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Cook: First Half Possibly the Worst Performance From One of My Teams in My Whole Managerial Career
Saturday, 24th Apr 2021 18:28

Town boss Paul Cook was scathing about his side’s performance as they drew 0-0 at home to AFC Wimbledon, declaring the first-half display perhaps the worst he’s ever seen from one of his teams and that the Blues were like a “Sunday league team that’s won a cup to come and play at Portman Road.”

Asked his assessment of the game, Cook said: “I know I can’t shut up and I’ve got to be careful because I don’t want to go on, so I’ll try and be as brief as I can.

“The first half was possibly, and I’ve got to have a good memory, the worst performance of one of my teams I have ever seen in my whole managerial career.

“I’ve never seen a team play like that, I’ve never seen a team lack every quality on a football pitch, including the biggest one, honesty.

“Including winning contact, winning the second ball, doing basic stuff well. And it’s so disappointing.

“But nothing will sway me now. I’ve been of a mindset for a period of time, before Marcus left the club and the new ownership came in, what needs to happen. The plans behind the scenes haven’t changed.

“I just feel like we’re not far off a Sunday league team that’s won a cup to come and play at Portman Road.

“You look at the stadium being empty and you’re so thankful that it is empty because the first half was an absolute shambles of a performance.

“In the second half I thought we were honest, we did a lot better. Dobs [Armando Dobra] came on and gave us a lift by just purely wanting to play football and being a kid that just loves football.

“You look at some of ours and it’s like they don’t like being footballers. They won’t have to wait too much longer for that to happen.”

Quizzed on whether there have been a few harsh words at half-time, Cook continued: “I’m not coming out to say that, I’ll give you my honest assessment, as I always will. I’m the manager of this team.


“I can’t stand watching us play, and that breaks my heart as I stand here privileged to be manager of the club. That team does not epitomise what I like about the game, it’s just the total opposite.”

Town have now gone more than 10 hours - 619 minutes - without a goal and are closing in on their all-time record of 714 minutes from the 1994/95 season in the Premier League.

has he known a spell like this one? Can the Blues end it before the season’s over? “How long’s left? Three 90s? I reckon our fans are going to have to get ready for more.

“We had a couple of chances second half, Keanan Bennetts has gone clean through in the first half and you can see that sometimes when we get in those positions our confidence isn’t there.

“That’s something that you can speak about for ever, confidence, it becomes boring. Go and be the one who does it. Go and be the one who gains confidence by taking a goal and taking an opportunity.

“There have been enough excuses round here now. I might even ban you all for the next three games because it’s going to actually be quite pointless, isn’t it?

“I think we have a good relationship but it’s pointless me coming out trying to show I’m a tough guy and all the above. I don’t like watching us play. I don’t think that team represents [me].

“I think we’re soft, I think we lack character and we lack big players and I hope and I pray that I’m the one that can change that.”

One positive was the second half display of Armando Dobra having come off the bench: “He came on and he looked like he wanted to play football, and that shone through in a really poor team today, and that’s something I have to deal with.

“We’ve got two weeks to go, the season now that’s fallen completely flat from being in a great position, and that’s under me, a really strong position to wilting away, to becoming a soft touch, becoming easy to beat where teams like Wimbledon come to Portman Road and from the first minute were probably the better team on the pitch. And that’s sad.

“I’m not disrespecting Wimbledon, by the way, please don’t take my comments the wrong way. It’s sad that the best we can offer is not a lot.”

Asked about the change of keeper, Dai Cornell starting and Tomas Holy dropping to the bench, Cook said: “I think you’ve seen with the team, big Oli [Hawkins] came in and did OK. He’s as honest as the day at the top end of the pitch. Dai’s made a few saves including the penalty, which were good saves.

“I think in general now I think we’ve seen everyone and you guys have seen them more than me. There’ll be no stupid statements from me, I think I’ve made one or two there, haven’t I when look back, but I don’t think I need to make many more, do I?”

Cook said after the defeat at Northampton that the criticism of the players had to stop but with performances like the first half they’re making that difficult.

“It has to stop, doesn’t it?” Cook added. “You know me, you’ve been around me a little bit. I’ll always be as honest as I can.

“I’ve enjoyed managing and this is a period where I was out of work for eight or nine months and couldn’t wait to get back in and the way my team’s playing at the minute I’ll be out of work again very soon.

“That’s not me. I don’t represent the football club like that. The players are representing us at the minute.

“I know the fans know. I know that. Whatever I say can’t change anything, so even with you [the media] next week I’m going to try and be a little bit quieter, I’m not going to discuss everything you might want me to and let’s just wait for the changes to come.”

Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson was disappointed that his side didn't claim all three points.

“I have mixed feelings after that result,” he told his club's official website. “We were excellent in the first half. I hope the fans can see that we were excellent in the first half because I’m sure the fans, like us, are disappointed we only came away with a point.

“The chances were there, they’ve put in a couple of great blocks. We’ve also missed chances that we should’ve scored and the lads know that. The game could’ve been over in the first half an hour, so we’re disappointed.

“We started bright again in the second half. Ayoub [Assal] could’ve scored when he cut inside and tried to round the keeper. After that Ipswich came at us for 20 minutes, they flashed a couple of crosses across the face of goal. I don’t think Nik [Tzanev] has made a save.

“When you’re away from home, teams are always going to have a spell but we nullified that and had our own little spell where we created a couple more chances.

“Probably not as many as we wanted but it shows how far we have come, we’re coming to Portman Road and we’re disappointed with a draw. We just need to put [relegation fears] to bed on Tuesday.”


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fizzyblue added 19:10 - Apr 24
Sorry cat down marked you by mistake mate.
0

cornishnick added 19:13 - Apr 24
All very well saying he's being honest, but Cook surely has to carry the can for some of these performances. It's clear he's lost the dressing room. there's clearly a toxic atmosphere at the moment and much of that has to be down to Cook. He's hanging his players out to dry what does he expect? Very poor man management IMHO
3

jas0999 added 19:21 - Apr 24
Maybe keep one or two of these players, the rest must go. Coasting for years. It's now a shock that they need to work and perform for their money.
6

itfcserbia added 19:27 - Apr 24
It will be very interesting to see where players we let go end up next season and how they perform.
9

churchmans81 added 19:28 - Apr 24
With Town having built momentum during PL's last 10 games or so (with something like 6 wins), with PC having exactly the same players and a record of W2 D6 L5 including drawing five of their last eight games 0-0, I suspect he's going to have the shortest managerial career of anyone in the Portman Road hot seat, ever. What an absolute joke of a man manager. He's just as much an embarrassment as many think all the players in the squad have become. If not more so with the constant and consistent belittling of what is now a ‘team' (in the loosest sense of the word) that's playing with no confidence whatsoever under his leadership. I don't believe that the new owners will be thinking he's the man to invest their £millions and I suspect that whilst he's said today of our players that “you look at some of ours and it's like they don't like being footballers. Well they won't have to wait much longer for that to happen” I expect the same will be true of his managerial career. He needs to be in the same taxi heading up the A14 in 3 weeks time as many of the others that'll be heading out the door too. As well as Mick McCarthy, Paul Lambert must be thinking “Ipswich fans; you got what you wanted, but .. be careful what you wish for”. And less than 2 months later (just 2 months) it's come to pass.
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itfcserbia added 19:30 - Apr 24
@Phil1969 not quite a level comparison is it? If your employer got new owners and they said they will be looking for changes what would your reaction be then?

I seriously doubt first thing they or PC told the players was you lot are all redundant starting june.
4

RobITFC added 19:32 - Apr 24
Never known a similar situation with new owners and manager, the team normally kick on but this lot have just given up, embarrassing!! How can these players sleep at night knowing they are stealing a living, who will employ them next season ?
9

Drifter3012 added 19:34 - Apr 24
Cook is obviously a broken man already but even though he is stuck with this team, he doesn't actually have to play the majority of them so he does shoulder some of the blame.
I think it is important to give him time but why Ward & not Kenlock, why Bennetts & not Dobra, why Edwards & Dozzell & not Nydam & Gibbs. Why Jackson on the bench & not Simpson.
I know he wants to build his own team but the season is done so at least give the fans something now.
Most of us would prefer to see the youngsters given a chance so why not give them a go?
6

SickParrot added 19:38 - Apr 24
No holding back by PC: "You look at some of ours and it's like they don't like being footballers. They won't have to wait too much longer for that to happen.” Well said Mr Cook.
5

Phil1969 added 19:39 - Apr 24
Powrigan very true but they will not be measured on 15 games of PC's tenure. Having said that I still have some doubts we have the right manger or the clout to replace practically them all!
3

grumpyoldman added 19:42 - Apr 24
People complaining about the loan players being used, saying they won't be here next year! Are they any different from our own players who also won't be here next season. Just get this season out of the way and see what happens next year. Hopefully we can gain promotion, same time as Scum are relegated and then we can pass them on the way up as they go down the following season, (a man can dream can't he?)
1

WhoisJimmyJuan added 19:44 - Apr 24
Drifter3012. Is it possible that PC has already identified the players he wants to keep and is protecting them by NOT playing them? Bit of a mad thought but take Nydam for example. PC rates his attitude so perhaps he doesn't want him contaminated by the 1st team attitude. Ditto Dobra to an extent?
11

Saxonblue74 added 19:44 - Apr 24
Honesty from PC now he knows the game is up this season. How could he keep a lid on it? They deserve both barrels. His time this season has been useful simply to assess his squad, and 90% of them have made it a very easy job for him! He hasn't made negative comments about individuals but has chosen to focus praise on the few who have made the effort, let the rest deal with their conscience if they have one! Looking forward to the close season far more than the next 2 weeks!
4

itfcserbia added 19:46 - Apr 24
Drifter3012 imho (and hope) I think he's not playing the ones he has made his mind about, but rather those he is still trying to decide on.
1

Woodbridgian added 19:46 - Apr 24
They says there's a thin line between brilliance and insanity, I think Cook is walking it right now! Probably he says what most fans are thinking and maybe he doesn't care because very few of these players will be here next year.
But building a whole new team from scratch is a massive job and won't happen overnight. Cook might have the support of the new owners and CEO at the moment but if he doesn't hit the ground running very quickly next season that will disappear very quickly.
8

Reusers_Tash added 19:49 - Apr 24
When we all talk about managers being responsible for motivation I think we are missing a key point in the players job title.....”Professional” footballer. They get paid to play football. It's like saying it's my companies fault without them having done anything wrong to change my employment that I can't be arsed to do my job in a Professional manner. Even so, they should be seeking a next employer and to do that surely even this bunch of muppets should understand they stand a better chance of finding a new club if they actually turn up and put in a shift. Disgraceful.
3

Saxonblue74 added 19:50 - Apr 24
Jimmyjuan, I had the same thoughts.
2

Edmundo added 19:52 - Apr 24
I am totally with PC on this, and have to say, Phil1969 and others, do you not watch or read anything apart from the headlines? In which case, it is hard to have any kind of serious opinion.
I may not agree entirely with PC's handling of the squad, but he works every day with them, and it was also abundantly clear (1st half especially) that the majority of this team have downed tools which is, in a professional industry, almost unprecedented. I can only remember Chelsea's primadonnas doing similar a few years ago, led by Eden Hazard. I wonder who's the chief culprit in our poisoned squad?
6

Monkey_Blue added 20:01 - Apr 24
How long does this clear decline since cook took over go on before those blaming everyone else stops. I'm not calling for him to go but I suspect that thought has already crossed the new owners and bosses minds. We have never been this poor under lambert who was an average manager. Continuing to publicly deride your players is passing the buck. A good manager gets more out of players and at the moment he's making lambert look like a good manager. It's wasn't good enough before but this is far worse.
2

TimmyH added 20:04 - Apr 24
I'd keep Downes, KVY, either Bish or Edwards, Wolf, Dobra, Kenlock and possibly Norwood (injuries are a major concern) and the rest can go through the door...

Goal scoring striker, box to box midfielder who can create and score, strong CB and a decent LB are the minimum requirements.

Can't be a total clear out as there does need to be some form of a base to start from next season.
5

brendenward35 added 20:05 - Apr 24
I'm not convinced when the new CEO starts PC will still be the manager. Eyes will be watching him now and I'm not sure his owing himself any favours. Marcus hired him be easy for him to be unhired if the owners don't think his up to it
6

Monkey_Blue added 20:05 - Apr 24
He complains that Keenan Berners didn't have any confidence? When your manager has done nothing but deride you publicly is it any wonder the players lack confidence.? This really is the behaviour that is usually seen from poor and desperate managers trying to keep their job, not someone with a plan and confidence in his abilities.
0

churchmans81 added 20:17 - Apr 24
He inherited a team that was eighth in the table, two points off the play-off places. When has any manager ever lost the dressing room so quickly .. other than Brian Clough; and after Leeds he was never seen or heard of again. 😄 🌳 ⚽️ 🏆.
3

runningout added 20:20 - Apr 24
I will be backing our coach as I honestly believe he's one of the best. With or without a decent assistant he has a tricky job. Looks like we have a helluva lot of players just not good enough. The chosen ones are turning to jelly on match day. That's individuals not backing each other as well as confidence fail dating back too long. No point scrutinising Paul Cook.
2

Norwichbeater added 20:27 - Apr 24
Cook has failed massively more than any other manager we have had. You lot are mad. He inherited team 2 points off playoffs and on winning streak. Other managers have had better credentials than him and failed. He has to go. Worse Ipswich manager ever.
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