Mick’s era to stay (From York Press)

Mick’s era to stay

6:24pm Saturday 18th August 2007

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IT will be a "massive loss" to York City Knights.

That's how people from within the club have described the decision by head coach Mick Cook to leave at the end of the season.

A few fans might think differently given that Cook has had more than his fair share of stick - indeed, a quick look on a Knights message-board following the announcement he was to leave suggests some do think it is time for a change.

However, those in the know are often the ones to trust.

And according to them, he has raised the bar at York, improving coaching levels and professionalism, and bringing in various modern techniques, especially regarding analysis, that are used throughout Super League. Such techniques generally require full-time status, but Cook has had to fit it in on a part-time basis.

He also brought the club's one trophy so far in their short existence - and that National League Two title was won in thoroughly exciting fashion too.

He has also stood proud and stayed absolutely amiable throughout all the ups and downs - and you can't say that about every coach.

Cook's victory ratio at Huntington Stadium is not as good as his two predecessors. His record over his three seasons currently stands at 31 wins, two draws, 30 losses. Richard Agar managed 25 wins, 11 losses in 2004, and Paul Broadbent had 16 wins, one draw and 14 losses in 2003.

However, Cook is the only one to include a season in NL1, where promoted teams always had a tough time.

He largely escaped censure for the club's relegation last year as fans accepted the difficulties he faced, but he has come in for more stick this term as they finish the regular season some way off the NL2 leaders, albeit still with play-off possibilities.

Cook, however, is not new to flak. He had his fair share in his first few months at the helm in 2005, only to silence his critics with a remarkable surge to the NL2 title.

Even then, some people complained the entertainment on show was not as good as it had been under Agar. I'm not entirely sure those arguments stand up.

There were certainly some thrilling performances and big wins in 2004, and the four victories over Featherstone and the cup runs will be long remembered. But NL2 was far weaker back then, and Featherstone were half the team they are now. The team at Agar's disposal - not least Danny Brough at half-back - also compares well with Cook's present line-up.

I also think some facts of the matter were - and still are - hidden below the euphoria of novelty, when enthusiasm for the new club was at a peak and when more people wore rose-tinted glasses.

That zest among supporters was always going to wane at some point and, after the highs of cup runs and a play-off final, it was no surprise that some fervour would have drained come the following season.

In other words, Cook took the helm when the club's honeymoon period was over.

The departure of Steve Ferres - a hero after his work in getting the club started - also affected fans' mindsets. Indeed, a few reckoned he, not Cook, was the real man behind promotion. Granted, he played a part in the pre-season recruitment, but he left just one Northern Rail Cup game into the campaign.

The start to that 2005 season didn't help Cook when tinkerman' tactics were allied to some uninspiring displays. But it proved prudent in the end as it kept players fit and fresh for the more important part of the season, when the Knights' true style under Cook shone through.

Several stunning comebacks - not least the one at Hunslet to win the title - and the 74-12 thrashing of big-spending Dewsbury compare favourably with anything from the Agar era.

For some reason, however, they weren't quite greeted with the same rapture.

Perhaps there was a greater onus of expectation on Cook than there had been on Agar and Broadbent before him. If earlier teams played poorly, it was excusable as the club was new; we had no right to win. Now, some fans probably feel victories and thrilling performances should be the norm - and anything else is failure.

There was a good degree of tolerance, nonetheless, when it came to NL1.

Fans knew the Knights had considerably less cash to spend than most rivals, and they knew every other club to be promoted since the inception of National Leagues One and Two had been relegated the following year. Most understood the odds were stacked against York and calls for Cook's head when the Knights followed the trend of falling back down were minimal.

The level of tolerance was considerably lower this year, however. Granted, his team have under-performed and the fare on show has been inconsistent, but those in the Cook camp would argue much of the stick he has received has still been unfair.

York's injury crisis of last season hasn't really abated. Yes, all clubs have injuries, but not quite this many. Furthermore, the Knights do not have the finances of several of their rivals, notwithstanding their favourable attendances. They stuck rigidly to the salary cap rules, no matter what anyone else did, and chief executive John Guildford admirably remain-ed adamant they would spend within their means.

The top four in the table - Featherstone, Celtic Crusaders, Barrow and Oldham - on the other hand, have splashed the cash, recruiting several players of Super League ilk.

On the subject of signings, some of Cook's recruits have not been successes, such as winger Paul Clarke, but not many of them were criticised at the time. Phil Hasty and Jamie Bovill, for example, excited the crowd, even if they ultimately did little.

But there were more hits than misses. Dave Buckley, Mark Blanchard, Jamaine Wray, Neil Lowe, for example, all became favourites, while using Leeds contacts to get Peter Fox and Jason Golden on long loans was a masterstroke. He has also brought a lot of young players on quite considerably - look at Matt Blaymire, Lee Mapals and Ryan Esders.

Cook has stressed this season's events have not played a part in his decision to retire. However, they probably didn't help persuade him to stay.

One thing is for sure, though - he hasn't had any reported complaints from the players, many of whom have said he is the best coach they've worked with.

In all sports, when a manager comes in for stick, players, when asked by the media, will almost always defend them: publicly decrying the boss is not the best way to keep your place in the team. The tone of their voices, however, is often a giveaway as to how much they mean it.

I spoke to the likes of Dan Potter, Ryan McDonald and Jason Ramshaw when Cook came under fire earlier this summer, and each time I was under little doubt they meant it. MacDonald, for example, was pretty blunt about it. "The fans can say what they want - but I have every confidence in Cooky. All the players have," he said.

Those players now have a few games in which to show it, and maybe even upset the promotion odds in the process.

Time will tell just how massive a loss Cook is, but, while it might be a long shot, let's hope he can finish on a massive high.

KNIGHTS STAT ATTACK

• The "goals" section in the Stat Attack panel will remain in the "Bad Boys" section until there is a cumulative success rate of over 65 per cent. It is currently at 58.5 per cent.

GOOD BOYS

Press player of the month awards: Ian Brown 1, Lee Mapals 1, Jamaine Wray 1, Dave Buckley 1, Rob Spicer 1, Neil Lowe 1.

Press man of the match awards: Lowe 5, Mapals 3, Spicer 3, Brown 2, Esders 2, Sullivan 2, Rayner, Wray, Cakacaka, Helme, Williams, Rhodes, Buckley, Grimshaw, Lingard, Liddell all 1.

Trade paper man of the match awards: Mapals 5, Rhodes 4, Wray 4, Lowe 4, Helme 2, Grimshaw 2, Thackeray 2, Rayner 2, Spicer 2, Lingard 2, Elston 2, Williams, Liddell, Sullivan, Buckley, Brooks all 1.

Tries: Mapals 16, C Spurr 11, Brown 8, Potter 8, Buckley 7, Lingard 7, Esders 6, Rayner 6, Elston 6, Thackeray 5, Lowe 4, Godfrey 4, Spicer 4, Dunmore 3, Rhodes 3, Helme 2, Smith 2, Cakacaka 2, Wray 2, Liddell 2, Priestley, Sullivan, Grundy, Brooks, Grimshaw, Waldron, Palmer, Williams, MacDonald, M Spurr, penalty try all 1.

BAD BOYS

Goals: Wray 28/48; Grimshaw 14/20; Gargan 10/13; Lingard 11/18; Esders 11/20; Liddell 6/12; Brooks 1/2; Dunmore 1/3; Rayner 0/1; Mapals 0/1; Godfrey 0/1; Lowe 0/1.

Penalties for York: 254.

Penalties against York: 237.

Yellow cards for York: Wray 3, MacDonald 2, Buckley 2, Esders 1, Elston 1, Godfrey 1.

Yellow cards for opposition: Keighley 4, Gateshead 2, Toulouse 2, Barrow 2, Swinton 1, Blackpool 1, Workington 1, Hunslet 1, Featherstone 1.

Red cards for York: 0.

Red cards for opposition: Workington 1.

• The Player of the Year standings will be updated next week.

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