memory man":1yzdwq6c said:
This is how Luke got his break.
Not saying it'd be the same again, but Romain got injured and everyone panicked because "obviously" Luke wasn't going to be good enough. Then we won the league!
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Michael Cooper
- Thread starter Green Matt
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This is how Luke got his break.
Not saying it'd be the same again, but Romain got injured and everyone panicked because "obviously" Luke wasn't going to be good enough. Then we won the league!
Well done young man. Seems like our youth and academy systems do provide the odd good un despite the views of some on this site. Wonder where they are now.
https://www.pafcacademy.co.uk/congratulations-michael-cooper/
Good piece on our Academy website. Classy gesture by Elliott Bennett, Blackburn winger.
Well done Mike!!
Good piece on our Academy website. Classy gesture by Elliott Bennett, Blackburn winger.
Well done Mike!!
Nice…….(oops - wrong Fast show character).Topboy":2rzr4qgo said:
The “you’re the young ‘keeper aren’t you?” comment from Bennett certainly suggests he was spoken about in the Blackburn dressing room at half time – which might explain the number of shots they took (25) but only 4 actually on target (same as us despite all the pressure) – although from the highlights they did blaze over a few times. Certainly a night he’ll never forget – whatever happens to his career in the future.
As observed on the match thread, it probably played in our favour.Ave_IT":2qy2hasn said:
We all played football on playing fields and parks didn't we. If there was a little kid or a younger brother in goal you wouldn't bother to get closer to the goal than you had to, you just whacked it and hoped his ineptitude would do the rest. Second half their shot count rocketed up, but they wasted them, didn't sustain a move to get in closer.
Naivety from Rovers, a silly, lazy tactic.
Good sportsmanship from Bennett though, I like that sort of thing. It's rare but like Connolly for Saints that time it lifts the heart that there are actually good men still in football :clap:
Andy Holland":6zi0qeaq said:
Luke was 2 years older than Michael Cooper before he was trusted to start regularly in the football league.
Being 20 going on 21 is a little different to being 18. Luke was used to being number 2 for a while. He was used to training with the first team, shadowing Larrieu, was familiar with all the senior players, travelling to all games and considered a first teamer. He had jumped off the bench a few times over two seasons before he got the starting gig.
Michael Cooper on the other hand is 18, doing his apprenticeship, and essentially a youth team keeper who has been propelled due to exceptional circumstances.
I don't mean to be negative, but I'm not sure Cooper will perhaps be as ready as Luke was. He is currently the 4th choice goalkeeper, but this time next year he might be ready to step up and become the second choice. He'll get more game time, play reserve and cup fixtures and step in to cover injuries, whilst establishing confidence and footing as a professional footballer and a member of the first team squad.
That's a more realistic idea of how Cooper will best progress. As fans we are not best placed to judge, but I get the feeling that perhaps now is not Cooper's time. DA is most likely going to want a professional to drop down from the leagues above and strengthen the defence until McCormick is available.
Exactly but, nowadays, it would probably be more likely that a big towering no 9 would have had 'a quiet word in his ear' at the first set piece opportunity. I know there are some posters on this website who would have suggested that approach if we faced a young keeper making his debut.X Isle":3lksaw6g said:
Having said that, he has probably experienced that in the South West Premier League in the last 2 seasons.
A lot of the Blackburn players congratulated him after the match & their keeper gave him a hug-it was nice to see
Can see Te Loeke being released in summer and letheren becoming no 2 or 1 with luke and Cooper taking third choice
Would make sense to me although he was no 3 before letheren signed but I think next year he needs to be no3 and play most of the reserve games sharing with no2
If he doesn't progress to no 3 at least how can we expect him to develop
Would make sense to me although he was no 3 before letheren signed but I think next year he needs to be no3 and play most of the reserve games sharing with no2
If he doesn't progress to no 3 at least how can we expect him to develop
I subscribe to the good enough, older enough school of thought. Personally I think the shirt should be his until he deserves to lose it, I think we should be playing players based on form not on reputation so would much rather have Mike rather than some third choice Championship keeper who rarely plays anyway.
Fletcher and Cooper have only got chances when management have been absolutely desperate, with very little other option but to play them. What they both have in common is they have taken those chances and proven themselves. People now need to ask what are others such as: Alex Battle, Callum Rose, Jordan Bentley, Dan Rooney, Aaron Taylor, Sam Ryan and Ryan Law are capable of. My opinion is at the very least three (if not six,) of those are being held back by first team management and their development hampered. A lot of them are in positions where "senior" players have really struggled week in week out. I can see no reason they wouldn't take their chances any less then Fletcher and Cooper and would inject a bit of oomph and blob into things. We cant wrap them all up in cotton wool, football is a shorter career than ever in these lower leagues if you don't make an instant impact and get continued opportunities off the back of it, just ask: Louis Rooney, Callum Hall, and River Allen. Only one way they can get experience and that is to play and if they don't play they will all be released by May! Fletcher and Cooper, like Tyler Harvey and Louis Rooney before them have not struggled with the mental side of things. The academy is clearly doing a good job in preparation for a career in football, all seem grounded and have good expectation management, all know the tough reality and how cut throat it is. I would wager, to a man they would all rather go out, have a crack and fail then to never get chance to sink or swim and get released!
It would be inevitable Mike would make a mistake to validate him losing the shirt if he was given a run sooner or later but then once he has had a taste for it, he will be hungry to win it back, know what he is working for, what not to do again, learn from any mistakes, come back, show improvement etc.
Not sure he slipped through Exeter's net either back then if you had an choice I imagine ours would look preferable. Just like now if I had a son who had the choice I would think Exeter's looked better. Although in the current climate he is probably the only one who is better off here than Exeter as they have already been developing Christy Pym for a number of seasons now so he probably would be coming through at the wrong time there. I said on a thread here after the Exeter game at home last season how I thought Mike Cooper is a better goalkeeper than Pym (that's not a sly dig at Christy Pym either because I was on actually on the thread defending him.) But there is a good model to follow, he has had his ups and downs but keeps plugging away little runs in and out of the team and I don't think he is a nervous wreck and a man of shattered, career ending, confidence is he? Of course he isn't, he grew in strength and stature, learned from his mistakes and is now first choice keeper at a club near the top of their league by the age of 22. I can only go by the Indy star ratings and he seems to get a lot of 4/5*s.
Fletcher and Cooper have only got chances when management have been absolutely desperate, with very little other option but to play them. What they both have in common is they have taken those chances and proven themselves. People now need to ask what are others such as: Alex Battle, Callum Rose, Jordan Bentley, Dan Rooney, Aaron Taylor, Sam Ryan and Ryan Law are capable of. My opinion is at the very least three (if not six,) of those are being held back by first team management and their development hampered. A lot of them are in positions where "senior" players have really struggled week in week out. I can see no reason they wouldn't take their chances any less then Fletcher and Cooper and would inject a bit of oomph and blob into things. We cant wrap them all up in cotton wool, football is a shorter career than ever in these lower leagues if you don't make an instant impact and get continued opportunities off the back of it, just ask: Louis Rooney, Callum Hall, and River Allen. Only one way they can get experience and that is to play and if they don't play they will all be released by May! Fletcher and Cooper, like Tyler Harvey and Louis Rooney before them have not struggled with the mental side of things. The academy is clearly doing a good job in preparation for a career in football, all seem grounded and have good expectation management, all know the tough reality and how cut throat it is. I would wager, to a man they would all rather go out, have a crack and fail then to never get chance to sink or swim and get released!
It would be inevitable Mike would make a mistake to validate him losing the shirt if he was given a run sooner or later but then once he has had a taste for it, he will be hungry to win it back, know what he is working for, what not to do again, learn from any mistakes, come back, show improvement etc.
Not sure he slipped through Exeter's net either back then if you had an choice I imagine ours would look preferable. Just like now if I had a son who had the choice I would think Exeter's looked better. Although in the current climate he is probably the only one who is better off here than Exeter as they have already been developing Christy Pym for a number of seasons now so he probably would be coming through at the wrong time there. I said on a thread here after the Exeter game at home last season how I thought Mike Cooper is a better goalkeeper than Pym (that's not a sly dig at Christy Pym either because I was on actually on the thread defending him.) But there is a good model to follow, he has had his ups and downs but keeps plugging away little runs in and out of the team and I don't think he is a nervous wreck and a man of shattered, career ending, confidence is he? Of course he isn't, he grew in strength and stature, learned from his mistakes and is now first choice keeper at a club near the top of their league by the age of 22. I can only go by the Indy star ratings and he seems to get a lot of 4/5*s.
MarkMatthews":18yhcrg7 said:
I don't think that's fair. Alex Fletcher has been given a fair bit of support - he started up front on Saturday against top of the league despite Blissett, Grant and Jervis being available. Fletcher has come off the bench regularly this season when the likes of Ainsworth can't get a run out.
I was looking up Brentford Goalkeeper Daniel Bentley and how he has developed since in his debut. 6 years ago (next Tuesday) he made his debut as a halftime sub vs Torquay. My point is, 6 years down the line Bentley is playing in the Championship and was described as the "best outside the premier league", we need to develop MC in the right way; whether that's having him as 2nd choice for the time being (with a keeper loaned in) or he plays vs Wimbledon on Saturday. I trust DA and co to develop him the right way.