Town boss Paul Cook believes the Blues will have to win around 27, 28 or 29 games this season, picking up between 85 and 90 points, to be promoted and says he is waiting for the transfer window to end which he believes will bring some “sanity” and allow him to concentrate on integrating the new players.

With 14 signings made and more expected, it was always anticipated that it would take a little time for the squad to gel.

In that context, the nature of the performance in last Saturday’s home opener against Morecambe, which ended 2-2 wasn’t a surprise.

One positive was the team coming from behind twice, showing a resilience which last year’s side was often accused of lacking.

Asked whether he felt that the team he inherited would have come back to draw against the Shrimps, Cook said: “I’m not going to judge last year, there’s no point. Historically, there’s no point.

“One of the things that big and successful clubs in the past do, they always look back, but the reality is that looking back won’t take you forward.

“For us it’s just repetition. Some of my answers you’ll get bored with, I’ll try and send the other coaches out. I just like working hard on the training ground, I just like recreating the moments from Saturday on the training ground and the moments will come where we might have prolonged periods of possession, we may have to go round teams, we may have to open teams up, we have to produce moments of quality.

“If that’s not the case we might have to dig in at times and defend and we’ll have to be very well organised to do that.

“My job now, I don’t get embroiled in your side of the game, if you like, where one minute it’s a high and one minute it’s a low. For us to be successful this year and be promoted, we’re going to have to win probably 27, 28, 29 games, whatever it is.

“We’re going to have to get 85, 90 points. The target is if you keep getting one [point] and one and one, you’re going crawling along very, very slowly, aren’t you? So eventually we’ve got to start winning games if we want to get to where we want to be.

“But we’ve played one league game. One. And for me, we’ve got so many new lads in the building, we’ve got so many different permutations of players. What is our best team going forward? We don’t know.

“It’s the partnerships being allowed to train together to develop together to play together. It’s the crowd getting behind the team, it’s the lads feeling that noise in the stadium that will carry us home.

“At the minute, we’re just taking the smallest baby steps towards that and hopefully our steps can get bigger soon.”

Reflecting further on his new side grabbing a point last week via Macauley Bonne’s 91st minute debut goal, he added: “Credit to the players, credit to the lads because it was probably at a point in the game where we least looked likely to score.

“I felt the game had drifted away from us, I felt the referee was losing a little bit of control over it with bookings and time-wasting. That’s football, that’s part of what we have to manage.

“Great credit to the players. As I say, you’ll never hear me criticise the players, we’ve got a lot of lads who have come together for the first time, they’re moving to the area, they’re in hotels, they’re changing hotels for apartments, they’re trying to move in, their missuses, their girlfriends, the kids are coming down.

“We’ve got medicals going on every other day. To say the training ground’s busy is not doing busy justice.

“From my point of view as a manager, I just want to get to a point where we get a bit of sanity into the group. The window closes, let’s have it right.

“Once that transfer window closes, we can all concentrate on the fact that that’ll probably be the squad done, we now have to train together, the lads have to integrate together and there’s a long season ahead.

“And we’ll have highs and lows, that’s the nature of the game. My job as a manager, and I think because I’ve gained a little experience by doing it, is to manage the highs and the lows to have an equal level.”

Photo: TWTD

pennblue added 11:41 - Aug 13 Looking forward to the next three games this next week. Even if we lose all three I won't be panicking, if that does happen, which I very much doubt, then I am confident our hierarchy will use those learnings and fix anything that needs to be addressed.
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TimmyH added 11:50 - Aug 13 Don't really agree with this...there won't be any run away team and it's about consistency and keeping those losses down, Posh got promoted with 26 wins and were 7 points clear from the 3rd place team. Last season We were in contention up until the last few weeks and we were awful after Xmas. One match at a time Paul one match at a time...
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MedwayTractor added 12:10 - Aug 13 Would, as Cook says, 85 to 90 points do it for a top two place? The current set-up of 24 teams and 3 points for a win began in the 1996/97 season. Since then, the stats for the top six teams are: First place - Highest total 103, lowest 84, average 93. Second - Highest 96, lowest 82. Third - Highest 90, lowest 72, average 83. Fourth - Highest 88, lowest 71, average 80. Fifth - Highest 85, lowest 70, average 77. Sixth - Highest 82, lowest 69, average 74. But then, this is all lies, damned lies and statistics! Records, as has been said, are there be broken. Who knows, we might finish top with a new record high of 103 points, or finish seventh with more than 82. Nothing in this world is guaranteed, especially for those who rely on sporting statistics. I'll get my anorak.........

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Saxonblue74 added 12:12 - Aug 13 The answer to the question is no, last years squad would not have fought back for a point against Morcambe last season! Also PC is correct, it was a stupid question!
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shakytown added 12:24 - Aug 13 You had better get some defenders in who are better than pub league standard if we are going to have a hope in hell of winning that many games.
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jong75 added 12:34 - Aug 13 I really dont think we can judge Cook until from October at the earliest. The club has been in freefall for the last 14 years, this will take time to turnaround. Personally, I really like him and believe he will get us to where we want to be. In Cook I trust, COYB.
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Marinersnose added 12:39 - Aug 13 I fully expect some changes against Burton. Barry has to be a starter up top as he has real quality. Dobra deserves a start wide imo as again he makes things happen and will occupy defenders. The central midfield pair pick themselves imo. Who will play as centre backs probably Woolfenden and I'd imagine Donacien unless he felt that Ndaba deserves a chance. Left back will be interesting as Penny was just okay on his debut. Clements May get an opportunity after a very good showing midweek or he may throw Coulson straight in . Piggott could be replaced by Bonne who is a lively player. Anticipating a very close game. I can't get too involved in numbers at this stage in t(e season.

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ringwoodblue added 13:05 - Aug 13 Better start by winning tomorrow then Paul!
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Suffolkboy added 22:08 - Aug 13 Points mean places on the ladder .but goals against will make the task harder - SO we want LW to concentrate full time ( no sleepy moments, please ) and we desperately need to bring in another strong character ,and central defender . Much looks extremely promising , patience we must exercise and grant to PC and the team ,but it'd be lovely to see the promise turn , or start to turn , into reality early on . COYB

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Pilgrimblue added 09:56 - Aug 14 Well the answer is to start with this weekend. Get on front foot and score some goals.
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