Paul Cook took over as manager of Ipswich Town on March 2 2021, with his first match in charge being a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Gillingham.
In his first months as boss at Ipswich Town, Cook managed to keep the Blues in the top-half of the table, finishing in ninth in the final League One table, and missing out on a possible play-off spot by five points.
Previous stops for Cook also include managerial stints with Chesterfield (2012-15) and Portsmouth (2015-17) and most recently Wigan Athletic (May 2017- July 2020).
As a player, the majority of his senior appearances were with Wolverhampton Wanderers (1989-94), where he scored 19 goals in 193 appearance. From 1999-2003, he played with Burnley, first on loan and then as a permanent signing, going on to score more than 10 goals in over 125 appearances for the club.
Manager Paul Cook…
On the team’s progression:
“The solidity of our team looks a lot better than the early games. We’ve got quality in the club now. We’ve got goals. Conor Chaplin comes off the bench; Joe Pigott having a great effect. I felt we’ve looked good in both areas of the pitch.
“There’s so many games to go. There’s so much football to be played. Any team that wins football matches will get where they want to be. For us, it’s about getting the blocks in place now, the work ethic of the group. How hard are we going to work for results? We know we’ve got good players. But good players without work-rate and desire are not good players.”
On the recent form of Macauley Bonne:
“I can’t speak highly enough of Macauley [Bonne]. He just does a lot. What a lad. He comes in every day – when he was left out initially or he was subbed – he’s the biggest motivator in the dressing room. He’s around the other lads who help the team. He’s just a credit to himself and his family. And I’m sure our supporters feel he’s a credit to our club now, albeit he’s a Queens Park Rangers player.”
On the quick turnaround facing Rovers:
“Keep going. In to recover properly, train well again. Repetition. Let’s try and get that first win on Tuesday night that could see us three unbeaten. Seven points if we can beat Doncaster. Then, all of a sudden, you can just feel that momentum coming towards you. But Doncaster will be a very tough obstacle, that’s for sure.”
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