Confucius once said, “There is no such a thing as a coincidence. There is a purpose to everything.” I am coming around to thinking that he could be right. Leam Richardson is what Peter Taylor was to Brian Clough. In fact, it could be argued that it is, in fact, the other way around!
We know that Cook wanted Richardson to join him at Portman Road. He almost begged him to do so, and now, I fear, we are seeing the reasons why. If you remember, they had forged a very successful partnership at Chesterfield, Portsmouth and Wigan, and it only came to an end when Cook took on the Ipswich post. A parting of the ways seemed almost inevitable.
Cook resigned as the Wigan manager on 29 July 2020, following the club’s relegation from the Championship, and this was largely due to a 12 point deduction after the Latics entered administration. This enabled Leam Richardson to take on the job as their interim head coach. It was on the 2nd March 2021, that Cook was appointed Town boss, and he tried his damndest to bring his chief lieutenant with him. It failed. Richardson insisted that there was no ill-will on either side and that they would remain on good terms.
It was, after much deliberation, that Richardson decided to stay put, and the rest, as they say, is football history. Well, not quite. Richardson was relieved of his duties when John Sheridan took charge but that lasted only 15 matches before Sheridan moved on to Swindon, and Richardson was re-instated as their caretaker-manager. Following Wigan’s takeover in March 2021, the new owners confirmed that Richardson would continue in his caretaker manager role until the end of the season. Richardson was then appointed as their permanent manager on the 21st of April 2021, – even with three games of the season left to play!
Fortuitously perhaps for Cook, he was the preferred choice of former owner Marcus Evans, as he was, with the soon to be installed, US investment group Gamechanger 20 Limited. The question is, did they get the wrong man? We know Marcus Evans was good at getting the wrong man but did the new owners follow in his footsteps? Partnerships are all about working together, but it rather seems as if Leam Richardson is working quite well, all on his own. Well, not quite. More about that later.
Richardson’s win ratio is 36.7% so far whilst Cook is at 24.1%, and that includes last night’s Papa john’s result. Not much to choose from you might ask but look at that league table!
It is still early in the season. A lot can still happen between now and next May. We have led this table before, only to fall away, so a reversal of our fortunes might just be what is needed here. The trouble is that I am not at all convinced. With the notable exceptions of Bryan Klug and Kieron Dyer, who manage the under 23 squad, our backroom staff have been found wanting.
Our first-team coaching staff consist of someone who has been drafted and a former kit man, and a set of training rookies. Franny Jeffers may have been a fox in the box on the field but off it, he is seen as a bit of a liability. Gary Roberts is fresh off the football field but with no experience at coaching. Compare this with Richardson, who has 56-year-old Rob Kelly as his assistant. A man who has been coaching for 32 years, and it clearly shows by his wealth of experience in the game.
Having been forced to retire from professional football at just 24. He took temporary charge of Leicester City after the departure of Craig Levein, and in his first ten games in charge, his team took 21 points from a possible 30, steering the side up the Championship table, and away from the threat of relegation to League One at the time.
He has since worked as an assistant to Alan Irvine at West Brom in 2014, assistant head coach to Uwe Rosler at Leeds in 2015, and first-team coach at Blackburn Rovers a year or so later. Now, this is what I call a man with coaching know-how.
He has managed a total of six clubs in a temporary capacity, and has a wealth of knowledge in the game and is a valuable asset to Richardson of this there is little doubt. Coaching posts at Malmo, Fortuna Dusseldorf, and Steve McClaren’s Nottingham Forest, can all be added to his impressive CV, and here lies the big difference. Cook is surrounded by coaching novices and sadly, it shows.
Hi Frank another good thought provoking read and I’m hoping you are wrong for obvious reasons. Whether Cook and his younger coaching staff succeed remains to be seen but there’s no doubt Richardson seems to be getting it right at Wigan. Whenever I listen to Cook I certainly get the impression he knows football and I’m convinced he was the main man when working with Richardson and you don’t become a poor manager overnight. Having said that I wander if Mark Ashton has had the conversation with him regarding a more experienced right hand man particularly with all the associated pressures of managing a club like Ipswich, somebody just to give another opinion.Thats not to say he doesn’t get it from his younger coaches who may be good but lack experience to advise Cook when things get tough. Time will tell and who knows he may be told to appoint someone with more experience although this would have to be dealt with diplomatically.
I agree Dean. I think Paul Cook is not averse to the idea of getting a helping hand – in fact, he has previously stated as much.
As I have outlined many times, I want Cook to succeed but I do think he is missing someone like Richardson to guide him in troubled waters.
More than anything, he has a group of novice trainers, who have been tasked with the job of coaching the players, and whichever way you look at it, it does seem to be a bit naive.