Steve Cooper | The Championship is as competitive as it has ever been

Steve Cooper believes the Championship is the most competitive it has ever been as he prepares to lead Swansea City into another testing assignment at Nottingham Forest.

The Swans head to the City Ground in the upper reaches of the table after a fine start to the season that has seen them lost just two of their opening 13 games.

Forest, the team they beat to a play-off place back in July, have found the going harder and sit far lower in the table then they would wish, despite having a squad Swans’ boss Cooper regards as being among the strongest in the division.

The Championship has long been notorious for its unpredictability and entertainment value, and Cooper believes this season, more than ever, is evidence of just how tough a league it is.

“In the space of a week – with nine points at stake – you can be overtaken by so many teams, or you can overtake a number of teams yourself,” he said when asked for his assessment of the early table.

“It’s still to early to draw any conclusions, there is no gap that has opened up that cannot be closed up in a week.

“Until that time comes it is going to be very hard to say how things are looking, but the league is more competitive than it has ever been, and people were already saying this was the most competitive league in the world.

“Anybody can beat anybody, and we are in a schedule that is completely unknown to any of us.

“I talk to someone like Wayne Routledge, who has so many years of experience under his belt, and this is new to him.

“It’s really hard to predict and say, ‘this is how it is going’. So, it has to be about the moment you are in, making the most of every day.

“There will come a time when things will start to take shape, and hopefully when that happens we will be in the right place.”

The busy run of fixtures means squad depth is arguably more important than ever, and Cooper is confident that everyone in Swansea colours can play a key role over the course of the campaign.

“I think everyone will contribute, although we know everyone wants to be starting rather than being on the bench or not in the squad,” he said.

“But I know guys like Kasey (Palmer) and Ryan (Manning) are ready when we call on them, as are all the guys in the squad.”