promotion out of this division, and if he could have an immediate impact in dragging Derby out of the relegation mire, there could be optimism brewing that a potential promotion charge could be on the cards next season.