Steve Cooper says he ‘doesn’t deserve’ Nottingham Forest fans’ support after they applauded him following ‘EMBARRASSING’ 5-0 defeat to Fulham… as he delivers brutally honest interview claiming ‘I deserve the blame’

Steve Cooper has delivered a brutally honest post-match interview where he claimed Nottingham Forest’s 5-0 defeat by Fulham was ’embarrassing’ adding ‘I don’t deserve’ support and applause from their fanbase. 

It was his side’s fourth defeat on the bounce, with Forest having also previously been beaten by West Ham, Brighton and Everton, slipping to the bottom rung of the Premier League. 

Fulham, meanwhile, bounced back from their late 4-3 loss against Liverpool, with Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez both scoring twice to help Marco Silva’s side run five goals past their opponents. 

After the match, Forest’s fans continued to sing the under pressure manager’s name, but Cooper said to BBC Sport: ‘I’m embarrassed. I don’t deserve it. I’m grateful. But I don’t deserve it the players don’t.’ 

He added: ‘I have to take ownership for that (the defeat). But it’s embarrassing. I don’t deserve it (the applause from fans). And we have to take responsibility for that.’

Despite the loss, Forest’s travelling fans stayed behind after the game to applaud the team

‘I’ve just been asked do I fear for my job and that’s the right question to ask and a normal one to ask. Genuinely I probably think about that the least, I think about what’s right for the football club.’

Questions have been raised over whether Cooper is the right man to lead Forest forwards, with his side having claimed just one victory this season. 

The 43-year-old has been under pressure to get quick results at Forest, with Cooper previously speaking on how much he cares for the club.  

On Wednesday he reaffirmed those comments and said to Sky Sports on the defeat: ‘It was a real painful one. It falls on me and we have to own up to it.

When asked whether he is the right man to turn things around, Cooper added: ‘Yeah of course I do, I’ve just been asked a similar sort of questions of whether I fear for my job and they’re the right ones to ask and the normal ones to ask considering the run we’re on. 

‘But I have a genuine feeling is that I probably think about that the least. The only thing I want is what is right for the football club. The run that we’re on I don’t worry about my reputation and what it might mean for me, I always think about what does it mean for the football club because I’m so attached to it.

‘And I think you should feel that way when you’re responsible for the football inside the football club. But what’s right for the football club is right for me – whatever that is.’

Fulham ran the show for much of the match, with the home side winning 64 per cent of possession while having 14 goal attempts to Forest’s four. 

On his assessment of the match, Cooper claimed his side lacked desire, with Forest also having just one shot on goal. 

‘Pulling out of tackles, losing races, ending up on the floor when it’s 50-50. If you do that, you can have a night like tonight.

After the match, Cooper fielded questions on his job security and admitted he was the right man to take the club forward

Raul Jimenez and Alex Iwobi both scored twice for Fulham during the emphatic victory

Jimenez doubled the lead after Iwobi, firing into the top right corner of the goal 

Substitute Tom Cairney completed the rout by scoring the fifth goal in the 86th minute

‘A lack of desire and will to defend, you run the risk of what we got tonight. It’s a painful one. One I take responsible for.’ 

Meanwhile, Fulham boss Silva backed Cooper to improve things at Forest.

‘It’s part of our life, I think Steve said that before the match, that it’s not the first time he is in a position that results are not the best,’ he said. 

‘All of us in this job, in some moments in our careers it happens, we know how to handle the situation. Steve knows how to handle the situation.’