'Dare I say it' - Brilliant Brian Clough comment made as Nottingham Forest prepare for Premier League

Steve Cooper is the man who made all Nottingham Forest fans believe the impossible was possible, in the midst of uncertain times in the Championship.

The Welshman succeeded Chris Hughton back in September, at a time where perhaps fans had lost belief in their club. Forest were rock bottom when Cooper took them on - beaten in six out of their first seven games.

Cooper was on a mission to revive the historic club from the moment he set foot into the City Ground. Slowly but surely, he gained trust from fans but, most importantly, his group of players and results started to prevail.

It was clear that the boss had instilled a belief in the players and pushed them on to bigger and better things, at a testing time where not many managers would have been able to do so. Punching the air in front of fans became a tradition after Forest secured win after win.

Captain Joe Worrall helped guide his team to the play-offs and ultimately promotion, and he explained the importance of Cooper's involvement that led to the transformation of the football club.

"He’s come in and taken what looked, from the outside, like a misfit team who were low on confidence and couldn’t score goals last season," Worrall said at the end of the season. "We were OK defensively but we could not score for toffee, and this year we’ve been a breath of fresh air."

With that in mind, here is what some fans had to say on the sensational job achieved by Cooper ahead of their return to the Premier League...

"He genuinely loves the player, the fans and it's all reciprocated. Gives them freedom to express themselves. It's bloody brilliant. Best manager since [Brian] Cloughie, dare I say it."

"Brilliant, transformed the team and how they approach & play games. Pace,