Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper says ‘real hard work’ will be the key to Nottingham Forest achieving survival in the Premier League at the end of the season.
The Reds are back in the division for the first time in 23 years this season after winning promotion via the play-offs back in May. The campaign didn’t start as Forest would have hoped after they spent time at the bottom of the table.
However, Forest ended the first part of the season on a high with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace before the break for the World Cup. While the result didn’t lift the Reds out of the relegation zone, it did lift them off the bottom of the table.
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With work still to do in the second half of the season, Cooper is under no illusions as to what it will take to be playing Premier League football in 2023/24.
"We know what it takes to do well in a Premier League match," he told the BBC . "First and foremost that comes down to real hard work, a real clear idea and commitment to that. At least now we are under no illusion of what it takes to do well in any given game. We have to try to build on that."
Having managed in the Championship, this season is Cooper’s first as a boss in the Premier League. He has outlined the differences that he is enjoying facing week in week out.
"Everything is different, I have to say. It's a lot quicker, more athletic, the speed of the game, the technique of the game - everything is at a much higher level, absolutely no doubt about that,” he added. "Don't get me wrong, we are really enjoying it.
“We really look forward to games, really want to do well in games and have never questioned the commitment or attitude of players. It is a great league to be part of and we are proud of it."
Forest are back in Premier League action on December 27th when they travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United. Before that, Forest face Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, December 21.
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