Stevie Cooper

[northeastred]

Interesting info from James Nursey.
Has got contacts inside the dressing room.
So Coops seemingly telling the players to expect changes, as we look at moving to a 4 at the back, to bolster midfield.

Now boss Cooper has told his squad to expect changes as he experiments in a friendly and considers ditching his three-man central defence. Cooper dropped captain Joe Worrall and new boy Jesse Lingard to the bench against the Cottagers but the Forest boss retains the support of the dressing room as he beds in their new players.

New striker Taiwo Awoniyi was the match-winner on the opening day as Cooper fielded eight new signings , including Jesse Lingard. Awoniyi, signed for £17million from Union Berlin, has since doubled his tally by scoring against Fulham.

But Forest staff are trying to get the powerfully-built frontman to hold the ball up better and use his strength more against defenders.

Lingard, signed on a free from Manchester United, has impressed in training with his skills but Cooper is struggling to fit him and fellow £42million new boy Morgan Gibbs-White into the same team.

Both are extremely talented creative attacking players but neither of them or Brennan Johnson are very good when the opposition have the ball and they are needed to track-back, close down and tackle.

Fellow new £12million Belgium international midfielder Orel Mangala is another star who has impressed with his technical skills and range of passing but only won four tackles in three games prior to getting injured.

It has left Cooper considering switching to a back four to make Forest more solid and compact out of possession after conceding 12 goals in their last three games

Cooper's spending spree has raised eyebrows and made Forest the butt of several jokes on social media where their team bus was mocked up as a double-decker.

But Cooper insists the huge rebuild was essential after losing five players who were on loan last term as well as veteran striker Lewis Grabban.

He said: “There has been a real rationale and necessity.We have had no choice. I don’t mind saying we would have loved to carry on last year with our team and added a few players but it was never going to happen."

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is planning a behind-closed-doors match on Friday as he tries to figure out his best side.

You missed the top paragraph off, it baffles me how he expects to find his best side out on Friday when most of the team are away on international duty, its clearly to keep the fitness in the players not to find his best side..  although cook Yates and Worrall will be involved so that keeps them up to speed for the Lester game..

Hope coops can turn it around, feels like another hughton situation ( we had a international break, he lost straight after, sacked) hopefully this break coops can crack it