Football News: Some Thoughts About Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper

To be accused of all sorts of negativity on here without acknowledging the route of the posts, I'll put this out there for the doubters and maybe you could put your views on it as I am very confused.

Nottingham Forest Manager, Steve Cooper never played the game at the top level. Now his players of choice this season seems biased on his liking of personalities over ability.

The players like O'Brien, Surridge, Bade, Toffolo have been treated, in my eyes, dreadfully. Not Premier players I hear you say, well who is? The likes of Freuler Mangala, Lodi, Awoniyi, Williams, MGW, Worrall etc. have none either, but for some reason Cooper gives them plenty of opportunities and sticks with them allowing them time to adapt to the Premier League, to my mind at great expense.

Now Cooper has publicly slaughtered O'Brien and Surridge and privately humiliated them. Surridge got his chance against Man United in the cup and scored a fabulous goal, chalked off for a stupidly marginal offside decision.

After the game, Cooper criticised Surridge for being offside. Does Cooper understand how fine lines are at this level, but didn't praise Surridge for his cool finish. Never the less his next appearance was the punishment against Blackpool.

O'Brien has made the odd mistake granted, but he changed a game when he came on scoring a goal, but since then has been dumped on from a great height. Lodi was put in from the get go and was abstract useless contributing to defeat after deafeat away from home where Toffolo was dumped after making one mistake.

The loyalty shown to lesser players is disgraceful. Listening to Cooper is relentless soporific nonsense and it's always the players not listening. Not his shortcomings as a coach or manager. In his defence he will sometimes say we are all learning. Well if he backed that theory up with allowing the likes of O'Brien, Surridge, Toffolo and Bade to learn, then we might by now have some better equipped established Premier League players in these four, instead of the hapless toothless Freuler, Mangala etc. who'll be looking for new clubs next season.

Lodi may have improved but he's still a liability. Cooper played at a low level and maybe knowledgeable. Players don't suffer his lack of credibility. For sure he is naive and stubborn and simply cannot get a tune away from home due to lack of attacking intent and relies on the vocality of the City ground to grind out some fortunate points.

Thoughts on the back of a postage stamp please. And I totally acknowledge the debt we owe to Mr. Cooper and he has earned the right to over see this season, but his limitations have been evident since day one.

Written by Rutland red8 March 16 2023 21:43:02