Nottingham Forest have improved under Steve Cooper, but is it enough to make the promotion playoffs?

26/11/21 1469

Nottingham Forest were 24th in the Championship on September 16 under manager Chris Hughton. The Reds had posted a record of 0W-1D-6L to start the season.

In just under a year of managing Nottingham Forest, Hughton had made them one of the dullest sides in the Championship. He oversaw 53 games and posted a dismal winning record of 26%.

On September 16, having seen enough under Hughton, Nottingham Forest sacked the manager and installed ex-Swansea boss, Steve Cooper.

Cooper had taken Swansea to back-to-back promotion playoff appearances, but left the Welsh club in the offseason due to feeling he had taken the team as far as possible.

Nottingham Forest were a long way away from where Cooper had reached with Swansea. Giving him the chance to build the club, quite literally from the bottom of the Championship up.

Cooper took over officially on September 21. Since then, Nottingham Forest have posted a record of 5W-5D-1L. He has improved the team’s position from 24th to 13th.

In two months, Cooper has taken the side out of relegation and into midtable, making them one of the Championship’s most difficult to defeat teams.

Ahead of Championship matchday 20, Nottingham Forest are seven points off of the promotion playoff places. Although the gap between the top six and the rest of the league is widening, the Championship is a marathon and not a sprint.

If Cooper can keep the side around the midtable, there is always time for a promotion playoff push. Matchday 20 will see Nottingham Forest tested as they visit third-place West Brom. With the way the Reds have played over the last two months, a draw could be on the cards.

No player has improved under Cooper’s management more than Nottingham Forest striker Lewis Grabban. Now 33, Grabban is a well-travelled Championship striker, who joined Nottingham Forest in 2018.

The Croydon-born goalscorer has bagged 51 goals in 133 matches for the Reds. Yet, until Hughton’s exit on September 16, Grabban had scored a mere one goal in the league.

Grabban made just six appearances under Hughton in 2021-22, playing a full 90 minutes on just three of those occasions. Since Hugton’s departure and Cooper’s arrival, Grabban has been reborn.

The former Crystal Palace youth player has scored seven goals in 13 appearances. Six of those 13 matches saw Grabban play over 90 minutes.

Twenty-year-old attacking midfielder Brennan Johnson is another player to come alive under Cooper. Johnson has tallied three goals and four assists in 19 appearances. The Welsh international has tallied two of his goals and assists under Cooper’s watch.

The attack has improved dramatically at the City Ground. Yet, the playoffs may still be a step too far. Cooper may need another season at the helm. Nottingham Forest’s defence still needs work, they have conceded 23 times and scored 24 goals.

An offseason to shape the club may do Nottingham Forest a world of wonder. It may also give them the chance to make a sustained push for automatic promotion.

While some managerial changes offer a short-term uplift in form, Cooper’s arrival has given Nottingham Forest more than a short-term burst.

They are now one of the Championship’s most difficult teams to defeat. A promotion playoff push is still on the cards, but a sustained fight for promotion is likely a season away.