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Cook: We’ve Lost a Lad to Sickness That Won’t Start Tomorrow
Friday, 20th Aug 2021 09:45

Town boss Paul Cook revealed that an unnamed member of his squad will miss Saturday’s home game against the MK Dons with illness, and was keeping his cards close to his chest regarding those injured, although confirmed centre-half George Edmundson is not quite ready and said he expects everyone to be fit to join in training in the free week following the AFC Wimbledon match.

Former Rangers man Edmundson is yet to feature in a squad since joining the Blues and Cook says tomorrow will come too soon for the 23-year-old, who it’s understood has been suffering with a hamstring problem, but he isn’t far away.

“He’s working very, very hard now, I would say it is the latter stages of his rehabilitation,” he said.

“I think we’ll be seeing George Edmundson in Ipswich shirt very, very soon, which will be great.”

Edmundson being available will give significant competition at centre-half, particularly once Toto Nsiala is over his hamstring injury.

“It’s something that we wanted at the club,” Cook said. “If you look at the competition for places around the team. Luke Woolfenden has played with four different central defensive partnerships in four games, and we’re looking for continuity.

“We haven’t had the same nine and 10 in any game we’ve played yet, and relationships are so important. It’s not me as a manager, I’ll always be as honest as I can.

“It’s not me appealing for time, we all know football today, through you guys and social media, the knives and the butchers circle, they don’t wait around long any more.


“But for me, as a manager, I just want to get everyone available, we haven’t seen Hayden Coulson and Kyle Edwards play together on the left-hand side.

“We haven’t see George Edmundson and Toto Nsiala play, we haven’t see Conor Chaplin and Macauley Bonne play, we haven’t seen Sone Aluko in the team.

“Our lists go on at the minute. For me as a manager, I just want to get a win on the board, I want to get up and running and I want to get everyone fit, and if we can do all that quickly, I’m sure it will be very much a different place.”

Chaplin is also understood to have a hamstring problem as is James Norwood, while Aluko has also suffered a knock. Wes Burns has also been absent for the last two games.

Asked whether he would like to get a settled side, Cook says that’s not been possible, revealing a player will miss out tomorrow.

“It’s impossible, it’s literally impossible,” he continued. “We’ve lost a lad to sickness now for two days that won’t start tomorrow. At the minute, we just keep making steps forward and steps back.

“And we all probably knew this, if we were really brutally honest. When you put a new team together like we have, the reality is that to expect them to just hit the ground running is probably a bit unrealistic.

“If you look back on the three games, any neutral would say that at some point in all three games we can only win that game.

“I think when we equalised against Morecambe, I think it would have been a fair assumption that we’d go on and win the game, I think at Burton Albion when we got the penalty you’re probably thinking it’s going to be our day.

“And then obviously when Macauley [Bonne] misses a chance on Tuesday night which you’d expect him to score. No one misses penalties and chances deliberately, this is football.

“We’ve just got to make sure those moments go our way. With the greatest respect now, and tomorrow will be a difficult game, we’re dominating games better, we’re in the ascendancy of possession better, we look a threat better, our fitness levels are better and the reality is that we’re just waiting for results to go our way.”

Pressed on who the ill player is Cook, laughed: “You’ve only got one of 11 so you’ve got a chance of guessing, haven’t you? It’s not George Edmundson is it, that’s for sure!”

After Saturday the Blues are without a midweek game but Cook says he’s looking more towards the following free week when he expects everyone to be available ahead of the game at Wycombe, a fixture we understand could be postponed due to Chairboys international calls.

“In my world, we look to after Wimbledon at home when we feel everyone will be fit and available, we’ll then be training for a full week for the first time going to Wycombe,” he said.

“So I think post-Wycombe will see us up and running. Whatever the results are from there, the most positives ones we can get the better, the more time we get together will only see us improve as a team and as a group of people together.”

Any plans to do any team-bonding? “We don’t have any time like that, I’m very much a manager who just believes in hard work on the training ground and repetition.

“Whatever experiences you gain on a football pitch, the reality is you’ll go through those experiences again.

“We will be winning 1-0 away from home again, we will be 1-0 down at home again, it’s how you learn from your experiences, especially the bad ones that make you stronger.

“Our lads are going through a learning curve at the minute, and they will learn. They will get better and they will be strong and on that day we will all be pleased with what see on the pitch.”


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Wallingford_Boy added 09:54 - Aug 20
Burns starts tomorrow.
1

Reuserscurtains added 09:55 - Aug 20
Please don't be Edward's, for entertainment sake!
6

Linkboy13 added 09:56 - Aug 20
We seem to get a lot of hamstring injuries at Portman road surely there must be some explanation. Is it the playing surface at the playford rd training ground?
4

Linkboy13 added 09:59 - Aug 20
Reuserscurtains I wouldn't be surprised soon as we get a player playing out of his skin he gets injured KVY springs to mind.
3

jas0999 added 10:00 - Aug 20
Four without a win, work in progress, but surely now time to pick up three points in a home game in front of a big crowd.
6

drewcudders1963 added 10:12 - Aug 20
If he is fit Burns must start ! Quality player.....
4

rfretwell added 10:12 - Aug 20
Come on Paul, be s bit more upfront with Towns long suffering fans and the local press. it's not as if we have Messi in the squad after all.
1

Kickingblock added 10:24 - Aug 20
Get well soon young man. 🤞👊
2

Pettabelieveit added 10:25 - Aug 20
Looking forward to the game tomorrow. A win followed by a weeks training before another home game.. let's get right behind them!
2

algarvefan added 10:41 - Aug 20
Very few teams have all their players available week after week, add to that 16 new players coming in at once, some within the last week and you can see the difficulties Paul Cook has to deal with. Now I am a big fan of Ipswich, always have been for well over 50 years, we have to give the manager time, I want to win every game, he wants to win every game, don't tell me you think PC s enjoying this. What he needs more than anything is our support right now, our support for what he is trying to do, but not only him, the players need us too to give them confidence and a lift. We have good players a good manager and staff, please don't be so negative guys about the team. It seems to me like some are almost willing failure so they have something to moan about!!!!
12

ArnieM added 10:58 - Aug 20
The Hamstring is the most vulnerable muscle open to injury ( because it acts simultaneously over two joints ( hip and knee). When injured , they are an arse to rehab and often re injure.
8

Radlett_blue added 11:09 - Aug 20
More hamstrings & more excuses. Yes, I know Cook has brought in 16 new players, but he seems to have little idea of his best XI.
-10

spanishblue added 11:12 - Aug 20
Why would you tell the opposition anything helpful, we will come good soon tomorrow would be nice,at least we seem to have talent for a change
4

Linkboy13 added 12:09 - Aug 20
I think most people with a little bit of football knowledge will agree we need time to gel . But i don't think you can entirely use it as an excuse for losing football matches. In my opinion i don't think the players have given one hundred percent for the shirt. The performance of Cameron Burgess on his debut really emphasised this he looked proud to wear the blue shirt . Let's hope it rubs off on the rest of the players and we wont be saying in ten games time we need time to gel. Mind you that old chess nut has surfaced again injuries just hope we are not going to use that as an excuse.
1

Pettabelieveit added 12:12 - Aug 20
Radlett_blue how can he have at this stage after such a overhaul? It's a process
1

rgp1 added 12:24 - Aug 20
Another game of pin the tail on the donkey again then!
-1

runningout added 12:27 - Aug 20
If I was a betting man it's Edwards who sick.
0

HappyKitten added 12:30 - Aug 20
Cards on the table, I wasn't jumping for joy when Cook was given the job.... who did I want? good question I don't know for sure but one thing is for sure, his record as our manager has been SHOCKING! I hope I am wrong and Cook does get it right, I'll give him time to "gel" the team but with the quality he has got in anything less than 4 points from the next two games will be unacceptable. Keeping the faith as always I'll be right behind the team on Saturday as should all ITFC fans, but the next 7 days are crunch time for me!
-2

Bert added 12:43 - Aug 20
Like others, it is Wes Burns that excites me. On the negativity front, I think we are all disappointed with our start so opinions are going to be expressed because we all ( most of us) are totally committed to our team and club. Realistically though, TWTD, does tend to attract highly opinionated supporters because that's what TWTD is all about. My honest opinion is that we do have a far better squad than anything in recent years, Cook would not have been my preferred manager but I will back him to the hilt. Most supporters I know are not TWTD posters and are far more likely to accept the disappointment, shrug their shoulders and be a bit more patient. TWTD is brilliant but it is not for the faint hearted or those that simply do not want to hear criticism because it makes them miserable.
0

BurleysGloryDays added 12:57 - Aug 20
Town fans: if you drive out/anger Cookie, if you get on the back of the players, make them scared to play a pass, if you start booing, whine like hurt animals when a result doesn't go our way despite all of the insanely obvious and reasonable circumstances of our new team, then YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE SUFFERING AS A CLUB. LOOK AT YOURSELF.

GET BEHIND THE TEAM.
BE 12th MAN.
ALWAYS.
GET BEHIND OUR MANAGER.
TAKE IT OUT ON THE OPPO.

AND COYB!
4

blues1 added 13:16 - Aug 20
Burley glory days. Spot on comment. Unfortunately you cant tell some of the idiots on here. They're only interested in putting the club down. Dont know why they dont just go and support a team they know will win every week. But then again, theyd have nothing to moan about I guess.
2

blues1 added 13:21 - Aug 20
Radlettblue. U clearly know nothing about hamstrings. Anyone, however fit, or unfit, can pull a hamstring at any point in time. Has nothing to do with what surface ur running on or any other outside reason. Its simply something that cannot be predicted or prevented.
0

blues1 added 13:23 - Aug 20
Linkboy13. Even if it is Edwards, and let's hope it's not, tho just our luck it will be, he isnt injured, hes Ill.
0

Linkboy13 added 15:54 - Aug 20
Makes no difference blues 1 if he's injured or ill he won't be playing. Cook's not saying who the so called player is as it might effect the size of the crowd. So im guessing it's someone pretty important.
0

blues1 added 16:00 - Aug 20
Linkboy13. Get where ur coming from but more likely not saying as doesnt want the opposition knowing. And have to be a pretty poor fan to not go bcse of 1 player not playing.
0


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