Portsmouth: Remembering the Paul Cook years ahead of his return in FA Cup clash
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Portsmouth secured promotion to League One in April 2017 with a 3-1 away win over Notts County
The day of Portsmouth's League Two title celebrations in Southsea won't be forgotten in a hurry.
I certainly remember it more clearly than a number of the players who were still drunk from the night before. One even had to have a bottle of Jagermeister prized from his hand before he headed onto the stage. If you can't let your hair down and celebrate after winning promotion following a gruelling nine month campaign when can you?
Paul Cook seemed emotional at various points of the celebrations. I sense the overriding feeling for him was relief at achieving the objective he was brought to Portsmouth for. If you'd told me six years later that Pompey would still be in League One and Cook was managing in non-league I would have refused to believe you.
But seeing is believing and the former Portsmouth boss, now in charge of non-league Chesterfield, is preparing to face his old team in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Cook is one of the more intriguing characters in recent Portsmouth history. Deeply passionate, emotional and with strong views on how football should be played. He was at times challenging to interview post match but perhaps not to the extent people remember. I spoke to him after matches around 100 times and only had two 'spats' - one of them led to him apologising before the interview had ended.
The problem was he wanted to get his interviews done as soon as possible after a match meaning he'd had no time to calm down following the final whistle. He'd talk about not getting too high after a win or too low after a loss, but he wore his heart on his sleeve and his emotion was clear to see when stood in front of him.
He was a lot chattier at his weekly pre-match press conference. Although there was usually a rant triggered by something a pundit had said on TV or the radio. Managers not getting enough time before being sacked was frequently mentioned. He'd also tell us that 'if he had his way' he'd face the media far, far less frequently.
'Strange and unexpected'
Paul Cook left Portsmouth just a couple of months after they secured promotion to League One
That I think was sometimes the crux of the matter. Cook loves coaching and many aspects of being a manager but I don't think he likes being under the microscope. I think he underestimated quite how significant the attention on the football club is within the city of Portsmouth. When he was in charge the pressure and expectation to get out of League Two was ginormous.
There were moments that I think hurt him. There were boos at Fratton Park during a 4-0 victory against Mansfield, frustration from fans that all the possession the team had wasn't translating into more goals. By the end of his reign virtually every League Two side parked the bus at Fratton Park which showed how highly the team was regarded but also made life tricky and at times, the home crowd became inpatient.
The manner of Cook's departure was strange and largely unexpected. Just weeks after telling the Portsmouth News he'd only leave the club to join his beloved Liverpool he was unveiled as the new Wigan Athletic boss. In some ways the move was understandable, Wigan had a bigger budget in League One and there may have been a salary increase. Pompey's ownership was also changing. But to leave so soon after the celebrations and comments on his affection for the club left a bitter taste. The atmosphere when his soon to be promoted Wigan side were beaten at Fratton Park the next season was as loud and passionate as it was all season.
'Joyous daze'
How is he remembered by Portsmouth fans? I think pretty positively. The League Two title victory and celebrations that followed were brilliant times and haven't quite been repeated since. It felt like a joyous daze and by the time everyone woke up Cook had gone. The promotion team and the football they played is fondly remembered.
It would be fascinating to one day sit down with Cook and reflect on his time at Portsmouth. I'm not sure that interview will happen anytime soon, he's spoken very sparingly of his time at Fratton Park since he left. I suspect a conversation with him would show the old adage that history is a discussion rather than a series of facts.
You can hear every Pompey match live on BBC Radio Solent with Andy Moon and former Blues striker and manager Guy Whittingham.
