EPL

Runs along the river help Forest boss Steve Cooper keep a clear head

By Sports Desk May 06, 2023

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper switches off from the stress of the Premier League relegation battle by going running along the River Trent.

Forest are embroiled in a fight to retain their top-flight status in their first season back after 23 years away, with Monday’s clash against Southampton likely to be decisive in their bid to beat the drop.

Cooper has had plenty thrown at him this term, with concerns over keeping his job, a lengthy injury list and having to integrate 30 new signings into his squad, but the phone-free jogs along the river have been helpful.

“The thing I like to do is a lot of running,” he said.

“I enjoy it. I don’t take my phone with me. I’m not a big user of my phone anyway. The two places I definitely don’t have it are out on the training pitch and if I want to go for a run.

“It’s something where you can take your mind to where you want it to be and I’m sure there’s quite a few people who do the same.

“I make a lot of decisions when I’m out running. I think about a lot of things. It’s even good when you feel frustrated or stress.

“Whatever I’m feeling before a run, I feel better for it afterwards.

“I run along the river a lot. It’s lovely along there, especially when you’re running towards the City Ground.”

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    Pep Guardiola insisted he would stay with Manchester City even if the club is relegated as punishment for their alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

    Guardiola, who joined City in 2016, signed a new two-year contract extension on Friday, ending speculation over his current deal that was due to expire at the end of the season.

    The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.

    During his time in charge, the Spaniard has won 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and their maiden Champions League crown last year. 

    He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.

    However, a hearing into Man City's 115 charges for allegedly breaking the Premier League's rules is also under way, but Guardiola said he will stay regardless of the outcome. 

    "I said that six months ago. If we get relegated, I will be here and next year we're going to come up to the Premier League. I knew it then, I feel it now," Guardiola said. 

    He also revealed that he agreed to fresh terms at the Etihad in less than two hours. 

    "I felt I should stay here. Of course, because they want me. For obvious reasons, for the results and because we've known each other for a long time," he added. 

    "All my decisions have been like that, what I feel in the moment. I don't pre-convince, I wait. I decided to stay here and in just two hours we did it [agreed the contract]."

    City welcome Tottenham to the Etihad this weekend on the back of four consecutive defeats - Guardiola's longest losing run in his entire managerial career. 

    The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).

    They have also won just three of their last 10 top-flight games against Tottenham (D2 L5) and are looking to win consecutive meetings with them for the first time since April 2019.

    Despite their run of form, Guardiola was quick to point out his side's recent success, most notably becoming the first team to win four consecutive Premier League titles. 

    "When you are here for nine years, with a long time at one club, you live all the scenarios, all the situations," Guardiola said.

    "You're able to lose four games in a row, but at the same time, you're able to win four Premier Leagues in a row.

    "The difference is that most of the teams are able to lose four games in a row in different competitions, but just one team won four Premier Leagues in a row. So it happened.

    "Did it happen in one season? No. When you've been somewhere eight or nine years, yeah, both sides of the run can happen."

  • Slot: Guardiola contract is 'good news' for Premier League Slot: Guardiola contract is 'good news' for Premier League

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    The Spaniard signed a two-year extension with the reigning champions and will remain in the dugout at the Etihad until 2027.

    He has won 18 major trophies in his time at City, including six Premier League titles, and twice beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to the top-flight crown by a single point.

    Guardiola averages 2.35 points per game in the Premier League, the highest rate of any manager (20+ matches). Indeed, he is so far ahead of the next highest (Alex Ferguson's 2.16), he could lose his next 26 league games in a row and would still be top.

    Slot is yet to face City since taking over from Klopp at the start of the season, with the rivals' first meeting of the season set for December 1.

    "It's good news for City and for the league because everyone wants the best managers and the best players over here," Slot said when asked about Guardiola's new contract.

    "He is definitely one of the best managers, maybe the best manager of the league.

    "He's won four titles in a row, so it's fair to say he's maybe the best manager in the league.

    "On the other hand, they have so many quality players that, if he would have made the choice to leave, I wouldn't have expected them to end up bottom of the league next season."

    Other Premier League managers echoed Slot's sentiment, with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who inflicted a fourth consecutive defeat on City before the international break, saying it is the "best thing that can happen to the Premier League".

    "He is one of the best coaches in the world," Hurzeler said. "With his ideas, he always brings something new to the football stage, and it is always a challenge to compete against him.

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    Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe added: "He's contributed so much to English football. He's revolutionised how a lot of teams play.

    "I think he's incredibly talented, and it's good for the English game that he's still here.

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    The 53-year-old recently signed a two-year deal, which will run out in 2027, ending months of speculation about his future after his contract had been due to run out at the end of the campaign.

    Following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton before the international break, Guardiola's side have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.

    "I felt I could not leave now. Maybe the four defeats was why," he told the club's website.

    "I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it's the truth."

    Guardiola has led Manchester City to 18 major trophies during his nine-year stint at the club and posted a 72% win ratio.

    He added that he was determined to help the club get back to a state where they are "more stable and more consistent".

    "We have to recover that because right now we don't have it and that's the target we have to do," he said.

    City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: "Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep's journey with Manchester City will continue, allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.

    "His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large."

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