EPL

Steve Cooper not thinking about losing his job at Forest after Fulham loss

By Sports Desk December 06, 2023

Under-pressure Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper is not thinking about losing his job despite a 5-0 defeat at Fulham.

Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez bagged braces and Tom Cairney also scored to heap more misery on Cooper, who has seen his team lose their last four Premier League matches.

Cooper said: “It was a painful night and a scoreline we deserve.

“We didn’t show enough desire and will make up for it. We pulled out of tackles and lost races. If you show the lack of desire you run the risk of getting what we got tonight.

“I’m grateful (for the fan support). I have to take responsibility for it and it’s on me. I have to take ownership for that but it’s embarrassing and they don’t deserve it.

“Yeah, course I do (feel like the right man to turn it around) but I probably think about that the least but I feel about what is right about the football club.

“Technically we let ourselves down with the giveaways when there’s no pressure on the ball.

“It’s not something I’m thinking about (losing his job) and what’s right for the football club is right for me. I haven’t spoken to (the owner) since the game.”

Former Wolves striker Jimenez is playing with confidence again, taking his goal tally to three in four games.

Fulham boss Marco Silva said: “It was nice to see Raul score goals in the last few games. The players are more confident and Raul after he scored his goal at Villa went to Anfield and put a very good performance in.

“He’s much more confident now and looks fresh. He was fantastic tonight but he was at Anfield as well. He was able to win the duels and showed unbelievable commitment.

“I knew these things would come. It is a consequence of his hard work and it’s really nice to see.

“The goal at Villa was a relief for him and from that moment we’ve seen a much more fresh player with more confidence because of the quality he has.”

Prior to his strike at Villa Park last month, the Mexican had not scored since March 2022.

Silva added: “It’s really important (Jimenez’s mentality). It’s important in life and for any player.

“He kept the same intensity in all the training sessions and in terms of commitment he was always there and of course all the belief from the staff and his team-mates were a big help for him.

“I have had some conversations with him and he never shows that he feels under pressure and I know how he was feeling in those moments (when he had not scored).

“When it looks dark it will not always be like that when you work hard and the good times will come again.”

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