'Steve Cooper is no exception to the pressure'

Pat Riddell, The Famous Club, external

There is something to be said for avoiding social media after the final whistle. Win, lose or draw, the wild oscillations of opinion can appear to be representative when in reality they’re merely the loud minority.

And so it ever was. The truth, of course, is that football managers are always under pressure: you don’t need a newspaper ‘exclusive’ to know this.

Steve Cooper is no exception. Nottingham Forest have spent a lot of money and there is an expectation to be higher up the table. But progress doesn’t always come as quickly as impatience demands.

Despite recent results, the Reds are still better off than they were this time last season. The top half of the table is only three points away. We have injuries to key players and we have new players still finding their feet.

At the same time our defending needs to improve, our midfield needs to take more control and our attackers need to be more clinical. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and focus on one but not the other.

Just three weeks ago Forest beat Villa 2-0 and Cooper was rightly lauded. Two defeats later it’s another story. Yes, there is work to be done. But keeping a level head is sometimes the hardest thing in football.

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