Dier what a scumbag
Fulltime 10 man Forest give spuds a 2-0 trashing
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Mangala’s second yellow was utter nonsense from ref. Hope club appeals.
Love the look of Mangala, Yates & O’Brien in midfield. The right balance of energy, solidity and creativity. As you rightly pointed out @Lazarus, Cooper has stumbled upon his best midfield, and probably his best starting XI too. Although I’d still swap MGW for Lingard. Even if Lingard did play very well tonight.
Could watch Lodi’s goal over and over 
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Three points tomorrow would be absolutely massive going into the WC break.
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What a victory!! Off the bottom and closing in on a European spot
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Things are slowly coming together. I still think it’s a mistake Cooper not starting a recognised number 9, be it Awoniyi or Surridge. Johnson would be the one drop to bench. Gibbs White & Jlingz are in tremendous form these past couple of weeks so they have to start. It would also be nice if our best midfielder, Lewis O’Brien, could actually start when fit!
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This was one of Steve Cooper’s biggest wins at Nottingham Forest – here’s why
By Paul Taylor
Nov 14, 2022
59
Five weeks ago, Steve Cooper was clinging on to his Nottingham Forest job by his fingertips. For the next five weeks, he will have the chance to take a deep breath; to plan for the future with a degree of certainty.
Had Forest headed into the international break on the back of poor results and rooted to the foot of the table, Cooper’s position would have become unstable once more. Forest do not return to Premier League action until they head to face Manchester United on December 27. That would have been a long time for the club hierarchy to dwell on any negativity.
Instead, a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace has ensured the mood is buoyant. The Cooper fist pumps returned on Saturday, after the head coach had joyously launched himself into the arms of his captain, Joe Worrall, wrapping his legs around him for good measure. For a moment, Cooper allowed his emotions to show.
“It is not something you want to do, when you are down at the bottom, but it was a nice bit of togetherness. I really wanted the supporters to go into the break with a positive. There is no need to get carried away — even though I might have done for 10 seconds,” Cooper said.
A draw with Brentford that would have been a win if not for a VAR controversy, a comfortable success over Tottenham in the EFL Cup and now beating Palace. Other than the Championship play-off final success over Huddersfield and victory over Liverpool, this was the most significant win that Cooper has overseen. Forest climbed into 18th place. They trail 14th-placed Bournemouth by only three points.
Morgan Gibbs-White seals Saturday’s crucial win over Crystal Palace (Photo: Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The relentless existence of a Premier League head coach is like few other professions. Cooper frequently talks of the empathy he shares with his fellow managers; about how few people can understand the pressures that come with the job until you have lived it.
As former Forest defender Brian Laws, who experienced life in the intense spotlight with Burnley in 2010, pointed out as the Forest players hurried off to catch their flights — either to go on holiday or to link up with their international squads ahead of the World Cup — you hope Cooper will enjoy his own break now, because being a Premier League manager “can eat away at you”.
Cooper has had to listen to pundits predicting that Forest would definitely be relegated. He had to work amid the knowledge that other managers had been contacted over the possibility of replacing him following a difficult start to the campaign.
But it is since he signed a new contract, shortly after his lowest point — a 4-0 drubbing at Leicester — that Forest have gradually found their feet. Since then, they have won three, drawn three and lost two.
Among fans, the doubters have been few in number. His name has been sung with the same gusto that it always has. As he took his place in the dugout 10 minutes before kick-off, as is his habit, he was greeted by a long ovation. But that affection goes both ways. When asked by The Athletic what this job has been like for him since promotion, Cooper’s answer was more than three minutes long.
“I am more invested now. As time goes on, I have just grown even fonder of everything that this club is; that it stands for — the supporters, the people here, the players… everything,” he says. “If you ask me again in the future I will give you the same answer — I will be even fonder.
“It is one of those clubs that you just love to be a part of, because you feel that you are part of something that is greater than any individual or moment. It is all about what the club stands for and, also, the excitement comes from where it wants to go; what it wants to achieve. The step up to the Premier League was massive.
Nottingham Forest’s players are believing again after a tough start to the season (Photo: Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“But I am always thinking in two ways. Sometimes I take a step back and think about what a privilege and an honour it is to be part of this. Other times I think to myself, ‘Bloody hell, I have got to do a good job’. I am completely obsessed with not letting anyone down. I am really motivated to show everyone that I can be, hopefully, as good at my job as a motivator, a coach and a leader in tough moments as much as in good ones.
“I want the supporters to see somebody and a team that they can connect with. If you look at the support we have had — it has just been unconditional. There will have been times when supporters have been really frustrated. But they have never really shown it.
“There has only ever been positivity and we are really grateful for that. It only makes me even more determined to do well. Doing well means improving our league position. Everyone wanted so much to be in this league but, now we are here, there is no entitlement. It is just about the next phase of the job. Of course it is challenging, because of how we have gone about it. But our sleeves are rolled up and we are going for it.”
Cooper has always played down the addition of 22 new players, not least because the need for strengthening was obvious. But no other team has ever made the step up to the top flight amid such a huge degree of change. Forest are trying to do something that has never been done.
But the signs are that the same spirit and unity that was the bedrock for promotion is growing again now after Cooper set up Forest to be harder to beat.
“He deserved the support after what he did last season,” says midfielder Jack Colback. “It’s difficult circumstances for him. He’s not managed at this level before. It’s a completely new team. You need time to build relationships, which applies to the manager as well. But things are starting to click.”
The pressure on Cooper, like any manager, will not relent. But with the progress made, he has ensured that this fond relationship is one that will be maintained for a while yet. That can only be a good thing.
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My man Gustavo is going to be EPIC
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Here’s a quirky fact: Forest have been ahead against every single team who have visited the City Groud in 2022. Yes, a little bit of a catch. Spurs and Liverpool both kept clean sheets against us, but we’ve subsequently led and beaten them both. It’s a remarkable record, particularly considering we started 2022 with a poor home record after losing our first four home league games last term.
I can confirm that Steve Cooper is one of the nicest people you would ever meet.
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An impressive individual who will go right to the very top of football management. There aren’t many nice guys left in professional football but he is one.
Teddy and Roy also in that team.
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He scored another in an FA Cup Final
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A comprehensive win over Blackburn sends us into the QF of the Milk Cup
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A real club
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How did Clouhgie get that team relegated lads?
keane was unbelievable that season and they came straight back up. I’d say cloughie was too far gone on the sauce and wasn’t in touch with what was happening around him with regards to conditioning
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A highly recommended read here if you are genuinely interested in Clough and even if you aren’t.
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