Norwich v Leeds

[sainthelens]

In all fairness Leeds have been the best of the rest by a fair margin and they would be deserved winners of the play offs. None of our players there left us under bad terms so I have nothing at all against this generation of Leeds United, saying that getting an extra £2m out of Leeds and rubbing Legohead's face into the shit that comes out of his mouth every time he speaks would be two very welcome added bonuses though.

Well said, sold it to me.

 

[NeathJack]

How many West Brom and Norwich players are relieved they didn't go up to keep their jobs...

The unspoken of conundrum.

 

[PSumbler]

Based on second leg performances this week it was reasonably clear that nether Norwich or West Brom wanted to go up - neither showed up for the second leg

The point about them keeping their jobs if they go down is a good one

 

[monmouth]

The unspoken of conundrum.

Is that what Grimes and the rest were doing against Brentford - twice. The ‘performances’ were certainly lacking in conviction.

 

[sainthelens]

Is that what Grimes and the rest were doing against Brentford - twice. The ‘performances’ were certainly lacking in conviction.

Innit.
That final v Brentford was the biggest act of cowardice I've ever seen from us.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Innit.
That final v Brentford was the biggest act of cowardice I've ever seen from us.

Cooper was a coward. That's why.

He had the league's highest paid player operating a division below his true ability (Ayew), the best right back in the division (Roberts), pound for pound the best CB in the division that year (Guehi) and the best game plan he could muster all season was 10 men behind the ball and hope Ayew produced some individual spark.

With those resources, any decent manager would have had 30 goals out of Ayew and automatic promotion.

He fluked promotion at Forest by winning a play off final without a shot on target.

He's a charlatan. In five years time when he's had a few more jobs to expose his limitations he'll come to be regarded the same as Garry Monk.

 

[Smurph]

Cooper was a coward. That's why.

He had the league's highest paid player operating a division below his true ability (Ayew), the best right back in the division (Roberts), pound for pound the best CB in the division that year (Guehi) and the best game plan he could muster all season was 10 men behind the ball and hope Ayew produced some individual spark.

With those resources, any decent manager would have had 30 goals out of Ayew and automatic promotion.

He fluked promotion at Forest by winning a play off final without a shot on target.

He's a charlatan. In five years time when he's had a few more jobs to expose his limitations he'll come to be regarded the same as Garry Monk.

Forest were bottom of the league when he took over. If you like the guy or not, getting Forest promoted was no fluke.

 

[A4Jack]

Forest were bottom of the league when he took over. If you like the guy or not, getting Forest promoted was no fluke.

I was no Cooper fan but the fact some would place him below Russ in terms of management ability is baffling.

Cooper is a far better manager than Russ

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Forest were bottom of the league when he took over. If you like the guy or not, getting Forest promoted was no fluke.

They had an absolutely brilliant, deep squad that was being mismanaged and was hugely underachieving. Even you or I couldn't have failed to get them to the playoffs.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

I was no Cooper fan but the fact some would place him below Russ in terms of management ability is baffling.

Cooper is a far better manager than Russ

Why does everything have to be reduced to a Potter/Cooper/Duff vs Martin discussion?

You know, for a manager who most people on here seem to despise, he don't half live rent free in their heads.

Back to the subject of Cooper. He failed us. He had two years of parachute money and they let him have Ayew back for those two years, still couldn't get promoted. Seven games against Brentford over two seasons and he still couldn't put a game plan together to get a result against them.

I promise you - in five years time, apart from Nottm Forest fans, no one will be thinking how amazing Steve Cooper is. Coaches like him are ten a penny. Nothing special at all.

 

[Captain_Sham]

They had an absolutely brilliant, deep squad that was being mismanaged and was hugely underachieving. Even you or I couldn't have failed to get them to the playoffs.

Thats earned you an ignore. What a fking clown.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Thats earned you an ignore. What a fking clown.

Oh I'm devastated that Captain Sham is ignoring me. Proper ruining my Sunday that is.

 

[cmajack]

Why does everything have to be reduced to a Potter/Cooper/Duff vs Martin discussion?

You know, for a manager who most people on here seem to despise, he don't half live rent free in their heads.

Back to the subject of Cooper. He failed us. He had two years of parachute money and they let him have Ayew back for those two years, still couldn't get promoted. Seven games against Brentford over two seasons and he still couldn't put a game plan together to get a result against them.

I promise you - in five years time, apart from Nottm Forest fans, no one will be thinking how amazing Steve Cooper is. Coaches like him are ten a penny. Nothing special at all.

The guy that failed us was Potter, had a 20 goal a season striker (Mcburnie) and Dan James and couldn't even get us in the play offs that season. Our failings under Cooper was the same as it is now, our weak ,shot shy midfield. Think I've posted on here before, the second season under Cooper ,our centre backs and Roberts scored more goals than our entire midfield. He did bring Hourihane here to add something, but we all know how that worked out. Our midfield under Cooper, as like now was woeful. No pace , no creativity and even less goals.

 

[A4Jack]

I promise you - in five years time, apart from Nottm Forest fans, no one will be thinking how amazing Steve Cooper is. Coaches like him are ten a penny. Nothing special at all.

Ten a penny coaches don't take a club from bottom of the league after 8 games or so and get promoted when said club hasn't been in the Premier League for 20 odd years.

The Martin debate still rumbles on (and I didn't bring him up) because he was our manager less than a year ago and is competing in the play-off final.

Arguably getting to a play-off final with a squad twice as capable as the one Cooper had.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

The guy that failed us was Potter, had a 20 goal a season striker (Mcburnie) and Dan James and couldn't even get us in the play offs that season. Our failings under Cooper was the same as it is now, our weak ,shot shy midfield. Think I've posted on here before, the second season under Cooper ,our centre backs and Roberts scored more goals than our entire midfield. He did bring Hourihane here to add something, but we all know how that worked out. Our midfield under Cooper, as like now was woeful. No pace , no creativity and even less goals.

To give Potter a fair hearing you also have to look at what he didn't have - at the start of preseason he had several top players like Fede Fernandez but by the time the window closed we'd flogged anything that wasn't bolted down.

He also had to contend with going through most of the season without a left back because Olsson and John were injured all the time. Remember how many times he had to play Grimes there?

You can say McBurnie and James were top quality, but we didn't know that heading into that season, you could argue they only thrived because of his careful management. He also did very well with Byers and Roberts on that front.

Don't forget he was denied the use of Ayew as well, which I've always found odd given our parachute payments were at their highest that season.

Oh, and the Man City game. I mean, come on. Featuring one of the greatest goals Swansea ever scored. And we'd have beaten them if we'd had VAR.

Considering the mess we were in coming down, and all the ins and outs that summer (and Jan as well) I think he did a very good job. I don't think promotion was ever on the cards that season.