Just how good were/was/is/are (Wolves Edition)

[Paddingtonwolf]

One that should get some debate going here, while sending DW nuclear...

PAUL COOK

(*retires from the blue touchpaper*)

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Cook was a very good player but lacked any pace and in an era when footballers were starting to take fitness seriously he was found wanting. Compared to other midfielders we had around the time he was at Wolves he was a pleasure to watch most of the time but occasionally looked like he really couldn't be arsed. He did buy me a pint after the annual cricket game against Milford Hall so I may be a little biased though!

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

See, I don't think he was rubbish :icon_lol: Just people have weird memories (I mentioned the Quashie thing the other day when realistically not that many people EVER saw him play for us). The way they go on, you'd think he was a one man assist machine, playing perfectly weighted balls over to the top for Bully dozens of times a game. Nope.

When he was on his game he was a very good second tier player (albeit you wouldn't get away with his levels of fitness these days, and there's always that left footed factor that somehow adds 10%+ to your reputation automatically). Problem is, he was only on his game about 1 in every 4 or 5 games. And there was no in between with him, he was either on a good day or absolutely appalling. May as well as have sent 10 men out. Could never be arsed doing defensive work either. And he put the ball straight out of play from a corner more than I've ever seen any other professional footballer manage.

We did very well to get a good fee from Coventry for him - what they wanted with him I don't know, as he was never a PL player, even by the standards of the mid 90s - and replacing him with Chris Marsden (at a net profit) was a massive upgrade. Well, it should have been anyway.

Telling that we were never really even that close to making the playoffs while he was here. We were a mediocre team with one superstar, and he didn't stand out all that much amongst the flotsam and jetsam. You'd probably make a great YouTube video of his best moments.

 

[Tredman]

See, I don't think he was rubbish :icon_lol: Just people have weird memories (I mentioned the Quashie thing the other day when realistically not that many people EVER saw him play for us). The way they go on, you'd think he was a one man assist machine, playing perfectly weighted balls over to the top for Bully dozens of times a game. Nope.

When he was on his game he was a very good second tier player (albeit you wouldn't get away with his levels of fitness these days, and there's always that left footed factor that somehow adds 10%+ to your reputation automatically). Problem is, he was only on his game about 1 in every 4 or 5 games. And there was no in between with him, he was either on a good day or absolutely appalling. May as well as have sent 10 men out. Could never be arsed doing defensive work either. And he put the ball straight out of play from a corner more than I've ever seen any other professional footballer manage.

We did very well to get a good fee from Coventry for him and replacing him with Chris Marsden (at a net profit) was a massive upgrade. Well, it should have been anyway.

Agree with every word of that. On his day Cook was fantastic, but his day was few and far between. Marsden should have been an upgrade.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I will say that he always seemed a good bloke and has always seemed to hold the club to his heart. I'm pleased he's making a good go of management.

 

[sycophantia]

Yeah I agree with the others, fantastic left foot and on his day was a real asset but not often enough. Couldn't or wouldn't tackle, couldn't run, bone idle and often whingeing at his team mates....I quite liked him while knowing his limitations.
Always though MacDonald was a right footed version of him

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Don't think McDonald quite had the same range of passing. He was better at keeping it simple though. Similar attitude in terms of strolling through games although Cookie never acted the prick in contract talks (as far as I know) and I think even at his worst wouldn't have put in as gutless a display as McDonald did vs Bristol City in his final season (don't think he ever played for us again after that).

Was amazed that Fulham played him as their DM in the Premier League. Talk about signing your own death warrant.

 

[Tony Towner]

I loved Paul Cook, but freely admit to confirmation bias. That said whenever there's a early 90s YouTube clip there's always an assist on there.

He was a piss head, I went to Tranmere away in about 92 when we lost I think 4-3. He went off with about 20 minutes to go with a pull of some sort and was in the Mersey Clipper with his mates before we were.

He didn't sell drugs to the youth team though so there's a thing.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

I remember reading a match review in the Guardian that started off by saying that if Bully remained an England player, it was only a matter of time before Paul Cook joined him.

Some great moments, but not enough of them.

 

[Tony Towner]

I loved Paul Cook, but freely admit to confirmation bias. That said whenever there's a early 90s YouTube clip there's always an assist on there.

He was a piss head, I went to Tranmere away in about 92 when we lost I think 4-3. He went off with about 20 minutes to go with a pull of some sort and was in the Mersey Clipper with his mates before we were.

He didn't sell drugs to the youth team though so there's a thing.

Found the game here.
Had forgot about Johnny Morrissey giving it the big 'un

https://youtu.be/q9eWH9ppsWg

 

[Sniffer]

The Sunday papers used to love "another cook and bull story" headline or lead into the match report. I liked him, he was an upgrade on what we had in midfield in the previous years. He had a cracking left foot and I was either lucky to keep catching his good performances or too half cut to remember his failings. I've probably had more than one conversation on here about him scoring from a corner and then spending the next few years trying to repeat the trick and failing miserably!

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Found the game here.
Had forgot about Johnny Morrissey giving it the big 'un

https://youtu.be/q9eWH9ppsWg

I hated us playing at Prenton Park back then. Aldridge and Nevin used to rip us to shreds.

Mind you I wouldn't be mad keen on us playing there now, it looks a lot better on TV than it is in real life! And if anyone ever fancies testing the myth that the Wirral is for posh Scousers...

Edit: That's a great free kick. Again, not enough of that.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The Sunday papers used to love "another cook and bull story" headline or lead into the match report. I liked him, he was an upgrade on what we had in midfield in the previous years. He had a cracking left foot and I was either lucky to keep catching his good performances or too half cut to remember his failings. I've probably had more than one conversation on here about him scoring from a corner and then spending the next few years trying to repeat the trick and failing miserably!

Brighton away. 91ish.

His corners were generally a disgrace :icon_lol:

 

[nimrod]

Agree with every word of that. On his day Cook was fantastic, but his day was few and far between. Marsden should have been an upgrade.

marsden was definitely an upgrade, just a shame we didn't keep him.

i had high hopes for the chelsea fa cup game around then, especially after osgood made some snide comments about us.

i liked cook but you didn't want him getting the ball in our area.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

i had high hopes for the chelsea fa cup game around then, especially after osgood made some snide comments about us.

Slightly shonky picture quality but it's there. We did have a chance, Chelsea weren't all that. Never really got into the game though.

Turner's penultimate game in charge. Got thumped at Pompey a couple of days later and he was gone.

Edit: Actually that video is no good, changed it. Gavin fucking Peacock. Another bastard with an unreal record against us. He's now a religious nutjob.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

marsden was definitely an upgrade, just a shame we didn't keep him.

i had high hopes for the chelsea fa cup game around then, especially after osgood made some snide comments about us.

i liked cook but you didn't want him getting the ball in our area.

Marsden allegedly got pissed at Billy Wright's funeral and Sir Jack wanted him gone. No idea if there's any truth in this but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[nimrod]

Slightly shonky picture quality but it's there. We did have a chance, Chelsea weren't all that. Never really got into the game though.

Turner's penultimate game in charge. Got thumped at Pompey a couple of days later and he was gone.

Edit: Actually that video is no good, changed it. Gavin fucking Peacock. Another bastard with an unreal record against us. He's now a religious nutjob.

I can’t remember the games in the run up but my confidence must have been down to the impact marsden had initially made. was gutting to see him do well at blues.

 

[nimrod]

Marsden allegedly got pissed at Billy Wright's funeral and Sir Jack wanted him gone. No idea if there's any truth in this but it wouldn't surprise me.

yeah I think a few stories filtered through. I mean that obv wasn’t a smart move if it happened though if, as also rumoured, it was indicative of an issue for the lad then maybe the club could have managed it differently. Not likely once SJH made his mind up though.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He was a class above anything else we had at the time (Thomas being broken and all that). Shame he came paired with that fat lipstick prick. That was like ordering fillet steak to be followed by dogshit cake.

Was a good cup run. Beat Palace (won the league), Vale (filthy game, they caned Bully) and Ipswich (PL at the time and had some good players). Could have played Luton in the semi-final too...

We had just lost to Southend and a dreadful Albion team at home though so we weren't in great form going into it.

Marsden proved after he left us what a good player he was. He was still performing in the PL as late as 2004.

 

[sycophantia]

Marsden allegedly got pissed at Billy Wright's funeral and Sir Jack wanted him gone. No idea if there's any truth in this but it wouldn't surprise me.

Thats the rumour I heard