Steve Cooper spoke with great candour in the build-up to facing Fulham about the challenges which come with a vast dressing room overhaul.
Another game down and the task hasn’t got any easier for the Nottingham Forest boss. It is a problem he knows he needs to fix fast.
He is not one for offering up excuses - far from it, and quite the opposite in fact - but there’s no getting away from the feeling that the Reds don’t yet look like a team. Added to that, the manager is still figuring out what his strongest XI is.
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Forest have shown glimpses - the way they had a go against Tottenham Hotspur, the moments of exciting link-up play, the promise of better to come. But they have also - understandably - looked disjointed and lacking in cohesion at times. In the last two games, when they’ve conceded one, their heads have gone and they’ve fallen apart.
There is still a long way to go, plenty of time to improve, to climb the table and for the influx of summer signings to gel. There still needs to be an element of patience and understanding. But Cooper will be as aware as anyone that while all of that work and developing is going on, he still needs to find a way of picking up points.
Game management
The head coach pointed to his team not handling the moments after they have let in a goal well. In successive fixtures, they have taken the lead, only to be left stunned after a second half capitulation.
Once Fulham equalised, there needed to be cool heads and someone taking control to get a grip of the game. Instead, the visitors ripped into their hosts, netting twice more to make it three in six minutes, near enough killing the contest off.
Tightening up and stopping the opposition scoring in the first place is the priority. But if and when that does happen, the Reds cannot keep collapsing in the manner they have.
Cooper has a point when he talks about building the kind of trust which can help see you through tough times. “When you need to regroup and stay together, that comes with an experienced team of being together, with connections on the pitch,” he said. “That’s something we don’t have, for the nature of how the squad’s been put together and the timing of it. We don’t have that.”
Having seen the opposition come from behind to take all three points in successive games, there is a danger now of that playing on minds; of Forest becoming nervous whenever they go in front. Cooper has to ensure that isn’t the case; cutting out any notion of mental fragility.
Staking his claim
Lewis O’Brien could consider himself unfortunate to have been left out of the line-up for the past two games. There is surely no question he makes the cut when the Premier League action resumes at Leicester City next month.
He had impressed in the early weeks of the season. And he did so again from off the bench this time. Forest had lost the battle in the centre of the pitch until O’Brien came on.
He added some much needed bite and drive in midfield. And he got his team back into it with a lovely goal, urging the crowd to keep getting behind the players as he picked the ball out of the net, not giving up hope of completing a comeback. In the 20 minutes he was on the pitch, he was a clear choice for man of the match - not just for reducing the deficit.
The question is who should take up position alongside him. Or indeed, whether a formation change is required and three in midfield is the answer; it has to be something worth considering.
Cooper’s challenge
Forest have good players; they have done some excellent (necessary) business in the transfer window. They have players with both great experience and great promise. Players with international, Champions League and Premier League know-how, as well as the excitement of youth. Even those who some have written off can still answer their critics.
Cooper has shown before he can build teams and unite squads. There is no reason why he cannot do so again, and why the quality in that changing room cannot translate into performances on the pitch.
That is going to take time. So too, is the manager getting to know his players and deciding upon his best side.
Asked how long he expects that to take, he said in his pre-match press conference: "It's definitely a challenge, if I'm being honest. I'm not going to shy away from it.
"Whatever team I put out against Fulham, there's a sense of the unknown about it, because we have so many players that are new. Even the lads who have already played, we still haven't done a pre-season with a few of them and all that sort of stuff.
"I don't think we need to make all that the elephant in the room. I think we need to say, 'this is what we are', but it doesn't mean we can't win the next game or play well.”
Last season, Forest benefitted from having a pretty settled starting XI. Getting to that point again as quickly as possible will help.
Cooper altered his defence, midfield and attack against Fulham. Only three changes in total, but, even so, getting some stability will be key, particularly in a bid to shore up at the back. The Reds did look better for having an out-and-out striker, in Taiwo Awoniyi, on the pitch, though, even if they didn’t see much of the ball.
Big opportunity
Two weeks on the training pitch. A fortnight’s thinking time for the manager. Those things have to make a difference.
Any thought of the Welshman being under any more pressure than comes with the territory shouldn’t even come into the equation. He deserves, and needs, time.
Losing four in a row is never good. Seeing the opposition come from behind to win twice in succession is poor. Conceding six at home in those two games and 14 in four matches - admittedly with two of those against world-class strikers - is a big concern. There are significant areas to address.
Forest need to find a way of being braver and playing with more conviction, something which was a hallmark of last season. They allowed Fulham to have too much possession on Friday night and invited problems on themselves.
But the Reds, and the crowd, didn’t give up - even at 3-1 down. Substitutions made had an impact. There have been positive moments in the first seven games. This team, under this manager, can still come good. Cooper will be the first to admit they need to do so quickly, though.
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