In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Steve Cooper’s surprise new Nottingham Forest contract, whether or not James Maddison should make England’s World Cup squad, Marcus Rashford’s links to Arsenal, and much more.
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Steve Cooper’s new Forest contract is great news…
The news that Nottingham Forest have given Steve Cooper a new deal did take me by surprise but I think it’s a fantastic decision.
It bucks the trend that owners are looking for a scapegoat. Cooper took over at Forest at a very difficult time. They were bottom of the Championship and now they’re in the Premier League.
The club obviously had a very busy summer and I am not a fan of signing 21 new players because managers and coaches much prefer to work with 15 to 18 players to work so they can spend more one-on-one time with them on the grass.
They could have got away with it if they were in a lower league, but now they’re in the Premier League, every decision is going to be scrutinised. I know some people will say “but Cooper has to take some responsibility for all those signings too” – well, yes, but it isn’t as simple as that. A manager is very rarely going to question the owners and turn players down but when it comes to coaching, that many new faces can become a hindrance, and I think the owners will know that.
So I am sure Cooper has taken personal responsibility for the club’s summer business, but I think his new deal sends a really clear message from the board to their supporters and that’s that the manager is here, he’s here to stay and we believe in him.
Chelsea trust Graham Potter with youth project…
This week’s Champions League group game against AC Milan saw Chelsea put in a great performance.
I know they have some huge legends, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, John Terry and the like, but one thing that does go under the radar at times is how good their youth academy is. They have so many young, homegrown players and the owner Todd Boehly and Potter both know this and it’s clear to see that they’re both prepared to focus on developing what they have in-house.
Credit to Boehly for bringing in Potter, someone who is a great tactician, very familiar with the English game and a manager who isn’t afraid to take responsibility for a…
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