Steve Cooper exclusive: Nottingham Forest boss on his contract extension, Premier League pressure and his new team uniting

“I want to be the guy who rises up front and can show that we can pull it off.”

That was the determined statement from Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper as we sat down at the club’s training ground on Friday, just hours after it was confirmed he had received a contract extension to do just that.

“It allows me to talk about what this job means to me, what this club means to me and the fans, and also gives me the opportunity to say how determined I am to succeed,” he said. he passionately about the news. “You don’t just want to succeed in the good times – if you really love who you work for, you want to succeed in the bad times.”

Forest are certainly in a difficult time now. The announcement of Cooper’s new contract, which runs until 2025, came as a bit of a surprise, given he had answered questions about the prospect of him leaving Forest following their 4-0 thrashing against East Midlands rivals Leicester on Monday night.

Cooper described the team’s performance in that game – against a previously winless Leicester side who were themselves approaching crisis mode – well below expectations.

Forest’s extensive recruitment this summer – 23 arrivals in total – was again highlighted as a hurdle by critics and the statistics on the pitch were alarming.

Against their rivals, Forest were edged out and sprinted significantly.

In fact, the 47 extra sprints achieved by Leicester players was the biggest gap between two teams in the Premier League this season.

There were also other examples of Forest’s flaws so far in this campaign: conceding in clusters (there were 109 seconds between Leicester’s first two goals), conceding from distance (for the sixth game in a row and three times in the first half), and suffering during set pieces.

That fifth Premier League defeat on the spin left Forest bottom of the table and, in the cutthroat world of football management, appeared to leave Cooper vulnerable.

However, much to the delight of many Forest fans – who are enjoying last season’s long-awaited promotion and the squad overhaul required at the end of it – the club owners have backed him.

So where are the signs things could be turning for Forest? Cooper is adamant Monday’s display was unacceptable, but he’s also hopeful and optimistic success can be achieved when all these newcomers are mixed together, picking up on the positives of their first Premier League season after 23 years. .

“I hope Monday was an outlier – he has to be,” Cooper said. “There are games we didn’t win but in terms of performance analysis it wasn’t all bad. If you look at the first half against Bournemouth and Fulham where we weren’t only in front but we controlled moments of the game. Fulham, without the ball, we controlled it.

“But Monday was a bit more amplified because it was Monday night football and no other team was playing. It was the worst night to play like that, for sure. But we have to face it because that’s what it was.

“There has to be a real determination to fix that. Whether it’s running stats… There were so many parts of that game that were completely against what I wanted the team to be. “

Create a culture with 23 new players

Creating the much-needed unity and understanding of the squad amid a relentless Premier League campaign has, unsurprisingly, proven far from easy. But rather than resort to fancy tricks, Cooper approaches the challenge more holistically.

No matter the team nights, the norms set day-to-day will unite this group, he says. It will take time – but Friday’s announcement suggests Forest Council is also clear on this.

“I fundamentally believe that creating a good culture, a good environment, a good spirit, is about everyday behaviors,” says Cooper. “Yeah you can have team meals, all those things can help a bit but it’s a daily flow of relationships, training, getting to know me, staff members.

“It’s daily drip feeding to get better, putting on layer after layer every day. That’s what we have to do, even if we have to drip fast!

Monday, October 10, 7:00 p.m.

Kick off 8:00 p.m.

“We also have to talk about the situation and not hesitate or ignore it. We have all these new players, we are in the Premier League for the first time [in years]there are other things that are challenging… acknowledge it, talk about it, talk about how we’re going to handle it, keep reviewing and that’s how we can bond by doing things together.

“When this stuff [unity] is at its best, it’s with a band that has stood the test of time. We don’t have that. We have lost the momentum of last year. Normally when a team comes up you see so many stories of them continuing.

“Not just from the Championship to the Premier League, even from League Two to League One, from League One to the Championship, it is difficult to play against a promoted team because they have this unity, this spirit, this common effort. that they all went through. We weren’t able to do that. We had to start over in a lot of ways. So we have to build that for sure.”

The driving force behind all this work is Cooper’s enthusiasm for the quality of this team when – if – it finally solidifies. “That’s the real motivation for me,” Cooper said, leaning forward excitedly.

“When people talk about Nottingham Forest, it’s about signing loads of players, losing five in a row… what I’ve said to the players – and I hope they think the same – is that all of this gave us an incredible opportunity to show who we are.

“The motivation for me comes through and out. I really hope we do it. And if we do it – I don’t know how long it will take – but when we do it I’m sure it will be a great place and we’ll all be better off. That’s what we aim for.

Cooper spoke to Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers after Monday’s defeat at the King Power Stadium. Within the confines of a rival ground, he and his former Liverpool colleague – who had been under heavy pressure to counter his side’s poor run of results – discussed the scrutiny of Premier League managers when times are hard. But mostly just the game they both love.

“Until you actually do it, you don’t quite understand what it does,” Cooper says of the pressure of management in the top flight. “There’s a respect there [with Rodgers]. I went to argue with him – as he did [with me] after the FA Cup game last year.”

On that previous occasion, Forest had been the big winners, 4-1 in February. They were then on a remarkable rise, picking up Premier League scalps in the cup as Cooper lifted them out of the Championship relegation zone and into play-off glory. No Championship club have earned more points than Forest following their appointment last September.

The prospect of this remarkable achievement was held back by the board, who gave him space with this new contract and brought in a sporting director to handle longer-term decisions.

“We can talk all we want – go deliver”

“I really felt the support from the fans and I feel a good connection with the players, which is important, and with everyone else at the club,” Cooper says of the trust placed in him.

“There is no right,” he adds, when his record for the past 12 months is mentioned. “Football and elite sport don’t work like that and that’s fine with me. I’m thinking in the short term – what training looks like today, what preparation looks like for the next game and doing whatever it takes to get the most out of today.”

He also welcomes the arrival of Filippo Giraldi in this technical role of “strategy”. But despite positive developments off the pitch, Cooper knows what matters now is what happens there, with the arrival of Aston Villa on Monday night football at the City Ground its top priority.

“After Monday, there was a mixture of disappointment, frustration, a little anger, [a feeling] we let the fans down, coupled with hunger, motivation and a desire to make it right,” Cooper said. “Fixing things is the most important thing.

“We can talk all we want – go deliver. It starts with me. Don’t think I’m not looking at myself because I am. But if there’s anything that needs fixing – and there is – the only way to do that in football is to win games.”

Signed and sealed contract. Now is the time to deliver again.

Nottingham Forest’s next matches

October 10: AstonVilla (H) – kick off 8 p.m., live on Sky Sports

October 15: wolves (A) – kick off 3 p.m.

October 18: Brighton (A) – kick off 7:30 p.m.

October 22: liverpool (H) – kick off 12:30 p.m.

October 30: Arsenal (A) – kick off 2 p.m.