Steve Cooper spoke rationally & calmly about the position Forest find themselves in. “I am not thinking about my personal situation,” he said.
Steve Cooper : Forest | Interview | Eyes | Net worth
Steve Cooper is a Welsh professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 December 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Pontypridd, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
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Current team
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Nottingham Forest (head coach) | ||
Cooper began his coaching career at Wrexham’s academy while playing as a defender in the Welsh football leagues. He moved to Liverpool in 2008 and was appointed manager of their academy in 2011.
Cooper joined the England youth set-up in 2014, initially coaching the U16s, before winning the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup with the U17s. He became head coach of Swansea City in 2019 and Nottingham Forest in 2021.
Steve Cooper Forest
The worry in the Forest camp is that the same could also be true for them – but in an entirely different way.
Whereas Rodgers can look forward with optimism, saying “tonight feels like the first game of the season,” for opposite number Steve Cooper it looks set to be a difficult few days.
Cooper spoke rationally and calmly about the position Forest find themselves in. “I am not thinking about my personal situation,” he said.
But the key question is not about Cooper. It is about what Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is thinking.
And what his response to seeing a team he invested so much in, emotionally and financially, on their top flight return, only for them to drop to the foot of the table after eight games will be.
There is no hiding the fact Cooper is in a difficult position.
Interview
The Reds had started the season miserably under Chris Hughton and were sat rock bottom of the Championship table after six defeats from the first seven games.
They were 20th after eight games last term, too, and there was no sign of a rare challenge for promotion in sight.
Eight months down the line, Cooper’s side are hours away from the play-off final, where they will take on Huddersfield, hoping to regain a place in the Premier League after almost a quarter of a century away.
There is no doubting they richly deserve to be in this position. In the 38 league games that followed September 21, no team earned more points than Forest (76), lost fewer games (six) or conceded fewer goals (28). Indeed, only eventual champions Fulham matched their win total (22) and beat their figure of goals scored (66 vs 88).
To transform a team’s fortunes as the Welshman has done in such a short space of time is largely unheard of in the Championship, which is, notoriously, one of the most unpredictable divisions.
Steve Cooper eyes
Steve Cooper was first alerted to a problem with his eyes during a routine optician’s appointment in 2015 – he was referred to hospital for further tests. Sadly, Steve says: “They weren’t very helpful, didn’t really explain, never mentioned macular degeneration or anything. I was left feeling quite alone. They said ‘there’s no treatment, nothing I can do for you. Off you go.’”
Steve carried on his life as normal, without knowing much information about his eye condition. By 2017, he was finding it harder to drive at night but as a self-employed builder needed to do so to maintain his business and independence.
Then, in January 2018 he fell ill with something else, and in February 2018 had a breakdown. “I do think that the struggling with the vision and changing my lifestyle to cope with it really had a big impact”, says Steve. At the time, he still hadn’t had any further tests or treatment on his eyes.
“I went through a tough summer and autumn and my eyesight was the least of my problems. But before I went back to work I thought I should have an eye test.
“In December 2018 we were due to go away for Christmas, and before we went I had an eye test that gave me the news I was dreading – I don’t pass the criteria for driving. I was devastated and didn’t know what to do with myself.
“My wife was very supportive, but we didn’t know what to do, because the opticians didn’t refer us to the hospital or anything. We were lost.
Net worth
The estimated Net Worth of Steven Cooper is at least $12.8 Million dollars as of 13 May 2021.
- Net worth : $12.8 Million
Mr. Cooper owns over 9,149 units of TrueBlue Inc stock worth over $101,238 and over the last 15 years he sold TBI stock worth over $12,459,531. In addition, he makes $259,599 as Chairman of the Board at TrueBlue Inc.