Steve Cooper might have departed Nottingham Forest but along with his coaching staff, he will never be forgotten for the work he did at the football club.
Every time Forest fans look at the Premier League badge which sits on their sleeves currently, it’s worth remembering the good times are at the City Ground because of Cooper.
The former boss achieved something that many before him tried and failed to do by restoring Premier League action to the banks of the River Trent after 23 soul-destroying years.
Forest players started to fall out with Cooper during the 2023/24 campaign. In the end, Evangelos Marinakis decided enough was enough in December 2023 and sent the call to Nuno Espirito Santo.
Pundits noticed a difference between Espirito Santo and Cooper straight away. With Forest now sitting in third place in the Premier League, it would appear that the hierarchy made the right call.
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Steve Rands lands job with Borussia Dortmund after Forest exit
Cooper was the mastermind of the Forest success back in 2021/22 but he couldn’t have done it without the brilliant backroom team which he assembled to assist him in his quest.
Alan Tate was his trusted assistant manager, whilst Rands was the man he added to the team in order to oversee the analysis side of the senior team and clearly it paid dividends.
In a week when former goalkeeping coach Danny Alcock was sacked by Leicester, Rands has now bagged himself a brilliant gig with Borussia Dortmund where he will work with the first team.
The former Forest man will join fellow Englishman Alex Clapham on the staff at Dortmund and he will now be hoping to help the club claim glory domestically and in Europe this season.
Rands appointment highlights Cooper’s meticulous approach
His sacking might have been heartbreaking for some fans to take but he had taken the club as far as he could with the form threatening to end the club’s stay in the Premier League.
However, one thing that this Rands appointment does prove is that he always puts good staff around him when he goes into these jobs and he will surely get another gig somewhere else very soon.
Rands will be delighted to have been given a crack at a club like Dortmund. He has clearly earned his stripes at smaller clubs in football and now he has a golden opportunity to prove himself with a European giant.
Forest will always be indebted to Cooper and after his cruel Leicester tenure, it will now be fascinating to see where he ends up managing in the future.
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