| Cook’s summer signings 07:58 - Jan 23 with 2304 views | brazil1981 |
Mick Mills was talking yesterday during the game about Cook’s player recruitment and reckons he got around a 50% success rate. Depends how you quantify “success” of course, but this got me thinking and just did my own bit of analysis on the back of a fag packet!
Taking the loan players out of the equation, I counted 14 players brought in by Cookie before he left. Of those, you can probably say around 7 have played in most matches. Probably Burns & Edmundson are the big ‘outstanding successes’ and I think most would agree Aluko, Morsey, Penny, Chaplin and Evans have done pretty well and are better than we had last season.
Of the 7 remaining, I wouldn’t say they’ve been ‘failures’…probably ‘the Jury is out’ is a better way of describing them. Frazer, Pigott and Carroll and Edwards have all been a bit disappointing so far but I think all have potential to be good signings if they could force themselves in the team and play a run of games. Hladky, Harper and Burgess I would say are the ones who only look like being ‘squad’ players at best.
All in all, I don’t think Cookie did too bad personally,… just my opinion! |  | | |  |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:07 - Jan 23 with 2186 views | FPL_Tractor |
I think this just shows we did recruit, generally, well in the summer and if we can coach well and have flexible we’ll thought through tactics we should do well in this league. |  |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 08:08 - Jan 23 with 2173 views | ArnieM |
Quite agree. Like him or loath him , that is Paul Cooks team out there ! He just didn’t know how to get the best out of them in a short space of time (20 games, which is nothing in the grand scale of things ), but tactically he was too rigid and it cost him his job. He will do very well in his next job I’m sure . |  |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 08:18 - Jan 23 with 2093 views | franz_tyson |
You can only get 11 players in the team. And we’re struggling to get some of these players on the bench.
I’d add Morsy and Walton to the outstanding list.
I think we brought in a lot of quality players, but some don’t fit (Fraser, Pigott) and there’s too much competition in one position.
With recruitment, did we look to create a balanced team or go a bit little crazy when some players became available? Cook plays only one system so he should know which positions to fill and what type of player fits. So some signings don’t make sense.
I can’t help feel the recruitment was partly Cook and with also influence from Ashton whereby Cook sanctioned the moves in a ‘kid in a sweetshop’ way. We didn’t need the 19 signings and it all feels a bit desperate and last-minute when you bring in players like Morsy, Celina and Walton on dead-line day. Better to have too many good players than less, but it does still create problems.
Maybe reading too much into this, but with Jackson coming on before Pigott I do wonder if we’ll offload Pigott before the window closes. He must be getting frustrated. An additional problem for McKenna will be trying to keep everyone happy. | | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:49 - Jan 23 with 1920 views | Churchman |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:18 - Jan 23 by franz_tyson |
You can only get 11 players in the team. And we’re struggling to get some of these players on the bench.
I’d add Morsy and Walton to the outstanding list.
I think we brought in a lot of quality players, but some don’t fit (Fraser, Pigott) and there’s too much competition in one position.
With recruitment, did we look to create a balanced team or go a bit little crazy when some players became available? Cook plays only one system so he should know which positions to fill and what type of player fits. So some signings don’t make sense.
I can’t help feel the recruitment was partly Cook and with also influence from Ashton whereby Cook sanctioned the moves in a ‘kid in a sweetshop’ way. We didn’t need the 19 signings and it all feels a bit desperate and last-minute when you bring in players like Morsy, Celina and Walton on dead-line day. Better to have too many good players than less, but it does still create problems.
Maybe reading too much into this, but with Jackson coming on before Pigott I do wonder if we’ll offload Pigott before the window closes. He must be getting frustrated. An additional problem for McKenna will be trying to keep everyone happy. |
I think the problem you have is that if you bin out just about all of your existing team, you have nothing to build on - especially if your youth system isn't producing enough players (see Kieron Dyer interview).
You’re starting from nothing with little more than 10 weeks to assemble a team. A rather crude ‘clear the decks’ approach. As for pre season, forget it. This was the way Cook wanted to do it. He decided on it long before last season finished. Down to him. It’s little surprise in retrospect it looked like a mud at the wall. It was. Little surprise either that we struggled against organised teams early on too.
Cook was backed. There was no other way than list players Cook wanted and try and get them when available. That was how Ashton described the process. Thanks to our helpful Bristol City ‘contributor’ many people don’t believe him so perhaps he should be challenged on this at the AGM.
As for the signings themselves, 50% success rate isn’t that terrible. No manager gets it right every time. What’s interesting is your mention of the deadline day signings. Morsy and Walton have proved to be two of our best signings.and god knows where we’d be in this rubbish league without them. |  | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:52 - Jan 23 with 1896 views | Herbivore |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:08 - Jan 23 by ArnieM |
Quite agree. Like him or loath him , that is Paul Cooks team out there ! He just didn’t know how to get the best out of them in a short space of time (20 games, which is nothing in the grand scale of things ), but tactically he was too rigid and it cost him his job. He will do very well in his next job I’m sure . |
Wait, I thought this was Mark Ashton's team? |  |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 08:53 - Jan 23 with 1892 views | brazil1981 |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:18 - Jan 23 by franz_tyson |
You can only get 11 players in the team. And we’re struggling to get some of these players on the bench.
I’d add Morsy and Walton to the outstanding list.
I think we brought in a lot of quality players, but some don’t fit (Fraser, Pigott) and there’s too much competition in one position.
With recruitment, did we look to create a balanced team or go a bit little crazy when some players became available? Cook plays only one system so he should know which positions to fill and what type of player fits. So some signings don’t make sense.
I can’t help feel the recruitment was partly Cook and with also influence from Ashton whereby Cook sanctioned the moves in a ‘kid in a sweetshop’ way. We didn’t need the 19 signings and it all feels a bit desperate and last-minute when you bring in players like Morsy, Celina and Walton on dead-line day. Better to have too many good players than less, but it does still create problems.
Maybe reading too much into this, but with Jackson coming on before Pigott I do wonder if we’ll offload Pigott before the window closes. He must be getting frustrated. An additional problem for McKenna will be trying to keep everyone happy. |
Yes I’d probably agree Morsey seems to be settling into being a consistent performer, although guessing he’s probably one of our top earners so you’d expect that. Hadn’t included Walton as he was on loan under Cook, but agree he’s been a big success!
McKenna is going to want to bring in a few of his own players I’m sure in the summer so no doubt some of the squad players will be moved on. Difference from previous years is we could get decent fees for the likes of Pigott, Fraser, Carroll and Edwards if he didn’t see a future for them here. | | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 09:15 - Jan 23 with 1785 views | IpswichKnight |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:18 - Jan 23 by franz_tyson |
You can only get 11 players in the team. And we’re struggling to get some of these players on the bench.
I’d add Morsy and Walton to the outstanding list.
I think we brought in a lot of quality players, but some don’t fit (Fraser, Pigott) and there’s too much competition in one position.
With recruitment, did we look to create a balanced team or go a bit little crazy when some players became available? Cook plays only one system so he should know which positions to fill and what type of player fits. So some signings don’t make sense.
I can’t help feel the recruitment was partly Cook and with also influence from Ashton whereby Cook sanctioned the moves in a ‘kid in a sweetshop’ way. We didn’t need the 19 signings and it all feels a bit desperate and last-minute when you bring in players like Morsy, Celina and Walton on dead-line day. Better to have too many good players than less, but it does still create problems.
Maybe reading too much into this, but with Jackson coming on before Pigott I do wonder if we’ll offload Pigott before the window closes. He must be getting frustrated. An additional problem for McKenna will be trying to keep everyone happy. |
Not sure we will, currently Pigott is the only 1st team striker we have contracted for next season. Bonne is ( currently) going back to QPR and Norwood contract expires would be silly to offload Pigott when if we do that we’d need an entire new strike force ( Simpson will be back with us and would deserve his chance) | | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 09:38 - Jan 23 with 1642 views | Sharkey |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:53 - Jan 23 by brazil1981 |
Yes I’d probably agree Morsey seems to be settling into being a consistent performer, although guessing he’s probably one of our top earners so you’d expect that. Hadn’t included Walton as he was on loan under Cook, but agree he’s been a big success!
McKenna is going to want to bring in a few of his own players I’m sure in the summer so no doubt some of the squad players will be moved on. Difference from previous years is we could get decent fees for the likes of Pigott, Fraser, Carroll and Edwards if he didn’t see a future for them here. |
"Difference from previous years is we could get decent fees for the likes of Pigott, Fraser, Carroll and Edwards"
Of course it depends a lot what you mean by 'decent', but lower league clubs tend to wait around for (soon)-out-of-contract players and spend on wages. |  | | |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 09:45 - Jan 23 with 1600 views | NthQldITFC |
Of your seven 'jury out' players, I'd say Edwards and Harper are high potential development players, both on the verge of playing but not demanding a place yet. If/when either of them are ready for a run in the team, they could be next level players for us. |  |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 09:54 - Jan 23 with 1550 views | jas0999 |
Good signings on the whole. If you sign 19 players, not all of them are likely to work out. Nor can all of them play!
The problem, is Cook wasn’t good enough tactically to manage a group of quality players. He wasn’t prepared to change tactics. No plan b at all. In the end it meant poor results which cost him. | | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 10:02 - Jan 23 with 1502 views | thebooks |
Really mixed picture, made somewhat murkier by figuring out who are “Ashton signings” and who are those brought in by Cook.
The quality on the whole seems pretty good.
But the squad’s a mess, which affects performances. I think that’s partly due to Cook deciding the previous season’s team had to be completely replaced — which for some reason was quite a popular a decision on here — and then getting too many players into central and attacking midfield, which is partly down to Ashton, I think.
This forced us to rotate unnecessarily and drop players when they’ve been in form — Chaplin, for example. Players like Fraser are probably more than good enough, but there’s no room for them, so they disappear.
I’m not that impressed by Ashton’s input. If we assume any Bristol City/WBA players are from him, then Edwards and Harper obviously haven’t worked out when both should have been way too good for this level. I really can’t understand what getting Bakinson — yet another central midfielder in — achieves, apart from pushing permanent signings Harper and Carroll further down the pecking order. |  | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 10:10 - Jan 23 with 1456 views | jayessess |
I'm not sure how much credit you get for your signings if you've got the biggest chequebook in the division, especially if the overall unit you create leaves a lot to be desired. |  |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 10:41 - Jan 23 with 1346 views | Guthrum |
| Cook’s summer signings on 10:02 - Jan 23 by thebooks |
Really mixed picture, made somewhat murkier by figuring out who are “Ashton signings” and who are those brought in by Cook.
The quality on the whole seems pretty good.
But the squad’s a mess, which affects performances. I think that’s partly due to Cook deciding the previous season’s team had to be completely replaced — which for some reason was quite a popular a decision on here — and then getting too many players into central and attacking midfield, which is partly down to Ashton, I think.
This forced us to rotate unnecessarily and drop players when they’ve been in form — Chaplin, for example. Players like Fraser are probably more than good enough, but there’s no room for them, so they disappear.
I’m not that impressed by Ashton’s input. If we assume any Bristol City/WBA players are from him, then Edwards and Harper obviously haven’t worked out when both should have been way too good for this level. I really can’t understand what getting Bakinson — yet another central midfielder in — achieves, apart from pushing permanent signings Harper and Carroll further down the pecking order. |
I still can't get my head around this concept that Ashton (just days after he arrived at the club) was using up FFP-limited club funds to sign players which the Manager neither asked for nor wanted, while the latter just quietly swallowed it and the Board let him get away with it. Simply does not strike me as a realistic scenario to have someone come in acting so far out of control and nobody does or says anything, even Cook after he was sacked.
Sure, Ashton may have had some input in terms of already available contacts, but that would be more in the way of being set before the Manager as "these are perhaps fairly achievable deals" rather than the only possible options. |  |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 10:54 - Jan 23 with 1282 views | RamRob |
| Cook’s summer signings on 10:02 - Jan 23 by thebooks |
Really mixed picture, made somewhat murkier by figuring out who are “Ashton signings” and who are those brought in by Cook.
The quality on the whole seems pretty good.
But the squad’s a mess, which affects performances. I think that’s partly due to Cook deciding the previous season’s team had to be completely replaced — which for some reason was quite a popular a decision on here — and then getting too many players into central and attacking midfield, which is partly down to Ashton, I think.
This forced us to rotate unnecessarily and drop players when they’ve been in form — Chaplin, for example. Players like Fraser are probably more than good enough, but there’s no room for them, so they disappear.
I’m not that impressed by Ashton’s input. If we assume any Bristol City/WBA players are from him, then Edwards and Harper obviously haven’t worked out when both should have been way too good for this level. I really can’t understand what getting Bakinson — yet another central midfielder in — achieves, apart from pushing permanent signings Harper and Carroll further down the pecking order. |
IMHO the clear out was needed. Unfortunately it was so soon after the last one by Hurst, where we cleared out our best players and replaced them with inferior ones. Chambers was passed it (see Colchester this season) and I think had too much sway in the changing room. We did try to keep a couple of players but they chose to leave i.e. Gwion Edwards.
We should've held on to Wilson but I guess it was easier for him to go than other players with longer contracts. |  |
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| Cook’s summer signings on 11:22 - Jan 23 with 1201 views | Alberto_the_frog |
| Cook’s summer signings on 08:18 - Jan 23 by franz_tyson |
You can only get 11 players in the team. And we’re struggling to get some of these players on the bench.
I’d add Morsy and Walton to the outstanding list.
I think we brought in a lot of quality players, but some don’t fit (Fraser, Pigott) and there’s too much competition in one position.
With recruitment, did we look to create a balanced team or go a bit little crazy when some players became available? Cook plays only one system so he should know which positions to fill and what type of player fits. So some signings don’t make sense.
I can’t help feel the recruitment was partly Cook and with also influence from Ashton whereby Cook sanctioned the moves in a ‘kid in a sweetshop’ way. We didn’t need the 19 signings and it all feels a bit desperate and last-minute when you bring in players like Morsy, Celina and Walton on dead-line day. Better to have too many good players than less, but it does still create problems.
Maybe reading too much into this, but with Jackson coming on before Pigott I do wonder if we’ll offload Pigott before the window closes. He must be getting frustrated. An additional problem for McKenna will be trying to keep everyone happy. |
Quite right. Gone are the days when a manager would say he wants to buy a particular player and the board decides whether to spend the money. It seems quite clear that nowadays a manager specifies the type of player required and in our case Ashton runs it through his little black box, sees what comes out, and lays his favourites at the manager's feet for consideration. This is where preference for players or agents He's worked with could come in. I think we did rather snatch at what was available, then buy a better one too when they became available- witness the poor chap who was sent back with pen in hand ready to sign - but then, we'd cleared out so many that we had a long shopping list. Hence another large squad, this time with better players than before still not getting much game time. We won't get much for them if we want to move them out as they haven't been playing. |  | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 12:21 - Jan 23 with 1027 views | thebooks |
| Cook’s summer signings on 10:41 - Jan 23 by Guthrum |
I still can't get my head around this concept that Ashton (just days after he arrived at the club) was using up FFP-limited club funds to sign players which the Manager neither asked for nor wanted, while the latter just quietly swallowed it and the Board let him get away with it. Simply does not strike me as a realistic scenario to have someone come in acting so far out of control and nobody does or says anything, even Cook after he was sacked.
Sure, Ashton may have had some input in terms of already available contacts, but that would be more in the way of being set before the Manager as "these are perhaps fairly achievable deals" rather than the only possible options. |
Yes, I don’t know to what degree PC wanted players like Harper and Edwards, but I think it’s fair enough to say that Ashton would have been behind signing them.
Cook’s not going to say too much as that’ll presumably be part of his termination agreement. Not that I’m really bothered — he’s gone now.
Whatever the ins and outs, the squad is imbalanced and way too big, which I think has affected performances. And I don’t get the Bakinson signing at all, unless he’s meant to replace Morsy or Evans. | | | |
| Cook’s summer signings on 12:37 - Jan 23 with 959 views | GavTWTD |
Not sure why the loan players have been excluded in your list. Most, if not all I would say would have been possible permanent moves when they were signed. Walton has already been converted, and I'll be surprised if Bonne doesn't join us. Coulson would have been excellent for us had injuries not prevented him. Celina has been good and could be excellent. Not sure if he will stay with us. Barry presumably only came because Celina was a late addition, but of those listed he was the only player definately was a short term move. Great shame about Coulson's injury. Needs to be replaced. |  |
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