[Football] Steve Cooper now favourite to be next Crystal Palace manager

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Dobby from Harry Potter

 

[Hampster Gull]

Does he have any history of burning down his own house or neighbours? Just asking for a friend who is in recruitment

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Is the thinking that we got a Swansea manager who totally transformed our way of playing so of they get one it'll happen for them too?

Based on the quotes from the swansea message board it sounds very much like the plan is to continue the horrifically dull, attritional football of Hodgson. Unfortunately it sounds like it'll be equally effective.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Would not surprise me at all. Cooper has got results out of a Swansea squad pretty short on household names. 23 wins, 4th placed finish, lead against Barnsley. Palace are pragmatists.

With most of their squad too old or out of contract or both, however, I'm not sure it's a job too many will want and even fewer will do well,

 

[Nameless]

Some recent stuff from the Planet Swans forum:

"My personal beef has been about the quality of our play & seeming lack of progress in our style, I appreciate the club is in the results business rather than the entertainment version but we have become barely watchable recently - feels like the financial benefit in promotion is the target rather than the sporting/style/achievement, IF (& that’s a big one) we were to make it up I’d expect a minimal spend WBA style plan on coming straight back down & look to utilise the media money to establish financial security (maybe even a sale) rather than sporting success."

"Cooper is a hard guy to like. He's prickly, slow to learn and keen to allocate blame but not accept it. His team has consistently played slow, cautious, boring, largely direct football for his entire tenure. We've become a club that grinds points out via attrition rather than winning them in style. It's unustainable in the long run, and the idea of trying to do it in the Prem is frankly terrifying.

Whilst he deserves credit for two playoff finishes in a row, I don't see a massive disconnect between that and wishing that he'd go about his business in a different way, or hoping that someone who can bring a bit of fun back to watching the Swans gets the job instead."

"I don’t think anyone loves Steve Cooper.

His football isn’t the most aesthetic, we had a few bright spells during games earlier in the season, but they are few and far between. He’s a difficult guy to take to and as Dr W says further down the thread is great at deflecting blame but taking credit."

"I don't much like Cooper. I don't like the way he manages my side, I don't like the football he plays and I don't much like what I've seen of him as a person. I'll shed not a single tear on the day he departs. But it's frankly mad to suggest that we've achieved the playoffs in consecutive seasons despite him."

"I don’t know where you’re getting this ‘love’ for him from. No one on here likes the style of football, no one finds him engaging or charismatic, I doubt anyone is impressed by the way he blames players for defeats.

It’s pretty much split between those who give him credit for the results he’s got in spite of all the above and those who can’t wait for him to leave the club."

"He has fantastic contacts and we have players who would have been highly unlikely to come here without him and this has probably led to our league position which ultimately could lead to us winning the playoffs so for our club he has done a great job with the money that could potentially come in

As a fan however the football is basic and hard to watch and will only become harder next season should we go up"

Sounds like the perfect replacement for Roy to be honest. If Palace try to play football like us they will be next seasons Fulham they probably need this type of manager but the fans won't much like it.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Sounds like the perfect replacement for Roy to be honest. If Palace try to play football like us they will be next seasons Fulham they probably need this type of manager but the fans won't much like it.

Just what I was thinking.

It’s a shame that Frank won’t be adopting their club though, there would have been so much potential for a car crash. Sadly, Cooper looks like a safe and capable pair of hands; someone who will play dull, negative defensive percentage football but will ultimately keep them in the EPL long term.

 

[zefarelly]

I just misread that as Steve Cropper

broke into a cold sweat.

 

[banjo]

 

[A1X]

"Croydon...??"

 

[studio150]

Some recent stuff from the Planet Swans forum:

"My personal beef has been about the quality of our play & seeming lack of progress in our style, I appreciate the club is in the results business rather than the entertainment version but we have become barely watchable recently - feels like the financial benefit in promotion is the target rather than the sporting/style/achievement, IF (& that’s a big one) we were to make it up I’d expect a minimal spend WBA style plan on coming straight back down & look to utilise the media money to establish financial security (maybe even a sale) rather than sporting success."

"Cooper is a hard guy to like. He's prickly, slow to learn and keen to allocate blame but not accept it. His team has consistently played slow, cautious, boring, largely direct football for his entire tenure. We've become a club that grinds points out via attrition rather than winning them in style. It's unustainable in the long run, and the idea of trying to do it in the Prem is frankly terrifying.

Whilst he deserves credit for two playoff finishes in a row, I don't see a massive disconnect between that and wishing that he'd go about his business in a different way, or hoping that someone who can bring a bit of fun back to watching the Swans gets the job instead."

"I don’t think anyone loves Steve Cooper.

His football isn’t the most aesthetic, we had a few bright spells during games earlier in the season, but they are few and far between. He’s a difficult guy to take to and as Dr W says further down the thread is great at deflecting blame but taking credit."

"I don't much like Cooper. I don't like the way he manages my side, I don't like the football he plays and I don't much like what I've seen of him as a person. I'll shed not a single tear on the day he departs. But it's frankly mad to suggest that we've achieved the playoffs in consecutive seasons despite him."

"I don’t know where you’re getting this ‘love’ for him from. No one on here likes the style of football, no one finds him engaging or charismatic, I doubt anyone is impressed by the way he blames players for defeats.

It’s pretty much split between those who give him credit for the results he’s got in spite of all the above and those who can’t wait for him to leave the club."

"He has fantastic contacts and we have players who would have been highly unlikely to come here without him and this has probably led to our league position which ultimately could lead to us winning the playoffs so for our club he has done a great job with the money that could potentially come in

As a fan however the football is basic and hard to watch and will only become harder next season should we go up"

So a full endorsement from the Swansea faithful who from reading this would be happy to pay for his train ticket to Norwood Junction.

 

[Easy 10]

I really thought Wilder would be nailed on for Selhurst, especially as he's a free agent. Yet PP had him priced at 40/1 last night.

 

[Weststander]

Connor Wickham is on £60,000 a week

Another savvy agent, exploiting the ever giving well of the Parish/Bright combo.

 

[Mancgull]

Interesting. If it is Cooper they are after it won’t be until they are promoted or knocked out of the playoffs. They won their first game v Barnsley. My best guess is that they will get to the final and then lose. So Palace come in for him then. End of May. Players on holiday, little time to sort who he wants to keep or let go.
It’s a scenario which doesn’t look great.
I expect it’s just another name on their list at present. I actually think it’s more likely to be the current Barnsley manager as he’s an ex Palace player and has done well with a young team.

 

[Giraffe]

Interesting. If it is Cooper they are after it won’t be until they are promoted or knocked out of the playoffs. They won their first game v Barnsley. My best guess is that they will get to the final and then lose. So Palace come in for him then. End of May. Players on holiday, little time to sort who he wants to keep or let go.
It’s a scenario which doesn’t look great.
I expect it’s just another name on their list at present. I actually think it’s more likely to be the current Barnsley manager as he’s an ex Palace player and has done well with a young team.

Given the amicable departure of Roy, which presumably has been discussed for the last few months you would have expected someone to be fully lined up wouldn't you? Maybe it is this Cooper bloke but there is better out there including Howe and Wilder. This smacks of a team that don't expect to spend much money in the summer.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

Given the amicable departure of Roy, which presumably has been discussed for the last few months you would have expected someone to be fully lined up wouldn't you? Maybe it is this Cooper bloke but there is better out there including Howe and Wilder. This smacks of a team that don't expect to spend much money in the summer.

I'd expect a well run club to have somebody lined up.

 

[Badger Boy]

I'd expect a well run club to have somebody lined up.

On that scale, when do you expect Palace to start hunting his replacement?

 

[Paris]

I really thought Wilder would be nailed on for Selhurst, especially as he's a free agent. Yet PP had him priced at 40/1 last night.

His stock has fallen quite a bit after Sheffield United's nose-dive this season. He's clearly a very spikey character. I'm not sure he'll get another managerial job in the Premier League, based on a one-off season of relative success. Far more likely to end up at either Celtic or a Championship club.

 

[Mancgull]

Whoever it is will have to do without Eze who has been ruled out for the rest of the calendar year with a ruptured Achilles.

 

[Justice]

I really thought Wilder would be nailed on for Selhurst, especially as he's a free agent. Yet PP had him priced at 40/1 last night.

Wilder spunked millions on shite players would you trust him with a PL transfer budget? Berge was his only half decent signing.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Whoever it is will have to do without Eze who has been ruled out for the rest of the calendar year with a ruptured Achilles.

Nasty injury. A shame for the player as a human being but yet another spot in the squad that Palace will have to replace or at least cover for in a summer of transition, when the Euros will delay market moves.

Wilder spunked millions on shite players would you trust him with a PL transfer budget? Berge was his only half decent signing.

There were rumours on here of us being interested in Berge at the time. It's just possible that he picked them because of their higher place in the table at the time. Has missed a lot of this season.

Brewster was demanded by NSC and has had a worse season than Connolly.

If this whole "£20m with a buy-back clause" thing is true, Brewster suddenly becomes a lot more interesting than a loan. Would be a great signing and I he would likely choose Brighton over some of the other clubs that might be interested.