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NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
21 September, 2021

Cooper appointment starts turnaround

On this day in 2021 Forest appoint Steve Cooper with the club bottom of the Championship.

Manager legacies

Appointment of a historically significant manager
Steve Cooper, former Forest manager, pictured in May 2022.
Steve Cooper, former Forest manager, pictured in May 2022. Image: AFC Bournemouth / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Steve Cooper arrived at Nottingham Forest with the club bottom of the Championship and in urgent need of direction.

Forest had made a poor start to the 2021-22 season, and the appointment carried pressure from the beginning. Cooper was not walking into a stable promotion chase. He inherited a side low on points, confidence, and momentum.

Steve Cooper, former Forest manager, pictured in May 2022.
Steve Cooper, former Forest manager, pictured in May 2022. Image: AFC Bournemouth / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The turnaround became one of the most dramatic chapters in modern Forest history. Cooper reshaped the mood around the club, helped players such as Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence and Ryan Yates thrive, and took Forest from the bottom of the table to the Championship play-offs.

The season ended with promotion to the Premier League after victory over Huddersfield Town at Wembley. Cooper later kept Forest in the top flight in 2022-23 before leaving in December 2023, but his appointment is remembered above all as the moment a failing season became a promotion story.

First Interview

Sources

Nottingham Forest official site; Sky Sports; BBC Sport

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Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
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Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
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Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
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Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
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Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
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Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
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Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
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Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
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Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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2019
Clough anniversary marked vs Barnsley

Nottingham Forest marked the fifteenth anniversary of Brian Clough’s death during the home match against Barnsley at the City Ground. The club encouraged supporters…

Manager legacies
2021
Cooper appointment starts turnaround

Steve Cooper arrived at Nottingham Forest with the club bottom of the Championship and in urgent need of direction. Forest had made a poor…

Manager legacies