Three managers were tasked with keeping Wigan in the Championship last season, but none of them succeeded. Graham Barrow, Gary Caldwell and Warren Joyce all did their best, but just couldn’t help Latics in their bid to survive in the Championship.
This season that task will be given to Paul Cook. The Liverpool born manager was a journeyman player who appeared for as many as 9 clubs in his career. In his coaching days he has been a little more settled however, and has been coaching at Southport, Sligo Rovers, Accrington, Chesterfield and Portsmouth before his appointment at Wigan.
He has always been popular with fans due to his open and candid nature. His successful managerial career and the good results that his teams achieved have also been a contributing factor to his popularity. In fact, many fans said that his Portsmouth side was their most frequent choice when live betting at redbet. Let’s also look at some other factors that make Paul Cook a special manager.
Straightforward
Cook is a no frills type of character. He doesn’t indulge in your typical managerial clichés to satisfy the audience or reporters. If you like him for who he is, good for you, if not, he won’t lose sleep over it.
He is pretty much the same when it comes to his approach to football. There is not much tinkering with tactics and formations. The priority is to always get the 3 points and to do it in an entreating manner.
Cook is a firm believer that the paying audience should always be paid back with a performance to match the price of the ticket they purchased. This approach often leaves fans smiling and satisfied after a big win and when the inevitable defeat or two come they know that their manager will stick to his principles and that results will improve sooner rather than later.
Shrewd in the Transfer Market
When Cook was at Sligo Rovers he sold Seamus Coleman and Padraig Amond for big fees and still managed to keep his side extremely competitive. This is because Wigan’s new manager is able to work wonders in the transfer market.
He is a good judge of the quality of players and unearths cheap, but quality footballers, who then are sold for many times their original value or stay in the club and perform to the best of their abilities.
Can Work Wonders on a Shoe-string Budget
In 2007 Sligo Rovers were in a terrible situation. They were in turmoil, morale was non-existent, the budget was only enough for day to day operations of the club, and a transition of the playing staff was badly needed.
When Cook arrived at the club he was like a breath of fresh air. His contagious enthusiasm and work ethic picked the players and the club up from the mire and led them to Europa League appearances, a FAI Cup final and an EA Sports Cup trophy.
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