Cohen and Reid take over Nottingham Forest U23s
Cohen was club captain for Forest
Written by Simon Austin — January 14, 2020
FORMER Nottingham Forest midfielder Chris Cohen has been promoted to Under-23 coach at the City Ground, with former team-mate Andy Reid assisting him.
Cohen, 32, made more than 300 appearances for the club before retiring in April 2018 as a result of persistent knee problems. He then moved into the role of Academy Technical Coach, assisting U23 boss Jimmy Gilligan.
Now Gilligan has departed for a full-time role with the Football Association, Cohen has been promoted and Reid has taken on the Technical Coach job at Forest's Category 2 Academy. Former winger Reid, who made 290 appearances for Forest, will continue as Republic of Ireland Under-18s coach in combination with his Forest duties.
When manager Aitor Karanka left the club in January 2019, former player Dexter Blackstock suggested that Cohen should replace him.
“Should give Chris Cohen the job - somebody who’s knows and cares about the club,” he tweeted.
The highly-rated coach gave an insight into his philosophy and ambitions in an interview with the Nottingham Post last May.
“I am still really young, I am still learning,” he said. “First team football is where I want to end up, but how quickly that comes, we will see.
“I don’t mind being patient. I have not got a five-year plan. I just want to work as hard as I can and learn as quickly as I can. I just want to be ready, eventually, for that chance.
“Whether that means me going away (from Forest) and perhaps one day coming back, I don’t know. That might be the pathway I would have to take. I am open to doing that.
“With the Under-23s we know that the importance of winning is not as great as the importance of development. Young players have to handle themselves well, they have to be so professional and we try to help them on their journey.
“Even at the age of 17, 18 or 19, the pressure is so much greater than I was under, in terms of social media, in terms of the amount of people watching them and knowing their every single move.”
