Swansea v Wigan.

CroJack

Key Player
Just what is there positive to say about the man. he shows no enthusiasm in the 90 mins game time, just stands there, hands in pockets, makes no attempt to encourage players,or to direct them. He looks totally dis-interested.
Laudrup used to sit down for 90 minutes watching the game with a stone cold face. I remember how he was criticised by our fans for not showing passion. Some managers are lively in the dugout, some are not. Bielsa sits on his plastic bottle carrier.

I don't care about Cooper not showing enthusiasm during games, but I do care about our style of play, intensity, pressing, starting XI, substitutions etc.

In the book Tales from the Dugout: Football at the Sharp End, one of the managers said this:

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CroJack

Key Player
From an article in The Telegraph:

"Football is a world in which everyone has an opinion. No surprise therefore, that Swansea City’s forums, messageboards and the local radio stations have been inundated with thoughts on Michael Laudrup’s controversial sacking last night.

Having worked with him closely – if there could ever be such a thing with the almost untouchable legend that is Laudrup – it does raise a chuckle when I listen to one or two of the reasons why Swansea supporters believe Michael Laudrup was unceremoniously shown the door at the Liberty Stadium.

A common theme as the axe was falling last night was Laudrup’s lack of emotion – his inability to stoke up the fire when needs must. He is "too calm" and "not demonstrative enough" suggested a number of supporters last night when the news broke just before 8pm."
 

Jackflash

Midfield General
Staff member
Laudrup used to sit down for 90 minutes watching the game with a stone cold face. I remember how he was criticised by our fans for not showing passion. Some managers are lively in the dugout, some are not. Bielsa sits on his plastic bottle carrier.

I don't care about Cooper not showing enthusiasm during games, but I do care about our style of play, intensity, pressing, starting XI, substitutions etc.

In the book Tales from the Dugout: Football at the Sharp End, one of the managers said this:

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Agreed, but Laudrup spent the week in a pair of shorts,football boots,playing an active role on the training ground, educating the squad, not attempting to tell them what to do, but showing them, something our present manager would be incapable of being he just played a few games in the Welsh League. I would find it impossible to understand anyone that would attempt to compare our present manager with him.
 

KVetch

Key Player
I really think we're stuck with Cooper for the rest of the season. Taking away his behaviour on the sideline he's got a long ways to go. Somehow he's got them to a playoff position in spite of it all.
 

CroJack

Key Player
I am not comparing Laudrup with Cooper. My point is that a manager can look disinterested, but that doesn't mean he really is disinterested. Like I said in one of my previous posts, some managers are lively in the dugout, and some are not. Bielsa's arse is glued to his bottle carrier most of the time. Some managers just sit down all the time and write notes. Cooper stands and watches games. I hope he is focused and tries to analyse things.

I don't want to judge Cooper on the basis of his looks, or by his facial expression during our games.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
I really think we're stuck with Cooper for the rest of the season. Taking away his behaviour on the sideline he's got a long ways to go. Somehow he's got them to a playoff position in spite of it all.
Players somehow making it work.

We struggle at some of the simpler elements of the game.

If reviving our Swanselona style in some vintage of Martínez, or Sousa, or Rogers, or Laudrup, as they were each variations on a theme, then based on the passing stats alone, Cooper’s attempt gets an F from me. He’s not even close. Or, rather the players are not even close, and players cannot conjure up in a game what they don’t do in practice. I don’t think there’s much of a disparity in basic skills between Britton, Allen, Grimes, Byers, Augustien, Orlandi, Gower, Ki and JdG. For me the beauty of Swanselona is that it made lesser players more by maximizing their basic skills, and better players excel ... Gower being a classic example of a player being functional within the system at a Prem level when in any other club he wouldn’t get on the bench. And, the same applies to Leon, with us he was everything, while at Sheffield United in the Championship he could barely get a game.

Where does this leave us? The best comparison we have is Potter v Cooper. Depending on your leaning, either the players are ok and Potter delivered superior output from the players v Cooper and so was the better coach .... or stating the extreme opposite viewpoint, the players are crap, and Potter persevered and got more out of them, while Cooper is resorting to bringing in known entities than rolling up his sleeves and inspiring what he has.

In going from one season to the next, there is always going to be at least one player, that for anyone of a million reasons is producing less. I think it’s fair to say that we can go through the squad and find a slew of players that are at a deficit compared with last season: Grimes, Roberts, Byers et al, Why the drop off?

Why also the massive difference in return in August v since. Did our luck run out, did Cooper’s luck run out, did all the other teams suss out Cooper’s style and easily countered. Did the players start a work to rule. Something significant happened at that international break.
 
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Yankee_Jack

Key Player
... I don't want to judge Cooper on the basis of his looks, or by his facial expression during our games.
A fair point in the absence of any other evidence. In our cases, His expression is corroborative, and serves to explain other observables.

I have shown the Andy Pandy comparison photo to a number of people that know nothing about football, who he is, and the context in which the photo was taken and asked them for their initial impression. Without exception, the initial impression was somebody who was totally disinterested in what he was doing or looking at. One can be passive and intent/focused (Laudrup) or passive and vacant (Cooper) ... it does make a difference and serves to further qualify what is going on.
 

Jackflash

Midfield General
Staff member
I think there's a point to be made regarding subs,rarely are they game changing, is the reason lack of knowledge or again lack of observation and done purely as a gesture. Quite a lot of them defy explanation, recently Routledge for Brewster? I fail to see how that could possibly enhance our chances.
 

CroJack

Key Player
I think there's a point to be made regarding subs,rarely are they game changing, is the reason lack of knowledge or again lack of observation and done purely as a gesture. Quite a lot of them defy explanation, recently Routledge for Brewster? I fail to see how that could possibly enhance our chances.
Routledge for Brewster was not so much a problem. The real problem against Wigan when it comes to game management was that Coper allowed Gallager, who is a midfielder, playing on the left flank together with Celina, and by it left our midfield unprotected to Wigan's counter-attacks. That's how Wigan scored their goal. That's why we should criticise Cooper. Though, I agree that Routs for Brewster was a strange one when we needed to protect our lead.
 
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