Steve Cooper
Steve Cooper has forged a reputation for being one of the nicest men in football – a manager who cares implicitly about his players. There have been family barbecues, messages to players from loved ones before big games and Face Times on days off to see how they are doing, when it comes to Cooper’s man management at Nottingham Forest. One man who knows him closely is former Reds coach Steven Reid, who says all that is genuine, but there is sharper edge to Cooper when there needs to be and without it Forest would never have achieved the success they have under the Welshman.
Steve Reid said: “A lot is made of Steve as a person but make no mistake he’s a top, top coach. Tactically he’s very good. On day one he gave a presentation about how we would play. Every session was about how do we play. We never put on a session that was just possession or a passing drill, everything was either related to the opposition or how we play. Everything had a reason. It’s not just that he’s a great guy that we got results. He’s tactically very good and there’s a clear methodology. He would change things early in games and play different formations. He’s got the balance right. Great guy but you also need good staff, you need to trust staff and delegate them. Everything was a real slick operation. He’s very demanding on the training pitch. Don’t get sucked in by the great press he gets for being a good guy. If a session wasn’t right he’d speak to me or Tatey (Alan Tate) and ask what we were thinking and why it didn’t work. The same with players. If a simple pass wasn’t right he was on them. If a player wasn’t at it in training there would be a conversation afterwards. There’s a good balance between the good and bad guy. (The hair dryer treatment) wasn’t often needed at half-time, but if it was then he’d do that and myself or Tatey would deliver the tactical information afterwards. He’s got that nasty side to him as well.”
Reid left Forest in the days after they won promotion to the Premier League at Wembley in order to become a mental health and well-being coach for players across the game. Although he worked with Cooper for less than a year, he says the pair forged a lasting bond not just in promotion, but in Cooper’s willingness to listen when it came to the mental challenges Reid has dealt with throughout his career.
Steve Reid said: “When Steve came in we were rock bottom. When you win a couple of games, hope builds, then you win again and momentum builds. How Steve speaks it’s fantastic. There’s the extra details like after Wembley you had Joe Worrall talking about the manager Face Timing him on his days off. It’s just going that extra mile and making people feel good about themselves. He made the fans feel good about the club again. I’ve been lucky with the managers I’ve worked with. For me personally, he’s the one who let me open up about the stuff I’m doing now freely in his office. He let me talk about my worries and challenges and he’d share one or two of his own. I’ve never had that as a coach, a space that let me talk like that without feeling judged or scared to do so. That’s probably why we’ll be friends for the rest of days for that connection we had as a group. He’s one of the best I’ve worked with for creating that culture.”
When Reid speaks of Cooper’s exacting standards around training and knowing when individuals are fully engaged, it highlights the problems Cooper and his staff have faced in building a new team after 23 summer signings. As well as learning the tactical skills of each player, Cooper has had to get to know them personally to make sure marginal gains are not missed and players are settling in properly.
Steve Reid said: “It’s a massive challenge for him (having so many new signings). Sometimes it’s difficult for players because they see the money being spent on 20 players and think go on, off you go. One of the most difficult things would be learning on the job as well in the Premier League, the toughest league in the world. You had players coming in right up until the deadline when the season was underway. You can’t just play a friendly match and have two teams for 45 minutes each. You’re trying out formations in the Premier League, on the job. I can only liken it slightly to international football with Scotland. You never had the time to deliver the sessions and get the information across. It’s fantastic the club stuck by him with a new contract. I think that settled things down and it was no surprise to see improved results and performances. They look a lot more solid. The players have had together in training with video work, unit work too. It does take time.”
