His message was simple: do it for Nottingham, do it for the community, do it for the fans.
At Nottingham Forest, in every sense, there has long been a clear understanding of their position. The head coach is not the only one who grasps what it means to hundreds of thousands of people, to see their side ensure that, whatever happens in their final game, their position will be outside of the relegation zone; that they will play Premier League football again.
What Forest has achieved since Cooper was appointed in September 2021 has been remarkable — and there is nobody more integral to it than their head coach. From the bottom of the Championship table to proving their doubters wrong by securing a second season in the top flight thanks to the 1-0 win over Arsenal.
This has not been a story about one man, but about what can be achieved through unity and togetherness. And that in itself is the most remarkable thing: that Forest was capable of finding such qualities amid a tidal wave of 29 new signings and a stream of injuries.
Whatever happens in the future, Cooper’s trademark fist-pumps will be the physical embodiment of a remarkable era for a club that had waited 23 years for the chance to return to the top table. The City Ground raised its voice to bellow his name time and again as Forest agonizingly edged past Mikel Arteta’s team.
Before the game, it felt significant that Evangelos Marinakis had not mentioned Cooper in his rallying cry to fans. After it, the shipping magnate did speak about how he had taken the “wise” decision to support Cooper. But also about how, if you do decide to make a change, you need to be able to bring in somebody better.
Cooper has not always been able to plan for the future, with his job having been under threat more than once. But it is surely a luxury he has earned now. Because having galvanized and brought together an entirely new team, he has unified an entire city.
And it is hard to think of many people who could do better than that.
The latest Forza Garibaldi banner in the Trent End said it all perfectly: “Our redshirts, you have given us your all and once more, we give you ours in return”.
“I just feel pride, a great sense of belonging at being part of something really special and important for me,” Cooper said. “A brilliant day for the players and an equally great day for the supporters — and one we deserved,” said Cooper. “It is difficult to use the word achievement at this club because you have to be careful, but it is just amazing to be able to allow the club to move forward. That’s what we all want to do. It is a real sense of belonging and being part of something greater than any one person.”
Equally, the fans have seemed to understand the part they can play. The City Ground has been an intimidating, partisan cauldron from the first few weeks of Cooper’s tenure. Never more so than this season, when fans have been the wind in the sails for a side that has won 30 of their 37 points at home.
Against Brighton & Hove Albion, the City Ground took a deep breath to deliver a physical wall of noise. When Southampton visited, the volume levels, improbably, went up. This time neighboring Trent Bridge — where Nottinghamshire was facing Essex in the County Championship — was deafened by the latest rendition of Mull of Kintyre. Forest fan and England bowler Stuart Broad could be seen enjoying the moment on the field.
It was no surprise to see Forest captain Joe Worrall stalking his way determinedly towards A-Block before releasing an explosion of pure emotion as a third consecutive home win was confirmed, like the reincarnation of Stuart Pearce when he scored his redemptive penalty against Spain in Euro ’96. This was Worrall’s team growing up. He was a ball boy here. He knows. Like many fans, his tears of joy were born out of years of frustration.
But what was equally telling was the sight of Renan Lodi, a player on loan from Atletico Madrid and born and raised in Sao Paulo, taking a moment on his own, on the edge of the center circle to quietly shed a tear. One season has apparently been long enough for him to understand. Fans will hope it is a relationship that endures, with Forest holding an option to make the move permanent for €25million (£21.7m; $27m).
Morgan Gibbs-White’s performance embodied everything this team is about. His pass set up Taiwo Awoniyi to score the most important goal in modern times. But there was another moment that summed up the £ 25 million signing from Wolves even better. Having taken on and beaten five Arsenal defenders, to dance and weave his way into the box, only to see his shot saved, he bust a gut to chase back and prevent a counter-attack, hammering the ball into touch before celebrating as if he had scored.
Marinakis, the club’s owner and patriarch, also took a walk around the pitch following the win.
Marinakis has long been heralded in Athens, where he is the figurehead at Olympiacos, the dominant figure in Greek football. But he too has been touched by Nottingham and its people and feels as appreciated here as he does in his homeland, if not more so.
His pre-match rallying cry urged one last push while underlining the importance of that spirit of togetherness. In the boardroom afterward, he spoke of how fans approach him to tell him how much the club means to them, to thank him for his part in delivering Premier League football. The desire to bring success to Nottingham and its community is present amid the hierarchy as well.
Marinakis has frequently been criticized for the business Forest has done in the last two windows. He, like his manager, understands that it is something that has never been done before and jokes that they deserve an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
But he stoutly believes the scale of recruitment was necessary. Forest was determined to compete — to ensure that, if they did fail, it would not be because they had not given Cooper the resources he required. Marinakis views their recruitment as being motivated only by ambition. There has never been a greater level of investment in a Forest side — and, ultimately, it paid off.
There is an admiration for the business model at Brighton, where there is a careful data-driven plan for recruitment. Forest hopes to walk the same path. But in the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, Danilo and Taiwo Awoniyi the club believe they have signed players who will — if they are not already — eventually be worth far more than what they paid for them.
And while there have been misses, too, strength in depth was much required to cope with the run of injuries the club has had.
Cooper and Marinakis are united in something else — the desire to take another step forward. There are no lofty notions of challenging Europe, but there is a belief they can evolve into a team that will not have to endure another fight for survival and, in time, challenge for trophies.
Other clubs are taking note of the impressive job Cooper has done in what is only his fourth season as a manager in club football. Next weekend’s opponents, Crystal Palace, are among his admirers.
But he is emotionally invested in Forest and proud of their progress. If the club continues to invest in him as well, it will be interesting to see what Forest can achieve.
