Prior to Nottingham Forest’s trip to the west coast, Steve Cooper could not have made his message to his squad much clearer.
He talked of how players who had impressed in the Reds’ last cup game - against Tottenham Hotspur - had played their way into contention for the league match which followed. He set out how every fixture, regardless of opponent or competition, carries weight for assessing performance.
He laid out what he expected of his team in the starkest possible terms. He spelled out that, for those who played, this was a chance to be grasped.
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“When you play for this football club, every game is an opportunity and important to do well in. Whoever we select, I expect 100 percent commitment and high performance levels,” he had said. “We won’t accept anything less than that.”
Come full-time at Bloomfield Road, Cooper was equally as blunt. How the 90 minutes against Blackpool had unfolded, and the performance levels of those involved, gave him little choice. Rarely has the Welshman been quite so cutting with his assessments.
Even smarting from a 4-1 humiliation, he speaks in measured tones and finds the right words to say - words which acknowledged to the thousands who had travelled that what had transpired was “unacceptable”. And words which will have left his players in absolutely no doubt about what he thought of their display against the Seasiders.
Opportunity missed
Reflecting afterwards, Cooper said he wouldn’t have done anything differently when it came to his team selection. Injuries and a hectic schedule which involved a lot of travelling and which has some big games coming up played a part in his thinking behind making 11 changes.
There is an argument for saying it perhaps came as no surprise that Forest looked disjointed and a number of players lacked sharpness. But that shouldn’t be used as an excuse, particularly for a dismal second half.
The line-up selected should still have been more than capable of securing safe passage to round four of the FA Cup. It was a side with plenty of experience, both in the Premier League and in the Championship, and one packed with players who should have been desperate to catch the manager’s eye.
Those involved have struggled for regular game time in recent weeks. Several of them have done a good job in the Garibaldi before and shouldn’t immediately be written off from one match. Cooper certainly won’t make snap judgements based on one display, but he has hardly been given a selection headache for the fixtures ahead. Too many of those selected did not take the chance presented to them.
One of the questions most frequently put to the manager since Forest’s summer shopping spree is whether he knows his best XI. It’s rarely as simple as that. But a few days after naming an unchanged side for the first time this season, against Southampton, it would come as little surprise if most of those who started at Blackpool find themselves handed another start anytime soon.
“This was a good opportunity for the lads who haven’t played in the last couple of weeks to go and do their bit,” Cooper said. “Unfortunately they didn’t.”
Both ends of the pitch
It was largely a comedy of errors when it came to the goals conceded against the second-tier side. Individual mistakes and a lack of organisation in the back line made for a horror show.
But what irked Cooper just as much was the golden opportunities spurned at the other end of the pitch. Up until Ian Poveda made it 2-0 in the 64th minute, the Reds had a glut of chances to at least get back on level terms.
Sam Surridge could have left with a hat-trick. Emmanuel Dennis hit the bar and wasted other promising moments. Lewis O’Brien twice failed to make the goalkeeper work. And that was what really irritated the Forest head coach, that Chris Maxwell had a relatively comfortable afternoon between the posts.
That and the fact he felt his team accepted defeat too easily. They allowed the hosts to romp to victory by the end.
Plenty of that XI are better than what they showed against Blackpool. But given the fight ahead of the Reds in the Premier League, the task of convincing Cooper they deserve a go in the top-flight just got a whole lot more difficult.
Survival is the priority. Being out of the FA Cup perhaps isn’t of too great a concern in itself. However, the manner in which the visitors were knocked out will not sit well with the Forest boss. “I’ve been very clear with the players that we can’t just turn things on and off. We can’t,” he said. “There was too much entitlement in our game, and I hate that. We need to sort it out.”
Window requirements
Saturday’s display will probably not have altered Forest’s plans for this month. But it might well have reinforced their thinking.
Cooper has spoken about wanting signings who can strengthen the starting XI, as well as to ensure there is strength in depth in the squad. Centre-back, midfield and up front were already the areas being targeted for reinforcements, and that is unlikely to have changed.
How the club fare in bolstering resources will no doubt affect what happens with outgoings. Space needs to be made in the 25-man Premier League squad to accommodate any arrivals, but at the same time, the Reds will not want to be left short of resources - particularly when their injury list is taken into account.
There has been speculation about some of those included in the XI at Bloomfield Road, including the likes of Dennis and Surridge. Any decisions taken will not be based on Saturday alone, however. Moreover, having only just started to gel as a squad and as a team, another mass overhaul during the January window is the last thing Cooper needs.
A couple of positives
There wasn’t much to cheer in the third round tie, but Gustavo Scarpa did enough on his full debut to suggest he will be an asset in the weeks and months to come. He was far and away Forest’s best player, particularly in the first half and up until the visitors collapsed after the break - albeit the bar was set woefully low.
He showed good vision with his passing range and at least drew a save out of Maxwell. He tried to make things happen. The more minutes he gets under his belt, the more of an impact he can have. Getting his first start under his belt will have been a good taster of what to expect from English football.
There was a debut, too - a professional one - for teenager Billy Fewster. In the circumstances, the youngster gave a decent account of himself. He could certainly have done with more help from experienced players around him, but he didn’t shy away from getting stuck in.
Opportunities for young players are harder to come by with Forest in the top-flight, but Cooper always tries to give them when he can. And he made clear to Fewster beforehand that however the match panned out, he would be better for the experience.
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