Simon Jordon has branded ex Swansea boss Cooper as a loser
Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:56 pm
Simon Jordan has branded ex-Swansea City boss Steve Cooper as a "perennial loser" following the Welshman's departure from the Liberty Stadium this week.
Cooper's departure from the Swans was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, and he leaves the club by mutual consent after masterminding two consecutive top-six finishes.
The Swans were beaten finalists at Wembley back in May, and failure to earn promotion to the Premier League had left Cooper facing up to a significant rebuild at the club, with several star players heading for the exit door and parachute payments having stopped following the club's relegation from the Premier League in to the Championship.
Thursday 22nd Jul 2022
Having already had to work with such meagre resources, Cooper had attracted plenty of praise for the job he did with the Swans.
Indeed, his exploits were good enough to catch the eye of both Crystal Palace and Fulham this summer.
However, Jordan clearly isn't too impressed by the legacy left by the former England under-17s boss, and claims he actually fell short during his time in south Wales.
He said: "They got to the play-off semi-final the previous year and got knocked out when they were expected to do better.
"This year they weren't quite the side they were the previous year, but lost again. That makes him a perennial loser.
"It does. You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.
"You're not paid to get somebody into the play-offs, especially a club that's been established in the Premier League for eight or nine years, and is trying to get back there, and be a bridesmaid all the time."
Jordan also insists that the level of speculation hanging over Cooper over the last few weeks means his decision to leave SA1 won't be considered a surprise.
Simon Jordan has taken aim at Steve Cooper following the Welshman's departure from Swansea City
Attention for the Swans will now turn to finding his replacement, with John Eustace understood to be the current frontrunner.
"I think this was an inevitability because he wanted to leave for some time," he added.
"There has been an erosion of the talent base in that they sell their players to fund their football club going forward, rather than maintaining the status quo, with the owners consistently injecting money in to maintain that.
"They are balancing their books by depleting the squad, so I do think Steve Cooper had spoken quite at length and wasn't backward about coming forward about the dissatisfaction with the resources he was having to work with.
"I have heard, and I'm quite remote from it, that he wasn't happy at Swansea. That Swansea, as a club were selling players he wasn't comfortable with.
"I don't read this and go 'shock, horror, where did that come from? Steve Cooper's left Swansea'.
"I thought that was a given. I thought that was a done deal. The only thing that's surprising me about it is that he hasn't got somewhere else to go.
"Or maybe he does, and he's walking out the door and poor old Swansea are going to be out of some compensation, who knows?
"But the fact of the matter is that it doesn't surprise me, and if I listen to certain Swansea fans, and I used to live in Swansea so I know the area pretty well, they weren't enamoured with the style of play and the brand of football that was coming out of Swansea.
"If they'd got promoted perhaps they would've quietened down about the style of play because they'd be back in the Premier League, and it is an achievement to get to two play-offs.
"But to lose in both of them is disappointing. And you have to accept that that's a failure."
Cooper's departure from the Swans was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, and he leaves the club by mutual consent after masterminding two consecutive top-six finishes.
The Swans were beaten finalists at Wembley back in May, and failure to earn promotion to the Premier League had left Cooper facing up to a significant rebuild at the club, with several star players heading for the exit door and parachute payments having stopped following the club's relegation from the Premier League in to the Championship.
Thursday 22nd Jul 2022
Having already had to work with such meagre resources, Cooper had attracted plenty of praise for the job he did with the Swans.
Indeed, his exploits were good enough to catch the eye of both Crystal Palace and Fulham this summer.
However, Jordan clearly isn't too impressed by the legacy left by the former England under-17s boss, and claims he actually fell short during his time in south Wales.
He said: "They got to the play-off semi-final the previous year and got knocked out when they were expected to do better.
"This year they weren't quite the side they were the previous year, but lost again. That makes him a perennial loser.
"It does. You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.
"You're not paid to get somebody into the play-offs, especially a club that's been established in the Premier League for eight or nine years, and is trying to get back there, and be a bridesmaid all the time."
Jordan also insists that the level of speculation hanging over Cooper over the last few weeks means his decision to leave SA1 won't be considered a surprise.
Simon Jordan has taken aim at Steve Cooper following the Welshman's departure from Swansea City
Attention for the Swans will now turn to finding his replacement, with John Eustace understood to be the current frontrunner.
"I think this was an inevitability because he wanted to leave for some time," he added.
"There has been an erosion of the talent base in that they sell their players to fund their football club going forward, rather than maintaining the status quo, with the owners consistently injecting money in to maintain that.
"They are balancing their books by depleting the squad, so I do think Steve Cooper had spoken quite at length and wasn't backward about coming forward about the dissatisfaction with the resources he was having to work with.
"I have heard, and I'm quite remote from it, that he wasn't happy at Swansea. That Swansea, as a club were selling players he wasn't comfortable with.
"I don't read this and go 'shock, horror, where did that come from? Steve Cooper's left Swansea'.
"I thought that was a given. I thought that was a done deal. The only thing that's surprising me about it is that he hasn't got somewhere else to go.
"Or maybe he does, and he's walking out the door and poor old Swansea are going to be out of some compensation, who knows?
"But the fact of the matter is that it doesn't surprise me, and if I listen to certain Swansea fans, and I used to live in Swansea so I know the area pretty well, they weren't enamoured with the style of play and the brand of football that was coming out of Swansea.
"If they'd got promoted perhaps they would've quietened down about the style of play because they'd be back in the Premier League, and it is an achievement to get to two play-offs.
"But to lose in both of them is disappointing. And you have to accept that that's a failure."
Re: Simon Jordon has branded ex Swansea boss Cooper as a los
Thu Jul 22, 2021 2:10 pm
Yes I was listening, he's great on talk sport, says t how it is, and as an ex owner offers a great insight into the running of a club 
Re: Simon Jordon has branded ex Swansea boss Cooper as a los
Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:08 pm
The guy is seriously overestimating how “established” Swansea are. 7 years in the prem (as opposed to the “8 or 9” he claims) does not mean you have a god-given right to be in the Prem. Just ask Bolton, Sunderland, Portsmouth etc. Unfortunately, we had to deal with Swansea’s golden period. But that’s over now and (hopefully) won’t be repeated in my lifetime 
Re: Simon Jordon has branded ex Swansea boss Cooper as a los
Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:54 pm
Bluebina wrote:Yes I was listening, he's great on talk sport, says t how it is, and as an ex owner offers a great insight into the running of a club
on somethings the insights are interesting .... i really dont think this opinion has been fair , to call Cooper a perennial loser for making the play offs twice i think is harsh ... or do i think people thought they should do much better ? its not like they were favourites to go up...
Re: Simon Jordon has branded ex Swansea boss Cooper as a los
Fri Jul 23, 2021 12:52 pm
skidemin wrote:Bluebina wrote:Yes I was listening, he's great on talk sport, says t how it is, and as an ex owner offers a great insight into the running of a club
on somethings the insights are interesting .... i really dont think this opinion has been fair , to call Cooper a perennial loser for making the play offs twice i think is harsh ... or do i think people thought they should do much better ? its not like they were favourites to go up...
Yes I think on this he's been talking to fans as he once lived there and knows some of their fans, he's a bit harsh on players and Managers like Roy Keene, and picks a point and labours it home.
Generally I like pundits like him, Keene, Neville who don't sit on the fence and say what they think.