In this exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Steve Cooper explains his idea of leadership and how he is managing the changes at The City Ground. Watch Nottingham Forest vs Brentford live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1pm on Sunday; kick-off 2pm
Saturday 30 September 2023 17:41, UK
Steve Cooper is speaking on the second anniversary of his first win as Nottingham Forest manager but does he remember it? Of course he does. And not just that it happened away to Barnsley and saw Forest come from behind to win 3-1 at Oakwell.
He remembers the penalty incident for Barnsley's goal. He remembers the scorers: Philip Zinckernagel, Brennan Johnson and Lewis Grabban. He even remembers the assists. "Alex Mighten set the third one up," he tells Sky Sports. "It was an amazing dribble."
It is not so long ago, of course, but as Cooper sits in an office at The City Ground ahead of Forest's Premier League game against Brentford on Sunday and reflects on these past two years, it is impossible not to be struck by the scale of change at this football club.
Cooper was - and is - the catalyst.
The tale of how he transformed Forest is well told. Taking over a team bottom of the Championship and braced for the third tier, he sparked things on the pitch and off it, taking the two-time European champions back to the top flight for the first time this century.
He is continuing to drive standards, with a humility that resonates with the club's supporters. It is disarming. Summing up his emotion at being the club's manager, you expect him to opt for the word 'pride' and instead he hits you with 'gratitude'. Fans adore him.
Cooper talks regularly about feeling that responsibility, trying not to let others down. The sense is of a custodian as well as a coach. It is impossible to imagine anyone caring more. That might weigh heavily on him but the aim is to wear it lightly at all times.
"I do believe in the shadow of the leader," he says.
What does he mean by that?
"If a leader is ever not working hard enough or showing complacency or not concentrated, in the shadow of that, it rubs off on everyone else. If you see somebody who is negative, moody and cynical, that rubs off. So I think about how I would like to be perceived."
He is not alone. "The staff and senior players are aligned and we have a leadership group here." They work together to create the environment. "It becomes a version of what you want the culture to be. It is about being open and honest. Win, lose or draw."
That mentality was tested to its limits last season.
Through two seasons at Swansea, his first appointed in club management, he had not really had to deal with that, reaching the Championship playoffs on both occasions. In that memorable first season with Forest, even less so. "We won a lot of games," he says.
"Last season was my first real experience of going through phases of not winning. My first experience as a manager dealing with adversity. I have studied leadership and a lot of it is dealing with the tough times. That is the time to do the real learning."
Much of the lessons taken from that were logical. "You never want to get too high and you never want to get too low. There is a lot more spotlight on you in the Premier League. It is about being yourself in those moments." But Cooper was also an agent of change.
This time last season, with Forest in the middle of a five-game losing streak that culminated in a 4-0 defeat to Leicester, a swift return to the Championship appeared likely. Cooper changed the approach, reverting to a counter-attacking game that reaped rewards.
"Coaching is about doing things in a way that you believe in but it is also about living in the moment and adapting. In the modern game, teams play a couple of formations in one game, they can be effective playing in different ways. Football has never been so fluid.
"We want to be an example of that but when you are new to the Premier League, you have to accept that part of your work is about surviving before you can thrive. So, we are striving for excellence but excellence in our way. At the same time, we do have ambition."
He is reluctant to share that ambition for how he wants it to look in the long term. "I can tell you the next small step. It is integrating these players into our culture so we can get the best out of them. I am training every day with players I only met a few weeks ago."
Ah, yes. The constant at Cooper's Forest is change.
The number of signings last season, 29 in total, received inordinate attention but that process has continued this past summer. Cooper has already used 26 players this season in all competitions, with the number of debutants in double figures again.
When he talks of Brentford's continuity, their on-pitch relationships, it is tempting to infer from this that he regards it as a disadvantage for his team but he sees the need for change. "We have different types of midfield players now, more variety and strength in depth."
The truth is that he has been forced to become an expert on integrating players. The good news for Forest is that it is getting easier because so familiar has it become under Cooper that lessons are being learned. "You try to be creative," he explains.
"For example, if we deliver a meeting with writing on the board, it will be in a couple of languages now. This is our team, we have a lot of nationalities. We have some Spanish, French and Portuguese-speaking staff too so we are really clear on the messaging."
Some of the players are improving their language skills quickly, which helps. "Danilo's English is really coming on and that is good." Others, such as Ibrahim Sangare, the exciting midfield addition from PSV, are in the early stages of that journey and require more support.
"When I am speaking he might not be hearing it as clearly as if it were in French. He will sit between Willy Boly and Serge Aurier who I am happy to be translating as it is going on. We will have Spanish going on elsewhere. We want everyone to understand."
It helps that the culture is now defined. "We know who we are and how we work, play and train." And Cooper's principles are non-negotiable. "The best way to integrate people is to spend time with them. Communication and transparency are really important."
They are familiar watchwords, an ethos that has taken Forest back to the Premier League, kept them there and now, with victory over Brentford on Sunday, could take the club into the top half of the Premier League table. It is a success story. Just do not tell the boss.
"If you ever think you are there, that is when you can be complacent and it goes the other way," he adds.
With Steve Cooper around, there is no chance of that.
Watch Nottingham Forest vs Brentford live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1pm on Sunday; kick-off 2pm
