Former Town boss Paul Cook insists he and his staff should have been given longer at Portman Road in his first public comments since his sacking a month ago yesterday, and says working with the performance department brought in by the club over the summer led to “challenges”.

Cook, 54, was relieved of his duties following the 0-0 FA Cup second-round draw with Barrow having only been appointed at the start of March.

Overall, the former Chesterfield, Portsmouth and Wigan boss was in charge of Town for 44 matches, winning 13, drawing 17 and losing 14.

Asked whether he should have been given longer to turn the Blues around even in light of those figures Cook told Sky Sports News: “One hundred per cent we should have been given longer time. One hundred per cent. I get stats, I get all the stats in the modern-day game.

“I think it’s grossly unfair when you can put a manager’s stats on the table when in the summer we released 27 to 30 players and we brought in 19 new ones. So we’re actually probably talking about two different teams.

“The stats can stand up. We initially went six games I think it was without winning, so that would have brought a pressure.

“We brought a lot of new lads in and a lot of good players, some really good players, a very strong squad. No pre-season into them, signing players very late and then, more importantly, taking their time to integrate into a system, a shape and all the above.

“After an initial period of not winning in six, the next 14 league games yielded seven wins, three draws and four defeats.

“We were sacked after 20 league games and for anyone to tell a manager that 20 league games is enough, in my world, you’re wrong.

“The last six home league games with me and my staff in charge at the club, we won four, drew one and lost to Rotherham.

“So you can always look back. I’m so disappointed because it’s a fantastic club, the fanbase, the training ground, the town itself, absolutely magnificent, they deserve success.

“The supporters down there are fantastic. Were me and my staff given enough time? No, not in my opinion, but that’s Mark Ashton and the owners’ decision, and you have to respect that.”

He says he wouldn’t have stuck around had he known that he wasn’t going to be given the time he anticipated: “If the new ownership had told me if it’s not instant success you’d be gone, I wouldn’t have stayed.

“That’s my only regret, I brought new staff in - Franny Jeffers, Gary Roberts, Ian Craney and John Keeley - who were very committed to a project.

“I managed Portsmouth for two years and it wasn’t all swimming and sailing. The first year we just managed to get to the play-offs, the second year we won the league. I thought that was good progress.

“Certainly for myself and the lads who went in, working with a new performance department brought in by Mark Ashton and not by me, the challenges we had within that daily over training and fitness etc.

“My only regret as a senior manager I stayed after the summer. I should’ve been stronger and forceful with my decisions around it.”

In the summer, the Blues added Andy Rolls as director of performance, Jon Ashton as first-team fitness coach and Andy Costin as head of sports science.

Photo: TWTD

ArnieM added 22:59 - Jan 5 Having read through the comments on here , I think I've had my view of Paul Cooks reign and shortcomings at Town, changed. Thank you for this . Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees , and maybe in hindsight I'm too “ loyal” to the manager and wasn't able to see the bigger picture. I actually feel lifted by some of the views expressed here . Thank you again .
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blueboy1981 added 23:00 - Jan 5 Totally agree Algarvefan - such people should be ashamed to call themselves ITFC Supporters. How times have changed ? - such unnecessary abuse would never have been part of this Club in the past. All good people will know the effort and genuine desire to succeed with us, that Paul Cook had. It did not work out the way he wanted, but there was, and is, no need at all for personal abuse.

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blueboy1981 added 23:09 - Jan 5 All I will say is ‘let's be Optimistic' - but time will tell. I seem to remember we've been here a few times before …. !!!!
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EatonBlue added 00:04 - Jan 6 For me the timing of the decision demonstrated a lack of integrity. By that I mean half-way through a cup tie and no chance to redeem himself. On the other hand it might be me being a bit ‘old school'.
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Saxonblue74 added 00:22 - Jan 6 KmcK: " I've got a clear idea of how I want us to play, but it's not going to happen overnight". Hmmmm, better hope it does or get your speech ready Kieran, you'll probably get til the end of the season!!
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itfcasual added 05:55 - Jan 6 Failing to beat Newport County (0-1 at home), West Ham U21s (1-2 at home), Colchester Untied (0-0 at home), Oldham Athletic (1-1 at home, 1-2 in the replay), Arsenal U21s (U18s) (2-2 at home, lost on pens) and Barrow (0-0 at home, losing 0-2 in the replay after he went) was utterly dismal. I was warming to the guy. I didn't go to the Barrow match but was really fed up at the failure to comprehensively beat another L2 side in the FA Cup. I was surprised to hear that he got sacked that night but I didn't get the sense that this season was going in the right direction. Watching Town play Rotherham it was clear after 30 minutes that the system wasn't working. We were trying to play it direct to Chaplin in the air when he was being man marked by a giant CB, over and over again. Chaplin never got near the ball let alone the goal. In the end, for me, it was Cook's lack of tactical flexibility to change the dynamics of a game that cooked his goose. When your tactics are completely predictible because you never change them, don't be surprised when teams set up to neutralise your formation week after week. Paul Cook has lots of excellent qualities but he needed more is his repetoire to succeed with Town. I wish him well.

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Europablue added 07:25 - Jan 6 Giving more time to a struggling manager is the right thing to do with someone like Sir Bobby, but that strategy depends entirely on who you have in the hot seat. There were lots of warning signs with PC. I was half expecting him to be fired at the end of last season and was surprised that he was given free rein to bring in so many players considering the results he got after going nuclear on the team. A good manager could get results out of the players he inherited. There was clearly something very wrong with the structure of the club. I didn't like what he did with the club, first by calling himself demolition man and then by getting rid of almost everyone. Plenty of those players could be sucessful in our team right now with the structure we have in place now. Cook makes Lambert look even better in comparison. I just don't like moaning managers or managers pointing at everyone else but himself.

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Europablue added 07:27 - Jan 6 blueboy1981 Where are you seeing abuse for Paul Cook? On here the vast majority are reasonable people who have general respect even when expressing their frustration.
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Europablue added 07:29 - Jan 6 EatonBlue I think the exact timing was dictated by the way PC carried himself. I didn't care about the result of a draw in the cup, but when I saw the interview afterward, I wanted him out.
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Bluroo added 09:27 - Jan 6 Cook gave himself an excuse for the first 20 games saying not my squad/not good enough. He then gave himself a new excuse for the next 20 games saying needed time to gel. Then ran out of excuses. Total blagger.
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Edmundo added 09:43 - Jan 6 Europa, agree entirely. He even started blaming the pitch condition for goodness sake. He had 99 problems but the pitch weren't one!
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Razor added 10:34 - Jan 6 Lovely fellah but we were going nowhere and the owners made the right decision. The new manager seems to have changed it around in one game----how many did the cheeky chappie have, including last year?
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DaGremloid added 12:25 - Jan 6 This wasn't a case of needing more time for me. The club was sinking with him in charge and bar the odd freak result there were never any signs of improvement - in fact, the team was visibly getting worse. And as many have already said, last season laid the base for the opinion many of us formed of his ability, not just his failings this season. Frankly he recruited a bunch of clowns around him for management staff and that, I believe, was his biggest downfall. Well, apart from poor recruitment in the playing staff as well. Time has shown that apart from Wes Burns, the best signings were loan players. And with the money invested in the club by the owners, that is not a good look.

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Cadiar added 13:59 - Jan 6 I do think PC should perhaps have been given more time but there are huge questions. Why didn't he really go for the playoffs when appointed, his line ups, ie one forward, his relationship with Norwood, his choice of assistant, Jeffers in particular. However he did get decent money for an under performing Dozell & got money for a number of players such as Bishop who I was pleased to see the back of. We did have some excellent results under him the best 4-1 at Wycombe. Anyway he's gone & hopefully KM can take us forward. He seems to have his feet firmly on the ground & does have a superb background as a coach. OK he's young but our two greatest managers were also young & Sir Alf was a complete novice. Onwards & upwards starting on Saturday

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