| Cook and "Old Generals" 10:38 - Mar 9 with 2135 views | jayessess |
There was some talk about fans of Paul Cook's previous clubs saying he favouring "old generals", so I thought I'd check it out, because it's one of those things football fans tend to say without much provocation.
It doesn't seem to have been true at Wigan -
2017-18: Not a single Over 30 made 10+ starts (Gary Roberts and James Vaughan used as impact subs on occasion). Top 10 starters were all under 25.
2018-19: Top 10 starters include 30-year-old Joe Garner but the rest of them are all mid-20s. Goalkeeper, centre half and right back are 23, 22 and 19. Vaughan, Roberts and Darron Gibson as fringe players.
2019-20: Top 10 starters include 36-year-old goalkeeper David Marshall, but no other over 30s. Mix of ages is 22 to 28, the older players are generally the same players he's using in 2017. Anthony Pilkington and Garner as fringe players.
Mainly he seems to favour peak years players 23 to 28. Not many minutes for teenagers or early 20s, with the exception of Reece James and Joe Gelhardt last season. |  |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 10:54 - Mar 9 with 2023 views | Radlett_blue |
Good. So hopefully no new contracts for Chambers, Skuse, Sears & Ward. |  |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 10:58 - Mar 9 with 1988 views | WD19 |
Joe Garner is not my favourite ever Town player, but imagine how useful he could be to us right now.....and I assume he won't want to stay in Cyprus for long.
Joe to return if we are stuck in the 3rd Division next year? |  | | |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:00 - Mar 9 with 1973 views | jayessess |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 10:54 - Mar 9 by Radlett_blue |
Good. So hopefully no new contracts for Chambers, Skuse, Sears & Ward. |
He does keep some older players around as squad players and impact subs, although that seems to be mainly forwards. | |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:01 - Mar 9 with 1960 views | Radlett_blue |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:00 - Mar 9 by jayessess |
He does keep some older players around as squad players and impact subs, although that seems to be mainly forwards. |
Sears had a big impact on the game on Saturday. | |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:03 - Mar 9 with 1955 views | jayessess |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:01 - Mar 9 by Radlett_blue |
Sears had a big impact on the game on Saturday. |
I'd say all of the listed older forwards had considerably higher peaks than Sears.
(Well, maybe not Roberts, but he "aged well", I think?) [Post edited 9 Mar 2021 11:08]
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:18 - Mar 9 with 1870 views | Beckets |
Looking at his time at Portsmouth he had 3-4 over 30s in the squad with 2 or 3 fairly regular starters like Doyle and Roberts. Suggests he might keep a similar number here with I think all our over 30s out of contract at the end of the season. Judge and Chambers I suspect are the most
Iikely to be extended, not least because they can potentially cover more than one position. |  | | |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:24 - Mar 9 with 1797 views | jayessess |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:18 - Mar 9 by Beckets |
Looking at his time at Portsmouth he had 3-4 over 30s in the squad with 2 or 3 fairly regular starters like Doyle and Roberts. Suggests he might keep a similar number here with I think all our over 30s out of contract at the end of the season. Judge and Chambers I suspect are the most
Iikely to be extended, not least because they can potentially cover more than one position. |
I think Chambers and Judge are the obvious 2 in line for extensions. Sears and Ward, you'd have to imagine they're gone barring a massive upturn in fortunes. It was bizarre Last Summer to renew Skuse when we had 5 other senior centre midfielders and were rooting around in the bargain basement to fill other gaps in the squad, it would be even more bizarre now. | |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 11:44 - Mar 9 with 1685 views | Churchman |
I think there is room for the odd ‘old general’. Mowbray and Wark are the two classic examples. Maybe the key is how good a player they were in the first place and their attitude to the game.
Your interesting summary of the last few years suggests to me he is quite open minded about old stagers and certainly not favouring them. Phew! |  | | |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 12:05 - Mar 9 with 1578 views | blueislander |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 10:58 - Mar 9 by WD19 |
Joe Garner is not my favourite ever Town player, but imagine how useful he could be to us right now.....and I assume he won't want to stay in Cyprus for long.
Joe to return if we are stuck in the 3rd Division next year? |
We already have a striker in danger of getting a red card every match. We don’t need another of that ilk. |  | | |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 12:13 - Mar 9 with 1540 views | monty_radio |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 10:58 - Mar 9 by WD19 |
Joe Garner is not my favourite ever Town player, but imagine how useful he could be to us right now.....and I assume he won't want to stay in Cyprus for long.
Joe to return if we are stuck in the 3rd Division next year? |
Garner and Nors together would certainly be a combo that would be painful to play against. But Cook likes playing football, or so we are reliably informed. [Post edited 9 Mar 2021 12:46]
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 12:32 - Mar 9 with 1442 views | snudge27 |
Do the 'old generals' necessarily need to be playing regularly, or is it more a case of having them around the squad so that younger players can benefit from their experience?
If it's the latter, then I think there's definitely a case for Skuse and Chambers being kept around, both for that reason, and to perhaps help facilitate their moves into coaching. |  |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 12:42 - Mar 9 with 1384 views | Garv |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 12:05 - Mar 9 by blueislander |
We already have a striker in danger of getting a red card every match. We don’t need another of that ilk. |
You say that, has Norwood ever been sent off for us?
He seems to get a yellow every game but also perfectly capable of controlling himself before it goes too far.
Or do you mean Jackson (who has worse form for it)? [Post edited 9 Mar 2021 12:43]
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 14:30 - Mar 9 with 1172 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
Depends on what your definition of Old Generals is.
I think the guy was talking more about senior pro's, rather than over-30's per se. |  |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 15:23 - Mar 9 with 1083 views | jayessess |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 14:30 - Mar 9 by Marshalls_Mullet |
Depends on what your definition of Old Generals is.
I think the guy was talking more about senior pro's, rather than over-30's per se. |
Which is interesting because I think one of the real flaws in our squad is the lack of peak age players of any consistency or quality.
We've got a crowd of younger players whose ceiling is quite high to older players whose abilities are waning, with players like Nolan, Huws, Edwards, Nsiala in the middle, none of whom are consistent 7 out of 10 types. | |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 16:13 - Mar 9 with 987 views | Radlett_blue |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 12:32 - Mar 9 by snudge27 |
Do the 'old generals' necessarily need to be playing regularly, or is it more a case of having them around the squad so that younger players can benefit from their experience?
If it's the latter, then I think there's definitely a case for Skuse and Chambers being kept around, both for that reason, and to perhaps help facilitate their moves into coaching. |
Why is it Town's responsibility to "facilitate" the moves of two former players, with no coaching experience (I wonder if they have any badges) into coaching?
I guess Cook will want to choose Town's new coaches himself, rather than have them foisted upon him. | |
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| Cook and "Old Generals" on 16:20 - Mar 9 with 947 views | snudge27 |
| Cook and "Old Generals" on 16:13 - Mar 9 by Radlett_blue |
Why is it Town's responsibility to "facilitate" the moves of two former players, with no coaching experience (I wonder if they have any badges) into coaching?
I guess Cook will want to choose Town's new coaches himself, rather than have them foisted upon him. |
I never said that Town have any responsibility to look after their onward careers. However, I think it would certainly be the 'Ipswich Way' to provide the environment for two long-serving players who have publically expressed a desire to go into coaching to take their first steps. | |
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