“The start was terrible” – Nottingham Forest chief blunt about return to PL, praises Cooper turnaround

Nottingham Forest sporting director Filippo Girldi has praised manager Steve Cooper for turning their fortunes around following a “terrible” start to the season.

The Tricky Trees returned to the Premier League at the end of last season after a superb turnaround under Steve Cooper the previous season that saw them rise from bottom of the table to the playoffs.

They then went on to beat Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town in those games, securing their place back in the top flight for the first time since the 1998-1999 season.

A huge summer overhaul of the squad followed, with 21 players signed to help fill a depleted squad and set the Reds up for this campaign.

That created something of a problem for Cooper, though, as he struggled to find a settled team and his side failed to pick up points, winning just one of their first eight league games.

That piled the pressure on Cooper but Nottingham Forest elected to back him rather than sack him, handing him a new contract until 2025 as a show of faith.

That has proven to be a smart move as they’ve improved over the last few months, currently sitting 14^th in the table and four points from the relegation zone.

That’s a position most would have been happy with at the beginning of the season and Giraldi insists it is Cooper that deserves the credit.

“Many paid dearly for the jump in category,” he told Tuttosport.

“It is true, the start was terrible: four points in the first eight games could have immediately shaken the confidence in Steve Cooper’s work. Yet the coach immediately received reassurances from the club, adjusted the defensive phase, and improvements arrived.

“This is also a difference between Forest and many realities, including some Italian ones.

“Money is important, but it’s not enough if you don’t give continuity to the work. It’s true that we added experienced people to the team in January, but that means little. Almost everyone here is able to spend, but not everyone will be saved.

“Especially in England, the newcomers struggle, but beating the newcomers is hard. There is no point in talking about the secrets of promotion, maintaining a good level of competitiveness over time is the most complicated challenge.”