The philosophy of Paul Cook | Vital Football

The philosophy of Paul Cook

K

Kevin sheldon

Vital Youth Team
Let's get it straight from the off. I am a great admirer of Paul Cook. Top class in every sense. However I cut a frustrated figure with team selection on Saturday.

The main point is The non selection of Grigg combined with Connolly on the right. Grigg is our only option up front as a goal threat at this level. I realise I was not the only sigh at the selection of Vaughan from the off. What is perplexing injury withstandingis that effectively when you tot up his minutes he played one game in a week. Connolly does not work on the right. In fact the system does not work without genuine wide men like Jacobs and Massey. With the personnel available it requires a change in system not square pegs and round holes.
I sighed last year when Vaughan started and we invariably struggled with him on from the start.The philosophy of Cook is to win every game but he moved away from that mantra with team selection at Brentford.Press conferences prior implicated cook in an unusual moan about three games in nine days. Brentford was always a tricky game one we might have lost anyway. However the players were subconsciously or consciously aware through team selection that the usual mantra of we will have a right go was missing. Thoughts were on the easier two games.
This contradicts the idea that every game in the championship is unpredictable. The truth is I believe he fancied them more. It is a good job he did not fancy QPR more than Stoke and at that point he employed he usual stance of we will have a go which I love.
We are short without Grigg up front and he should start if fit. No doubt he will Tuesday and also expecting Jacobs having been rapped in wool Saturday. If we beat Hull and Bristol then Saturday will be erased. Actually our best 11 could have won all three.There was a move away from trying and giving the players the belief they can win every game.The Morsy sending off was from a frustrated figure who sensed things were not right from the off.
Cook is top class but something different happened Saturday. Let's remind our self that Brentford have used the least amount of players 16. Not doing badly then and no rest required. The Paul Jewell of the championship would have picked his strongest team Lets stick to the philosophy its great and let's not deviate from it and see where it takes us.
 
15 years ago the Championship wasn’t the physically demanding beast that it is now, was of a much lower standard and we didn’t have players trekking off to the USA to play 90 minutes against a full strength Brazil, let alone the only player we have suited to a certain position. This is also the manager’s first ever experience of a division that incorporates mandatory international breaks for every team so will be learning on the job. Grigg could well have had a knock or niggle we don’t know about. As for Connolly I’m staying to wonder about whether he has a must play clause in his contract.
 
It's actually 3 games in 7 days.

Brentford was always going to be a difficult fixture and the reality is the manager needs to look at the bigger picture. Was he frustrated? Who knows. Personally I don't think playing Connolly on the right works either and is an error. However we recruited another player to play in that position but as was said at the time he isn't fit enough to do so - someone needs to take responsibility for that. You have to question the strength in depth with the Naismith and lopes signings - neither are better than what we have and so aren't being used and as I said at the time it's pointless wasting money on these players if they can't strengthen us.

Perhaps Jacobs was being saved for the next two fixtures given he's just returned from injury and if that's the case I agree with that decision. Maybe after being away he felt Grigg could do with the rest too with the fixtures ahead. Robinson only played out of necessity because we have no one else as otherwise I think he'd have been rested too. I sincerely hope if this takeover goes through we look at the recruitment and start to assemble a balanced squad and only recruit players that actually improve us. Another important game tomorrow and I'm sure we'll put out a more balanced, attack minded team.
 
We were never going to score with Vaughn and connolly on the right , we go long to much to Voughn and it unbalances us , Gibson Grigg and Jacobs will start tomorrow .
We paid a million quid foe Lopez but cant make the bench .. baffling
 
mightytics said:
We were never going to score with Vaughn and connolly on the right , we go long to much to Voughn and it unbalances us , Gibson Grigg and Jacobs will start tomorrow .
We paid a million quid foe Lopez but cant make the bench .. baffling
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just said the same about lopez and got slagged off
 
mightytics said:
We were never going to score with Vaughn and connolly on the right , we go long to much to Voughn and it unbalances us , Gibson Grigg and Jacobs will start tomorrow .
We paid a million quid foe Lopez but cant make the bench .. baffling
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Million for Lopez? Nowhere near
 
It was said at the time that Lopes was one for the future. So why is everyone expecting him to be pushing for a start so soon. The fee for Lopes will rise to 900k dependant on appearances, so to date we have paid nowhere near that figure. Not baffling at all if you look at the information we have been given.
 
I agree with nearly everything you said Kevin, I love Cook but no doubt he didn't get it right on Saturday. Even without the benefit of hindsight that line up wasn't something that i imagine any of us thought would work.

For me Cook plan A is outstanding, but when he is forced or decides to change it up it tends to be more of a switch to using more long balls (which in itself i don't worry about) but i don't think it's been very effective. I think Cook has to either work out a way to make it work tactically and use different players or he needs to avoid going so direct all together.

I also think that the 3 games in 6 days, the fact Grigg apparently came back a little late from International duty according to Cook (so did Robinson but played him anyway) and Jacobs just coming back from injury impacted the team selection. But i suspect on Tuesday and Friday Cook wont test anyone. I'm hoping / expecting Grigg and Jacobs to start for sure, and I'd hope McMannaman may get a start too with Windass, Vaughan and Connolly making way along with the forced change of Gibson for Morsy.

Lopes was 900k (paid in 300k installments over 3 years) according to documents leaked on line from the Peterborough end.
 
TRUE BELIEVER said:
...........why is everyone expecting him to be pushing for a start so soon. ......
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Surely you don't really need an explanation there TB. ;)

Not enough players in the squad - moan
Too many players in the squad - moan
Players in the squad are too young/inexperienced - moan
Players in the squad are too old/over the hill - moan
Don't buy players - moan
Buy too many players - moan
Buy the wrong players - moan
The day has a "y" in it - moan

I see a pattern.
:innocent:
 
TRUE BELIEVER said:
It was said at the time that Lopes was one for the future. So why is everyone expecting him to be pushing for a start so soon. The fee for Lopes will rise to 900k dependant on appearances, so to date we have paid nowhere near that figure. Not baffling at all if you look at the information we have been given.
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Cole was bought the same , we seem to do this alot but they never seem to get in the first team.. Lopez made over 50 appearances so he is not inexperienced
The longer they are out in the cold the harder it is ..
 
It's all about circumstance and context. Buying a young player to develop and for the future for a large fee is perfectly acceptable. If you can afford it and it doesn't impact on the clubs ability to assemble a squad for the here and now. To be honest I'd argue it has as we struggled to get deals done and the squad is once more devoid of cover in certain areas. Saturday was a stark reminder of our lack of quality cover in certain areas, some by choice or inability to recruit (left back) or poor signings by virtue of quality or fitness (Naismith, Mcmanaman, Gibson) who can't get near the first team with any regularity to make much of an impact. I'd argue that for our a club like ours with our current resources at the point of sale it wasn't an efficient use of the best part of a million quid.
 
Though I generally agree with some stuff there MiW, but you chose some poor examples with McManaman (who has been in the squad most games) and Gibson (who started the first game, before getting injured).

If we all recognise that we need a squad (20ish?) capable of covering the ravages of a full season, then surely we must all recognise that some of those players simply won't make the bench in a match-day squad of 14 (plus goalies).

As for "rose tinted" JR, what's the opposite? ...................... skid-mark streaked?
 
He's in the squad but isn't fit enough to start and that's the problem. He's a bit of luxury sub. Same goes for Gibson, his fitness record isn't good. He looked decent in his hours cameo against Wednesday but can we really afford to have players whose history suggests they struggle to complete 90 minutes or keep fit long enough to play regular? For me, given our resources I'd argue not. If we were awash with cash and could afford such luxuries then maybe so -although I accept in Gibson case his salary probably isn't that great in the grand scheme of things.
 
You mean "doom mongers" don't you Moonay. :whistle:.

Happily I am neither, just pragmatic. Saturday was a poor performance, there, I've admitted it. But it is one poor performance in what is a good start to the season.

Paul Cook is not the messiah, damn it, I've admitted it again. However he is a good manager, one who is willing to stick his neck out and play a decent attacking game.

The club is run by an inexperienced chairman, sod it, its getting to be repetitive. He is young but he has learned a lot over the last couple of years and has the good of the club at heart, he will make mistakes, but so do we all.

labelling people "rose tinted", "happy clappers" or "snowflakes" is a simplistic view taken by people who cant accept that there are two sides to every debate. We are all capable of being positive or negative, its just the way others perceive you. I can be just as happy with a result as the next man, but others might see something completely different and come away feeling let down. Cant we all just accept that football creates different emotions in different people and leave it at that.
:cheers:
 
Made in Wigan said:
He's in the squad but isn't fit enough to start and that's the problem. He's a bit of luxury sub. Same goes for Gibson, his fitness record isn't good. He looked decent in his hours cameo against Wednesday but can we really afford to have players whose history suggests they struggle to complete 90 minutes or keep fit long enough to play regular? For me, given our resources I'd argue not. If we were awash with cash and could afford such luxuries then maybe so -although I accept in Gibson case his salary probably isn't that great in the grand scheme of things.
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But isn't that the point MiW, they are the only type of player we can afford with the experience of Championship football. We have to take the chance that they will come good for us under decent management. Look at Nick Powell and how many of us had doubts about his fitness and mind set when he arrived. Gibson has played at the highest level, I agree he has issues, but the experience and quality he could offer to the squad is surely worth the risk being taken. McManaman is another case in point, we all know he has the talent, but injuries have taken a toll, he needs to be managed carefully and I believe Paul Cook is the right person to do this given his experience with Nick.

If as you say we were awash with cash then surely we would be looking to sign players in better physical condition who could fit in immediately. If the likes of Lopes were fully developed players then surely they would be outside our budget at present, as it is there is still work needed to bring out his full potential so we get him at a bargain price.
 
They may have Championship experience, but that's of little use if they can't get out on the park. I'm not convinced signing two players with fitness issues is the right way to go for us. Mcmanaman has been with us now for two months and hasn't been out injured - if you can't get a professional sportsman fit enough to run around for 90 minutes in that time then there's summat wrong with the individual rather than the trainers.

Lopes may indeed come good, I haven't and don't recall anyone writing him off. However the point is should we have invested a million quid on a player to develop, when we didn't then have the cash to strengthen the first team because of that investment? If we could have gone both then great, sadly we couldn't.
 
The million pound figure is a red herring. We have paid 300k with add ons. As far as fitness issues are concerned then in your view Nick Powell comes into this category as he rarely completes 90 minutes.

I understand where you are coming from but reiterate my post, it is down to economics, if we were awash with cash as you put it we most likely would not have signed these players.
 
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