Ex-Bristol City boss sacked in change which could trigger domino effect involving ex-England and Wales stars
A former Bristol City manager has been sacked from his role with a fifth-tier side
Former Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill has left his position as manager of Forest Green Rovers after 71 matches in charge of the Gloucestershire outfit.
Cotterill, who was notably in charge of the Robins team which won the League One title in 2014/15 with a staggering 99 points along with the EFL Trophy in the same season, replaced Troy Deeney as Forest Green boss in January 2024 with the club rooted to the bottom of the League Two table.
He was unable to turn the clubs fortunes around after a series of poor results but remained in his role as head coach for one further season in the National League.
Cotterill, who has experience winning promotion from both the third tier and the fourth tier in the past, led Forest Green to a fourth place finish with 83 points from 46 matches but was unable to secure promotion via the play-offs after a penalty shoot-out defeat in the semi-final against Southend United.
He won a total of 31 out of his 71 matches in charge, giving him an overall win percentage of 44%. A club statement following his departure explained: “Steve Cotterill and FGR have parted company following the club's decision to terminate Steve's contract. We wish Steve all the best for the future.”
What next for Forest Green Rovers?
Forest Green Rovers won promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history in 2017 and remained in the fourth tier until 2022 when Rob Edwards spearheaded the team to the League Two title. However, after his departure results began to unravel and in a calamitous 22/23 season the club finished rock bottom and were relegated with both Ian Burchnall and Duncan Ferguson having spells at the club.
A further relegation followed a year later as Dave Horseman and Troy Deeney both had spells at the club with Cotterill arriving at too late a time to save the day.
Now for the first time in three seasons, Forest Green are preparing to stay in the same division and are on the hunt for a coach to propel them back into the Football League. As it stands, based on reports from Birmingham Live, Robbie Savage, a former Blues midfielder, is the favourite to become the new Forest Green Rovers boss.
The former Wales midfielder is currently the manager of Maccesfield Town and has won 40 of his 51 matches in charge of the Northern Premier League outfit, who have just won promotion to the National League North as champions.
Wayne Rooney linked with stunning return to management
Macclesfield Town are believed to be lining up an ambitious move to try and bring Wayne Rooney as manager to replace Robbie Savage, as per reports from Mail Sport.
The former England and Manchester United captain has been out of work since leaving his role as Plymouth Argyle boss in December but is understood to be a potential target for the National League North side in a stunning turn of events.
It’s not yet clear if Rooney, who has only ever managed at Championship level or in the MLS, would be interested in the role at this stage.