Nottingham Forest appoint Steve Cooper as club's 11th manager in seven years

Nottingham Forest have appointed Steve Cooper as the club's 11th manager in seven years.

Cooper left Swansea City in July after two years in charge and replaces Chris Hughton at the City Ground.

The two-time European Cup winners are rock bottom of the Championship table with just one point from their opening seven games.

Forest have been forced to pay Swansea compensation in order to bring in Cooper due to him being on gardening leave in south Wales as he had nine months remaining on his contract at the Liberty Stadium.

The 41-year-old led Swansea to back-to-back top-six finishes, most recently losing the play-off final to Premier League newcomers Brentford in May, and former Norwich and Rangers defender Russell Martin took over upon his departure.

The Swans are only above the Championship relegation zone on goal difference, with eight points to their name.

Cooper has been appointed Nottingham Forest's new manager

Cooper, from Wales, had previously been Liverpool 's academy manager before he took the job of England's Under-16 side.

He moved up to the Under-17s and enjoyed a run to the 2017 UEFA European Championships final, losing to Spain on penalties, making the semi-finals a year later.

Steve Rands and Alan Tate, who were part of his backroom staff at Swansea, are set to be join him at Forest.

The trio took their first training session on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's match at home to Millwall.

Forest chief executive Dane Murphy told the club's official website : "Steve was our first choice as head coach and we are delighted to have secured his services. His record of developing young talent is exceptional.

Cooper left Swansea midway through pre-season

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"Steve knows what is required to be successful in the Championship and has a proven track record with Swansea.

"We have reduced the age of our squad over the summer and Steve is the ideal coach to blend a team to start moving us up the table.

"On behalf of the owner and the board, we welcome Steve to the club and look forward to providing every support he needs to be a success at Nottingham Forest."

Ex-Derby County midfielder Robbie Savage recently urged the club to appoint Chris Wilder in his Mirror Football column, who led Sheffield United from League One to the top flight in three seasons.

Former Preston North End boss Alex Neil was also at Forest's final match under Hughton against Middlesborough, having been out of work since March.

The 62-year-old became the first managerial casualty in England's top four divisions last week, guiding Forest to just 14 wins from 52 games after taking over from Sabri Lamouchi early last season.

"The club would like to place on record its appreciation for Chris' efforts," a club statement said.

"Chris joined the club in a difficult period for everyone in football and around the world and we thank him for the way he has conducted himself during his tenure."