Steve Cooper, the under-pressure manager of Nottingham Forest, has stated that his focus is on the greater good of the club rather than his own future. This comes after a damaging 2-1 loss to Leeds on Tuesday, which extended Forest’s winless run to eight games. Cooper has largely retained the backing of the Forest fans, having led them to promotion last May.
Despite reports suggesting that Cooper would be the next manager to lose his job if Forest were beaten by relegation rivals Leeds, the 43-year-old stated that he was not someone who thinks like that. He added that any worry, frustration or disappointment he is feeling is due to Forest having lost a game they could have done much better in. Cooper also revealed that he had not had any contact with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis or the board in the aftermath of Tuesday’s loss.
The former Swansea City and England Under-17 boss expressed his gratitude to the Forest supporters, saying that when they let them down it is painful. Forest had taken an early lead in the game courtesy of a neat finish from Belgian midfielder Orel Mangala at the end of a slick counter-attack. However, goals from Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra swung the game in favour of the home side and Forest were unable to respond.
Cooper believes in himself and his work and is determined not to let the Forest supporters down. He is confident that he can work at a high level and that he and his players have it in their hands to earn the points needed to keep them in the division. With nine games remaining, Cooper is focused on the greater good of the club and not his own future.