Forest off the bottom as Hammers’ slide continues
NOTTINGHAM FOREST boss Steve Cooper was pleased to see his side go into the World Cup break off the bottom of the Premier League after their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Morgan Gibbs-White continued to show why Forest broke their transfer record to sign him in the summer as his second-half goal earned the win that sees them move to within a point of safety.
‘Whatever happened today it was never going to be a great league position, let’s be honest, but it could have been worse and that is pleasing and it just allows us to go into the break not suffering after a defeat,” Cooper said after celebrating with the home fans.
‘I really, really wanted the supporters to be able to go into the break with a positive result. We got that. Nobody is getting carried away, of course – even though I might have for 10 seconds.
‘I just thought we were good for the win. We rode our luck a little bit with the penalty. Whether it’s a pen or not is something I’ll look back on. But Dean (Henderson) hasn’t had a save to make.’
‘They haven’t had a shot on target. We have. We created the real moments and chances in the game.
‘The best team won, for sure. I’ve got a lot of respect for Patrick (Vieira) and how his teams play; they’ve got a lot of good players and it was a dangerous game. But we really stuck to the game plan and what we thought it would take to win.’
Meanwhile, David Moyes said he understands the fans’ frustration after West Ham were booed off following their latest defeat. The Hammers lost 2-0 at home to Leicester with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes on target either side of the break for the winners.
Moyes has guided West Ham to consecutive top-seven finishes but this season has not gone to plan despite a £170million transfer splurge over the summer.
‘Well, look, people are right because they’re not used to being in this position. They’re more used to being sixth or seventh in the league,’ said Moyes.
‘Last year, probably at this time, we were challenging for the Champions League, we’d been in the top four for long periods. So, I can understand that.’
Nine defeats in 15 matches this season represents West Ham’s worst start to a top-flight season since 1976 – and they have been relegated five times since then.