Sounds like the right level for them both

Who honestly cares?

Chesterfield got no chance of finishing in the playoffs with Cookie monster in charge. At least in the summer he can get rid of 20 odd players and start again

Really not interested

Not interested!

At first I thought not interested. But then win % of 30% caught my attention. Weren't Chesterfield sitting 2nd or 3rd when Cookie took over?

Madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

Good luck to them both. Cook did at least bring some very good players in but his tactical inflexibility turned out to be his achilles heel.
Hurst on the other hand assembled a squad to compete in the mid-table level of League 2.

Chesterfield were second on goal difference when cook took over, he's overseen a similar downturn in results as we got…. I don't see Roberts being the key to saving their season. More proof Richardson was the key to Cooks success, not Cook himself.

Chesterfield were second on goal difference when cook took over, he's overseen a similar downturn in results as we got…. I don't see Roberts being the key to saving their season. More proof Richardson was the key to Cooks success, not Cook himself.

And so the Cook bashing continues . Just remember you lot, Cook was the one that did this Club of those arse holes who got two previous managers the sack by either throwing the towel in, being in capable of mounting a challenge for promotion at Division THREE level , on THREE consecutive seasons , as well as being incapable or bothered to fight for their Championship status . Paul Cook sacked the lot of them ! HE then brought in this current squad. Which is still not the finished article in this Clubs complete rebuild. Whilst he had his coaching shortcomings ( so did some peoples Messiah, McCarthy !) At least he has played a significant role in this Clubs rebuilding process. For the record McCarthy, Hurst, Lambert built NOTHING .

The problem in this forum is so few can see further than the end of their noses , and certainly appear incapable of seeing the bigger picture .

I wish Paul Cook luck in his future job. He doesn't deserve the crap levelled at him by some people on here.

@itfcserbia

Yep - Chesterfield were 2nd when Cook took over, they're down to 5th in the table (having only won 1 of their last 5), and got thumped 4-1 at home in their last match by a resurgent Grimsby (under that excellent manager Paul Hurst) who could possibly finish above them too...

I don't think Paul Cooks man management was the problem. He was a likeable guy with bags of enthusiasm. The mistake he made was the inexperienced coaches he brought in. With the same group of players the difference we are seeing on the pitch now to back then is night and day and that is all down to the coaching.

Cook built whatever he built because unlike lambert he had financial freedom. I think KVY was Lamberts biggest signing and that was £200k. I don't think you can compare Lambert to Cook when the financial situation was so different. Lamberts results were better than cooks with very little transfer budget. Wasn't a huge Lambert fan but I'm sure he'd have had us out of league one first time round if he'd had the millions to spend cook had.

The circus is in chesterfield

Third season we look like we will finish 9th, different managers different players different Owners.

Next season we will have 100 points and finish 9th mad division.

On the serious side we have the players who can get us out of this division and a manager who will get the best out of the players and will have financial backing to improve the squad where needed.

However next season will be tough with the likes of Peterbrough and Derby in this league and some familiar sides that will be up there.

Don't think we will be playing catch up next season for the first time and will be in the mix from the start.

In the end its pointless arguing about Cook, I like him, but the stats speak for themselves. He started something good here, but he couldn't quite make it happen. Chesterfield had something good going, and its disintegrating in front of their eyes.
Its a results based business and frankly he isnt covering himself in glory.
ITFC is what matters, no disrespect but Cook yesterdays news.
ITID

ArnieM, I can't agree with you on this.
We can't point to anything good, any achievement Cook had here, apart from the fact that he just got rid of 20+ players, which he then replaced with 19 new ones, a reckless strategy that has been accepted as not having worked & contributing massively to our appalling first half of the season, resulting in another probable 9th place finish. Who among us here could not have gone into the job and, rather than trying to work with the players that were there & God forbid coach them, just said "right, you're all out, and nobody should question how things have actually deteriorated since my appointment", and then use the new owner's resources to replace them? No new manager bounce, in fact the opposite.
Looking at how the squad has responded to KMcK, with out of favour players now looking undroppable, who is to say what he could have achieved with at least some of our underperformed 'aholes' that Cook just rubbished & discarded. I'm fairly sure he'd want his rebuilding of the squad to take place at a far more measured & sensible pace, allowing for an easier gelling process & consistency at the start of the sesson.

FFS why can't some of you just move on, cause he has. Most of us now realise he weren't up to it but he gave us some of the most entertaining football seen at PR for many years and gave us a handful of great occasions. Still if your not attending then that probably won't have registered!

While it's still early days for Cookie, what ex-Ipswich manager in recent history has been successful since leaving us?

Lambert - No
Hurst - No
McCarthy - No
Keane - No
Jewell - No
Magilton - No
Burley - No

Mowbray has probably done the best in recent history even though he was only Ipswich manager for a very short time.

Len_Brennan

Apologise but i actually think you also have it wrong to be honest. The squad we had were given a chance by Cook and yes no improvement made but i would argue that is as much down to the players as it was anything that Paul Cook was doing.

Colchester is a case in point they seem to have most of our throw aways and are hardly ripping it up in league 2.

I still cant see why so much faith was put in Chambers and company, sorry to say it but most were not good enough or simply were not playing for the badge. Look how easy downes head got turned and his form dipped because of it. He isnt the only player to ever have that happen and i am not against moving to bigger clubs for more money, but i do take offence to not giving your all for the club that has helped you become the player you are, and that goes for most that were let go frankly.

This group of players is far superior and yes some of that is down to McKenna for coaching them correctly, or differently, however you want to put it, and yes some of the older heads have been galvanised but there are many factors to their form now and then and its not just on cooks head for that.

The players of old and those from previous still with us need to look in the mirror and really ask themselves if they really have given everything over those tougher periods, because i would say they didnt personally.

Cook had his faults, they are plain for all to see as did other managers who have been and gone, but people are quick to dismiss the good that Paul Cook actually did and one part of that is the playing squad frankly. The start of the season has ruined it for us as without that we would be 3rd or 4th i am sure, but i would rather the clear out that happened and the squad we have now being coached by what seems a very good manager, then just stick with what we had who didnt seem to care about the club to be honest. I am optimistic that this squad and the management team can do the business next year auto or playoffs because out form since McKenna has been promotion form, its just too late in the day and the start hasnt helped.

Len_Brannan,

No problem with your view. But as the poster above states ( beating me to it ), I think PC when he first come in was full of enthusiasm, and actually said, “ first thing is to get promoted …” we were 6th at that time? ….he then got them in “for a full days training, and the players are warned to be ready to work hard” but he had to send them all home because they were so unfit they couldn't cope with the higher tempo training! Undoubtedly a few home truths were said to this turgid squad…not before time frankly, as Didsy had said a few years earlier…” nothing was ever expected of us” .

So if PC upset the the snowflakes by having the affront to demand more from the squad, and it quickly became clear that player power was once again rearing its ugly head. It had already sunk Hurst and Lambert. If you'd been Cook you'd also be saying “ this squad has already got two managers the sack, I'm not going to be the third”, is totally understandable. Was Cook asking for too much ? Was he wrong to ask that squad to try something different. (is that any different from what McKenna is now asking this new squad?).

Cooks “ crime” it seems was to try and shuffle the pack and get more out of them, to get over that Play Off line…. But the precious individuals didn't like the new broom, so they downed tools! What option did he have bu5 to say , right that's yo7 lot d9ne wit(. Because the squad as a whole had clearly decided the new regime's ( Gamechangers) broader plans clearly wouldn't include these players going forward. Players know when they are in capable of playing to the required level….. and doesn't it show at Colchester! They had individually and collectively as a squad the chance to start to create something special ….just like this new current squad have bought into, but they were up for that step up.I don't see that as Cooks failure…. That's squarely in the players court in my view, if it's was the managers fault, these same players would be ripping it up in League Two…..they aren't !

The bigger picture. Cook has effectively played his small part in this Club's major rebuild.He's cleared out the dead wood. They WERE & REMAIN dead wood, they're just playing at Colchester Utd now. McKenna has inherited a far better squad than the one Cook inherited from Lambert. The dead wood has gone, but this new squad still needs tweaking. You can't get all the signings right first time. It takes time. Cook has his shortcomings re coaching that's clear to see. But had he not done the dirty work, McKenna's influence would be a yet another season behind where it currently is.

There's not a single player playing at Colchester that wore the Town shirt, that I'd have back. In fact out of that squad the ONLY player that would get into McKenna's squad is Downes….but he wanted the big bucks from PL Palace, and eventually went to Swansea. That's football.

We move on, and it'll be interesting to see who McKenna brings in. Because we lack firepower, and midfield , and left side of the pitch h balance. So a lot more work I pin hand there. The Paul Cook chapter is just that, a small but much needed chapter in this Club's total rebuild.

COYBS