| Cook at Southport 22:00 - Aug 25 with 1587 views | Keaneish |
Just read that Cook had to oversee a major squad overhaul in 2006 at Southport when they went from being part-time to professional when back in the Conference National. With only a handful of the previous season’s squad available, it was a complete rebuild from the ground up.
It didn’t go well and they were relegated that season although pretty much nailed on with the bookies to go that way anyway. I wonder what Cook learnt from that. |  |
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| Cook at Southport on 22:04 - Aug 25 with 1537 views | WD19 |
I would wager that he learned quite a lot, given that he has subsequently overseen several successful total rebuilds. |  | | |
| Cook at Southport on 22:09 - Aug 25 with 1489 views | rgp1 |
Full-time: 2006—2008
In 2006 the club changed to full-time, with Liam Watson moving to Burscough at the end of the season a new manager in Paul Cook was appointed. This led to a massive overhaul of the squad, with many players unwilling or unable to go full-time. This proved to be a disastrous turn of events. Cook had to assemble a complete squad with just six of the original squad remaining. After a run of poor results, his contract was terminated on 3 January 2007.
From Wikipedia |  | | |
| Cook at Southport on 22:12 - Aug 25 with 1469 views | Keaneish |
| Cook at Southport on 22:04 - Aug 25 by WD19 |
I would wager that he learned quite a lot, given that he has subsequently overseen several successful total rebuilds. |
True. Think he cleared out most of Wigan post relegation and equally as many at Portsmouth. Not sure about Chesterfield but those clean-up ops went well, Southport didn’t. | |
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| Cook at Southport on 22:17 - Aug 25 with 1401 views | Keaneish |
| Cook at Southport on 22:09 - Aug 25 by rgp1 |
Full-time: 2006—2008
In 2006 the club changed to full-time, with Liam Watson moving to Burscough at the end of the season a new manager in Paul Cook was appointed. This led to a massive overhaul of the squad, with many players unwilling or unable to go full-time. This proved to be a disastrous turn of events. Cook had to assemble a complete squad with just six of the original squad remaining. After a run of poor results, his contract was terminated on 3 January 2007.
From Wikipedia |
A better, more insightful read…
https://www.southportfootballclub/ | |
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| Cook at Southport on 23:08 - Aug 25 with 1187 views | Moriarty |
I think we (as in ITFC fans) are likely to assess him on what he does here as opposed to anywhere else.
I was advocating for Dyer and, hand on heart, still think we should have gone for him. Blue bias.
If things don’t work out for him here, it won’t make Cook a bad manager. No more than Southport. It will just mean it didn’t work out for him here. There’s good grounds to have valid concerns based on his time here.
I was speaking to a successful manager in a different discipline and one thing he talked about was how being a manager is about managing, managing people especially and creating the right environment for them. Getting the most out of players, helping them as players and persons, putting structures in place etc. The importance of sports psychology and the back room team. Unity. Drive.
Is Cook managing? The squad decimation points more to inflicting than management. Inflicting his playing style and coaches from his background, inflicting a judgment on players who have left. And on some who remained. Was that methodology a good idea?
Keane tried to inflict his philosophy and it didn’t work. Ditto Hurst. Both identified what they saw as a soft underbelly. Even if they were tight, their methodology failed.
Remember Aesop’s fable about the man with the cloak, the sun and the wind?
We need to get on a run. That confidence that goes with winning is needed. Cook will persist with 4231. I think I’d like to see us 442 - Hladky, KVY, Wolf, Burgess, Coulson, Carroll, Harper, Edwards, Burns, Piggott, Bonne. A trip back to basics might be a good tonic. Mind you, I think if we had landed Bazunu on loan, we’d have been better off.
There’s a saying here (and possibly there) “tus maith, leath na hoibre”. It means a good start is half the work. Much work to be done. |  |
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| Cook at Southport on 06:14 - Aug 26 with 913 views | Keaneish |
| Cook at Southport on 23:08 - Aug 25 by Moriarty |
I think we (as in ITFC fans) are likely to assess him on what he does here as opposed to anywhere else.
I was advocating for Dyer and, hand on heart, still think we should have gone for him. Blue bias.
If things don’t work out for him here, it won’t make Cook a bad manager. No more than Southport. It will just mean it didn’t work out for him here. There’s good grounds to have valid concerns based on his time here.
I was speaking to a successful manager in a different discipline and one thing he talked about was how being a manager is about managing, managing people especially and creating the right environment for them. Getting the most out of players, helping them as players and persons, putting structures in place etc. The importance of sports psychology and the back room team. Unity. Drive.
Is Cook managing? The squad decimation points more to inflicting than management. Inflicting his playing style and coaches from his background, inflicting a judgment on players who have left. And on some who remained. Was that methodology a good idea?
Keane tried to inflict his philosophy and it didn’t work. Ditto Hurst. Both identified what they saw as a soft underbelly. Even if they were tight, their methodology failed.
Remember Aesop’s fable about the man with the cloak, the sun and the wind?
We need to get on a run. That confidence that goes with winning is needed. Cook will persist with 4231. I think I’d like to see us 442 - Hladky, KVY, Wolf, Burgess, Coulson, Carroll, Harper, Edwards, Burns, Piggott, Bonne. A trip back to basics might be a good tonic. Mind you, I think if we had landed Bazunu on loan, we’d have been better off.
There’s a saying here (and possibly there) “tus maith, leath na hoibre”. It means a good start is half the work. Much work to be done. |
As wkj pointed out though, it has proved very successful at other clubs and in truth, it’s the least path to resistance if you assemble a squad in your mould. What came across clearly in that article I shared during his interview 6-months into his first role, is that his ethos has always been the same and never wavered. Cook demands that unity and drive because it breeds success and provides a common ground for fans to get behind.
One thing that’s for sure is that Cook has always been involved with clubs that have ended up in a better state than what he found them, Southport being the exception although they still had their Conference National status when he was sacked.
Sligo 6th > 2nd and three trophies
Accrington Conference (as a coach) > 14th in League 2
Chesterfield 13th in League 2 > 6th in League 1
Portsmouth 16th in League 2 > 1st in League 2
Wigan Relegated from the Championship > 13th in the Championship pre pts deduction
Of course, what bucks this trend is his tenure last season to date. Given the quality he has assembled, the upturn in performances and this pedigree, we have to fly up that table soon, don’t we? Whether it’s a team or a department being assembled, the principles and virtues laid down as foundations are the right ones. [Post edited 26 Aug 2021 6:25]
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