Steve Cooper sat down with the press this afternoon to discuss the upcoming Premier League fixture with Newcastle United on Friday night with the fitness of his squad, the strength of the opposition and the possibility of an England call-up for Morgan Gibbs-White.
Nottingham Forest has been a different side at the City Ground compared to their away form. Five of their six wins this season have been in Nottingham, picking up six points on their travels.
They face a Newcastle side who got back to winning ways last weekend against Wolves as they looked to move back into the top four.
On the fitness of the squad
Cooper provided an update on the fitness of his players including star player Brennan Johnson after the Wales international picked up a muscle injury in the defeat to Tottenham on Saturday.
"Yes, Brennan [Johnson] had his scan. Obviously, the scan tells you something, but we also have to treat the player.
"It's unlikely that he will be involved on the weekend, but there's a small chance so we want to give him every chance to see if he's available. If he is then great. We'll try and use him, if not then it is just one of them things. So not completely ruled him out, but at the same time, when you walk off with a muscle injury, it can take a little bit longer, but we'll see. It's not something I'm thinking about to be fair.
"[On being part of the Wales squad] Obviously international break after the weekend, we know that lots of players will be going off, but I've not even thought about that, to be honest, we’ve just got Friday in mind.
"Of course, it would be disappointing [if Johnson is out], but these things do happen. We'd love all of our players to be available and vying for a position to be in the team, but unfortunately on that front, it hasn't gone so well in the last couple of months but like I always say you have to focus on the guys who are available to play and they're getting maximum attention from myself and the staff."
Ryan Yates has made two cameo appearances since returning from injury and Cooper provided an update on his fitness.
"[Yates] has been coming on and giving us as much as he's being permitted to but they're getting stronger as we go on of course so whether they're quite ready enough to start. But he's been out for a good few months, but it's good to have him back because of the part that he plays and the influence he has on the group."
Chris Wood is ineligible to play against Newcastle due to restrictions from his parent club, but Cooper confirmed that had have been eligible he would not have been fit.
"No, so he [Wood] wouldn't have been able to play anyway through injury because of what he walked off with against Spurs."
Lewis O’Brien has endured a difficult six weeks since the end of the January transfer window after his move to Blackburn Rovers collapsed and he was left out of the Forest Premier League squad, but a move across the pond could be around the corner.
"[On O’Brien] Hopefully, we will find out the in the next few days in terms of something happening in the MLS, so fingers crossed that it goes through because he deserves that opportunity to go and play, we all know the situation."
On the strength of Newcastle
The Magpies are enjoying a fine season, sitting in fifth place and reaching a cup final for the first time in more than 20 years, but after a string of disappointing results including a defeat to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final, question marks started to appear in the North East.
But after finding a way to beat Wolves 2-1 on Sunday they come to the East Midlands hoping to consolidate the win at the weekend with another three points.
"I think they are a really good team now and a real tough opponent for our next game. I think that you can see the progress that they've made over the last 12 months and certainly this season and I guess the intention is to keep growing. What I do know is that they're going to be a really tough game at the weekend. They have some obvious qualities, a very sort of athletic team. A lot of running in the team as well as quality and we've got to be able to manage that as a starting point but we're fully aware of it and we're clear on what it takes to do well in the game.
"It's a normal thing to do but at the same time all teams look at each other now and you can get so much footage and analysis about them so you can put extensive plans together and what you think the opponent might be. But at the same now you have got to go play your own game, which is always our main focus.
"It’s obvious Newcastle have qualities and strengths. I have a lot of respect for the manager and coaching team and this again is going to be a tough one, but they all are and I could give you that same answer to every single game that we play in the Premier League."
On Morgan Gibbs-White's England hopes
Gibbs-white is enjoying a brilliant season after making the permanent move from Wolves in the summer. Despite the big price tag the midfielder, who represented England at Under-21 level, has proved his worth, resulting in calls for a spot in Gareth Southgate's squad.
"I think he's doing really well; the exciting bit is he still has got so much to go. It's a bit of a, I don't want to say developmental period, but certainly, a first experience of being a regular Premier League player and he's sort of relishing challenges, and I think he's done that this year and I know it's an ambition for him. He knows that to do that he has to keep going and keep improving at club level with Forest so that is his controllable's and that is his focus and that's all I'm working on with him."
Nott'm Forest host Newcastle on Friday, March 17 at 8pm and will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.