Even though his club has battled its way out of the Premier League relegation zone, Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper feels there is still much work to be done. Recently Forest snapped an 11-game losing streak by defeating Brighton after falling behind on their results.
Cooper, though, controlled his emotions and decided not to give his famous fist pump in response to the raucous cheers from the home crowd. “We haven’t won in months, but I’m still happy for the fans and players,” he remarked. “I don’t believe you should delight too much after winning a game. There is a ton of work to be done.”
Before winning, Forest faced several challenges, including missing an early penalty, falling behind, and losing defender Neco Williams, who was rushed to the hospital after colliding badly with teammate Brennan Johnson.
Just before halftime, a Pascal Gross own goal tied the score for Forest. The home team took the lead thanks to Danilo, and Morgan Gibbs-White sealed the victory with a late penalty. As a result, Forest moved out of the bottom three and over Everton and Leicester.
Cooper accepts that a large portion of the praise belongs to the fans who have stood by the coach and players despite their dismal recent record. “People who haven’t been here in a while find the environment surprising,” he claimed. “We will never consider it a given. Even when games haven’t gone well, and there have been a few of those, we have just had genuinely encouraging support. It continues to help that they are like how they were tonight.”
