Phil SumblerSteve Cooper is looking increasingly likely to be the Swansea City manager when the new season starts as Fulham looked beyond him and appear to have agreed terms with Marco Silva to be their new manager.
Cooper was rumoured at the start of the week to be the man that Fulham wanted to replace Scott Parker who has joined Bournemouth but with Chris Wilder first instilled as favourite the attention of the Cottagers turned to Silva today with news arriving this evening that they appear to have agreed terms (Crystal Palace take note on how quick a managerial appointment can happen)
Silva – who has previously managed both Hull City and Everton – is expected to be officially unveiled tomorrow as the new manager and will be tasked with winning Fulham a third promotion in five seasons to the Premier League.
It now seems that Cooper has run out of options and will therefore remain at Swansea for the new season. How much truth there has been in the rumours of discussions with other clubs we may never know but if those discussions are to be true then there are bridges to be built inside the Liberty Stadium not least with the playing staff who could feel slightly peeved at the way this has come about.
‘It now seems that Cooper has run out of options and will therefore remain at Swansea for the new season. How much truth there has been in the rumours of discussions with other clubs we may never know’
If you admit to these being rumours why do you say ‘Cooper has run out of options?’
an absolutely empty snide article if you don’t mind me saying so.
This has been viewed from a fan’s perspective and not from a professional point of view. Phrases such as “Cooper is desperate to get away,” and “Cooper’s return to the club will be embarrassing,” are not in keeping with normal professional practice. Steve Cooper, and all the players, Connor Roberts and Matty Grimes included, have to think of their professional careers, their families’ security, children’s education and their own eventual retirement and pension provision. There will be no rift between players and Cooper, they all know the professional score.
I was a deputy headteacher in a school I loved. I applied for headships for the reasons I’ve stated above. Had I not attained a headship there would have been no rift with my colleagues or any embarrassment. I did, however, leave to become a headteacher and I was heartbroken, initially, to leave my old school. But that is professional life.
Football managers and players are professionals. They will want to climb the professional ladder, but that is not the same, necessarily, as being ‘desperate’ to get away.
Having said that, with the negativity aimed at Steve Cooper by many Swans fans, I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to move on.
You are absolutely right, it has been viewed from a fans perspective. But do you know why? This is a fan’s website. run by fans, for fans. No professional journalism involved and no desire to even try and be one. That is the purpose of the website to give fans perspective on things and create that discussion that you may get in the pub with your mates. I’ll leave the rest to the likes of Wales Online although they are not very good at it either… 😉
I agree with you, Phil, it is a fan’s website for a fans’ perspective, but the point is, the players and staff are not necessarily fans. They are professionals and see things from a professional, not a fans’ perspective. If every company issued statements and press releases each time one of their staff viewed or applied for another professional position, they’d get no actual work done.
The club, will, no doubt, make a statement, when and if there is something to talk about.
Long may the pub chatter and gossip go on, it’s a big part of being a fan, it’s part of the fun, but don’t expect the club professionals to sit in the pub to chat with us. Silence doesn’t always mean conspiracy or bad news, which is what some recent articles on this site have implied. I love this site, I’m a Swans fan, but we can’t read too much into silence, after all, it is the silly season. STID
I’m not sure that was ever something I was alluding to or expecting (in many ways the silence confirms what is happening, denial is more likely to attract a response) – I certainly haven’t suggested that silence means bad news (or a conspiracy) or at least to my knowledge
Outside of that I am not sure I disagree with you but would add that a fans site will always give a fans perspective – I’m not here to be balanced 😉