FOREST SEE LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL

NOTTINGHAM FOREST players have been studying examples of great escapes to inspire their own survival mission, boss Steve Cooper has revealed.

Forest will kick-off at Liverpool today sitting in the bottom three on goal difference after a winless streak going back 10 matches.

Cooper (above), however, is adamant their hopes of staying up are very much alive.

And he has shown his strugglers the evidence to prove it as part of a motivational pep talk this week.

Cooper said: “It’s a tough run and one we’re trying to change.

“What we’ve done is face up to it but we’ve also made them aware this can sometimes happen.

“We’ve given them examples of teams who have done something similar and how they’ve managed to come through.

“It’s been done on numerous occasions in the past and we’ve got to be next.”

Forest, who this season ended a 23-year exile from the Premier League, need not look far for inspiration from other teams who defied the odds in their first seasons back in the top flight.

Aston Villa took eight points from their last four matches to perform a Houdini act in 2020.

And East Midlands rivals Leicester finished six points clear of the drop in 2015 despite a 13-match winless run earlier that season.

Forest’s frustrating run without a victory is not even the longest in the division this season.

That unenviable record is currently held by Crystal Palace, who went 12 games without a win in 2023 but are now virtually safe.

Cooper added: “It’s there for everyone to see who those teams are. It’s history.

“There are teams who have been on far worse runs than us over the years and they’ve still survived, not just by the skin of their teeth but by a decent margin in the end.

“I didn’t do it to give the players an excuse or to say it’s OK that it’s happening. It’s not. But it’s not uncommon either.

“Even this year you look at teams who have pulled away a bit despite going up to 12 games without a win.

“At the same time there are also examples of teams who haven’t come out of it and where they’ve ended up – a warning of what happens if you don’t.”