Neil Warnock has issued advice to Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper after navigating another relegation battle.
The 74-year-old was appointed by Huddersfield Town in February as the Terriers looked to climb out of the bottom three in the Championship. Despite taking over with the club 23rd in the table, Warnock led the Yorkshire club to safety with a game to spare, picking up 25 points during his 15 games in charge.
Forest lifted themselves out of the relegation zone and took a huge step towards safety with their vital win over Southampton on Monday. The club are now three points clear of 18th with three games remaining and Warnock has offered advice on how Steve Cooper can ensure his team stay away from danger.
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"I think you have got to be a little bit light-hearted, I just use a lot of humour, I probably have a go at one or two of the lads’ clothes, break it up, because it is intense. It is for the manager as well,” Warnock told talkSPORT, who also successfully beat the drop at Middlesbrough and Rotherham United in recent years.
“The managers just have to take the pressure off the lads and just make it a normal thing even though it’s not.
"We’ve [Huddersfield] had quite a few days off and told the lads ‘think yourself lucky I am old fashioned’. Because when you get to this time of year you are not going to get any fitter. It’s all upstairs now, all in the mind and between the ears.”
Aware of the mental toll that a relegation scrap can bring to a club, Warnock admitted that he encourages players to express themselves. It certainly proved to be a recipe for success for Forest last time out, recording a 4-3 win over Southampton at the City Ground.
"I try to stress not to worry about making a mistake, especially the forwards. Have a go, if you lose it so what,” he continued. “A lot of managers go into ‘We have got to do this, every session you have got to think about the opponents, got to think about their strengths, what they do’. Whereas I don’t think you think enough about what you can do, really. Keep on about what you are good at rather than what they are good at."
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