Head coach Steve Cooper has made clear he will never take the support of Nottingham Forest fans for granted as his team battle for survival.
With the Reds just one point above the relegation zone and on a run of seven games without a win, the Welshman’s position has come under scrutiny. It is not the first time this season his future has been in question, having been on the verge of being sacked in October after five straight defeats.
Forest supporters made their feelings clear back then, demonstrating their backing for Cooper during the 4-0 thumping at Leicester City. And they did the same again on Saturday after news of Cooper coming under pressure broke prior to the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Just as when he was being linked with other clubs a few weeks ago, Cooper insists he doesn’t pay attention to speculation about his position. And he has again emphasised how much being in charge at the City Ground means to him.
"I’m very grateful for any support that I have received from day one. It means more than a lot to me,” said the Reds boss.
"Every time I receive any support, it just makes me want to work even harder and it makes my responsibility even more, in terms of doing the best job possible. For sure, our biggest strength at this club is the togetherness and the community. Whether it be supporters to the team or vice-versa, or supporters to supporters, we are a very together club. That has been very powerful on match days. I, just like everyone else, is just one part of that.
"I don’t feel entitled by any support. I don’t sometimes feel like I deserve it all the time. I just want to give my best and show to the supporters - through all experiences - that I can be their manager, because that means a lot to me.
"It’s easy to be a manager when you’re winning every week, and sometimes it’s not so easy when you’re not. But I want people to see the best of me in the not easy periods, because that’s what a real leader and a real manager does. That’s really important to me. I want to be at my best after a defeat or a poor performance, that’s when I really want to be at my best.
"For the last two or three weeks in press conferences - before the international break and since - I’ve been asked questions about myself in different ways with different topics going on. I haven’t thought of anything apart from how I do my job as best I can for Nottingham Forest. It means everything to me. If something means everything to you, you give everything and nothing else matters.
"I am single-minded, just on doing my best not to let anyone down here and trying to support the players as best I can to be the team we want to be on match days. Regardless of anything else that may or may not be being talked about, we can’t come away from the fact that the most important thing for me is trying to be at our best, in terms of preparation for Leeds. If I’m focusing on anything else then I’m not doing my job.”
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