Head coach Steve Cooper was left hurt by the thought he let Nottingham Forest fans down as his team suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to Leeds United.
Orel Mangala’s opener was quickly cancelled out at Elland Road and the Reds lost their way as their winless streak stretched to eight games. The result leaves the club out of the bottom three on goal difference and the manager on thin ice.
Even in the difficult times Cooper has received tremendous backing from Forest supporters. His fate may not be in their hands, but he made clear he would love the chance to repay their faith.
READ MORE: Cooper answers question on Forest future as pressure increases
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“I’ll forever be grateful to the supporters,” he said. “That’s why winning games feels so joyous and losing games hurts.
“Because they are so good with me, when we let them down like we did, it’s painful. That’s how I think - about trying to do what’s right and good for the club. I just don’t think about myself.
“I’m always grateful for the support. I don’t take it for granted and certainly don’t feel entitled by it.
“If anything, the more support I get, the more determined I get and more paranoid I get about not letting them down. Tonight, I feel like I did. I felt the same after Wolves (a 1-1 draw at the weekend) as well, because it was a game we should have won.
“That’s what my mindset is. I don’t think it’s the worst mindset in the world, to think about the greater good of the club. That’s honestly how I feel. I just don’t think about myself.”
The Welshman insisted there was nothing to read into his reaction after the final whistle on Tuesday night. He had paused by the entrance to the tunnel, to applaud the away end again, before leaving the pitch.
“It was more about the performance,” he said. “Don’t read anything into that.”
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