Steve Cooper knows what’s coming in pre-match press conferences ahead of Nottingham Forest away games.
The Reds have picked up just six points - including one win - on the road this season. It remains a record he is keen to change, and to front up to when questioned on it.
His team head to Brentford this weekend looking to build on their midweek victory over Brighton and Hove Albion. That 3-1 triumph at the City Ground ended an 11-match winless streak and sees Forest above the relegation zone going into Saturday’s clash.
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Cooper faced the media this morning to preview the trip to the capital. Here’s a look at what he had to say.
Injury woes
Up to 14 players could be out for the match at the Gtech Community Stadium. It never rains but it pours for the Reds on the injury front.
They have been hit by the news Neco Williams will miss the remaining five games with a fractured jaw, following his collision with Brennan Johnson on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Taiwo Awoniyi (shoulder) and Moussa Niakhate (hamstring) are doubts to face the Bees after going off during the game.
“It is frustrating, but there’s no point in focusing on it too much,” Cooper said of the injury situation. “We want the boys with injuries to be healthy as soon as possible of course, particularly the last couple of injuries with Scott (McKenna) and Neco, which were contact injuries. They are nothing but unfortunate.
“Regardless of the injuries, we’ve got a game to play. We’ve got to go into it focused on the game plan, focused on what we think it takes to do well against Brentford and not be thinking too much about the lads who aren’t with us, that’s how it has to be.”
Brentford focus
Being able to celebrate a win had been a long time coming for Forest. Not since February had ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ been belted out by supporters.
Players and staff enjoyed the moment, too. But Cooper says the focus quickly shifted to their next challenge.
And he is keen to go into it with the right mindset. Rather than seeing Wednesday as the end of one run, he wants it to be the start of another (more positive) one.
“You are always looking to build on good things. Momentum is only momentum if you keep good things going. That’s the intention.
“It was great coming off the pitch having won. But at the training ground yesterday I quickly saw a change in focus to get ready for Saturday, because we knew how quickly it was going to come. There was a really good focus from the boys. All we are doing now is looking forward to tomorrow.
“Obviously there are positive feelings that come from a win. I wouldn't say we've ever got too low after losses. Obviously we haven’t come skipping into the training ground, but at the same time we haven’t come in sulking either.
“We want to stay level through positive and negative results, because in the end you have got to look to the next game. But for sure, it was great to get the win.
“What we are focused on now is trying to build on it. I don’t want winning the other night to feel like the end of something, I want to make it the start of something.
“I think that’s a better mindset. Rather than saying we’ve stopped the winless run, let’s try to start something. But we’ve got to go make that happen.”
Bees threat
Cooper gave a quizzical look when it was put to him that some may see going to Brentford as an “easy” (relatively speaking) game. Against an opponent sitting in ninth spot and with 19-goal Ivan Toney in their ranks, he knows it will be anything but.
“There is no easy game in the Premier League,” said the Welshman. “Brentford have had a fantastic season and they deserve a lot of respect and credit for the continuous progress they seem to make year in, year out.
“We said about Brighton being a club that seems joined-up and making progress and Brentford are another good example of that. When you go to their stadium, you have to play all of that.
“It’s going to be a tough game. They have some really good players, including one of the best strikers in the league in Ivan Toney, as well as loads of good players around him. We have to be aware of that and go there with a plan we think can serve us well.”
Points total
This time of the season always prompts discussion about how many points might be needed to stay up. With five games to go, the Reds are on 30, one place and one point above 18th-placed Leicester City. Cooper is not getting drawn into what the possible survival total may be, though.
“You sometimes look at it a little bit and go off on all sorts of tangents, then I just say I’ll leave it to other people to tell me and just focus on Brentford and the points we’d like to get out of that game,” he said. “Of course, with a few games left, the scenarios become a little bit more clear. It will become even clearer as the games get ticked off.
“The day before a game, we’re not thinking about what points will do. We just think about getting the points, and that’s going to be really tough at Brentford.”
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