Steve Cooper

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Just caught a brief glimpse on Sky but I think Coops has won manager of the month in the Championship. If he has, well done to him and I hope it isn't the kiss of death for him and the team in the next few games as it so often has been for other recipients of the award. :eek::)
 

blandmural

First Teamer
are we gonna stick with him no matter what happens in the play offs? I hope so he's pulled off a miracle with the budget he's had since he's been here
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Andy Pandy .... puppet from Watch With Mother .... 50's and 60's tv series. He had a girlfriend call Lobby Loo, but preferred to hang out with Teddy .. think what you will of that.

andy pandy.jpeg

Fast forward 50 years ... Andy Pandy all grown up, having done hard time, and after a drug complemented bender ...

Cooper.png

Strings cut, arms flopped to his sides and tucked and stitched into his pockets to stop them from flapping around.

I am obliged to think that the puppet has more of a clue when it comes to substitutions and match management.
 

blandmural

First Teamer
Andy Pandy .... puppet from Watch With Mother .... 50's and 60's tv series. He had a girlfriend call Lobby Loo, but preferred to hang out with Teddy .. think what you will of that.

View attachment 1974

Fast forward 50 years ... Andy Pandy all grown up, having done hard time, and after a drug complemented bender ...

View attachment 1975

Strings cut, arms flopped to his sides and tucked and stitched into his pockets to stop them from flapping around.

I am obliged to think that the puppet has more of a clue when it comes to substitutions and match management.
oh rite, I thought you misspelled it and were referring to this legend
 

Victoria Swan

Key Player
are we gonna stick with him no matter what happens in the play offs? I hope so he's pulled off a miracle with the budget he's had since he's been here
I agree @blandmural that he's done a pretty amazing job given the exceedingly tight resource constraints but I also agree with some of the others that he is not the most charismatic coach with some failings on things like use of substitutions and not enough attention to passing accuracy. However, the propensity of some on here (e.g. @Yankee_Jack, @Jackflash, @ivoralljack) to ascribe everything bad that happens to the Swans to Cooper (and not the players, for instance) and everything good that happens to them to anyone other than Cooper (luck or other staff, Tait for instance) is what finally drove me away from posting on here for the last month or more. It just got too tiresome. So, if only to make it pleasant to post on here once again maybe I should want Cooper gone!
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
🙋‍♂️ @VictoriaSwan ... I've missed you 😘.

Come now, neither I nor others ascribe everything negative that happens to the Swans to Andy Pandy. When somebody is AWOL in their role, negative can happen all by itself. 🤷‍♂️

It's not Andy Pandy's fault that Mr Invisible is invisible. It's his fault that he kept picking him ... and fair play, he's read this forum, realized the profound error of his ways, and corrected that error. I respect that! It's not easy to admit a grievous error that a school boy coach could spot, especially when its over a "Messiah from the Prem" - aka a Prem team thow-away item.

Or, maybe he bumped into Curt who with Tate let him have an earful. Or perhaps he's started listening to KOL's match commentary and then took in a few U23 games and picked up some pointers.

I'm all for self-improvement however it happens.

What cannot be ignored, or dismissed, is the slip-slide away from #2 with games in hand that happened from Feb through Apr ... a shit streak that remains unlabeled because we're still in the promotion hunt, but a shit streak nonetheless. This occurred because the "chosen one" chose to depart from 3+2 to dabble with 4+whatever and the subsequent squandering of points and goal difference and any semblance of home advantage was flushed down the toilet. This is not the fault of the players, nor the tea lady, nor the guys that cut the grass, nor the match officials, nor the weather, not even Wyndham ... nor Teddy or Looby-Loo ... it's Andy Pandy. He chose the system; he chose the players. He, for example, persisted with Bennett over Cabango ... Mr Hoof-it vs Mr Football (with the ability to score the odd goal). He choose to bench the league's two best wing backs - Bidwell and Roberts - or by playing 4+whatever when they played reined them, so doing the opposition a massive favour. What, I wonder, are their assist numbers per 90 minutes before and since Andy Pandy shifted out of 3+2? Did their replacements kick-it-up-gear and deliver at the same level ... nope!

When something works .... don't f%$k with it? If you're bored go play with yourself, but leave what's working alone.

I could go on ...
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
In short ... we are where we are despite Andy Pandy ... I accept and respect that there are counter arguments to this position. But any notion that Andy Pandy has in any way been short changed can be dispelled by remembering Sousa's season.

Sousa entered his season with a squad missing 40 goals from the previous season's goal difference - yielding a GD budget of -23. He really did strive to convert a sow's year into a silk purse, and succeeded, despite having to operate with out real a #9: a cart horse (sorry Pintado), or Sick Note, or an aging Finn long past any prime he could lay claim to, and then finally a woefully sub-par Trundle. Sousa's top scorer was Prately with 7 goals.

Andy Pandy has had Ayew and Lowe and Cullen and Routs and even Whittacker - any of whom would have made a massive difference to Sousa. The only real advantage Sousa had was a squad heavily drilled in a 4-2-3-1 system and a keeper in Dorus who didn't need 3 CBs in front of him to keep the goals down. And, lest we forget, Sousa was also handicapped by Monk ... which is a whole book unto itself. Andy Pandy has a squad replete with senior and U-XX internationals for Ghana, Jamaica, Wales, Scotland and England. I'm trying to remember, but I think the only internationals Sousa had at his disposal that played 10 games or more were Williams, Jazz Richards, Joe Allen, Cotterill, the Finn, and perhaps Beattie, and the dutch guy Van der Gun.

Andy Pandy has dismantled a philosophy. Sousa chose wisely to work with what he inherited, adding his own touches, but he kept the religion intact and handed it off to his successor. I defy anybody to define our style of play ... what's our identity?
 
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ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
However, the propensity of some on here (e.g. @Yankee_Jack, @Jackflash, @ivoralljack) to ascribe everything bad that happens to the Swans to Cooper (and not the players, for instance) and everything good that happens to them to anyone other than Cooper (luck or other staff, Tait for instance) is what finally drove me away from posting on here for the last month or more. It just got too tiresome. So, if only to make it pleasant to post on here once again maybe I should want Cooper gone!
Bit unfair, VS. In the past I have happily given credit to Cooper when it's been due. But, without going into tiresome detail again, there have been far too many occasions when he's made a right royal balls-up of things. I'm personally not that bothered about his lack of charisma although, when the game is going badly for us, I would prefer to see some/more reaction and energy on the touchline. That said, I understand and accept the concept of different strokes for different people.

You are quite right when you say it's not all Cooper's fault and that the players should bear their share of the blame when things go wrong. So they should. But it IS part of Cooper's brief to correct any failings he sees - and that is where I take issue with him. Some of the things I see are almost criminal in football terms. On too many occasions his substitutions are plain laughable. One recent example amongst many is that, when we were losing a game, he put on a striker in the FOURTH MINUTE OF FIVE MINUTES added time!! This is unfathomable.

There are so many other things that I won't rehash here. But the team's passing stats are totally abysmal for one thing and our movement on and off the ball equally so. This is basic coaching, so either the standard of coaching is lacking or the players have very little ability to execute - perhaps a combination of both.

Anyway, do keep posting. Your opinions are as valid and interesting as those of anyone else and the whole essence of a forum is to debate various issues and amicably agree to disagree when necessary. Don't be a stranger, we miss you. :)
 
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