Mark Cooper spoke to BBC Radio Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the Glovers’ 3-0 defeat to strugglers Boston.
Mark Stillman: Mark, just your immediate thoughts to tonight’s defeat?
Mark Cooper : Disappointed, disappointed. We committed Harakiri. Gave three horrendous goals away. Obviously, when you’re 2-0 down from nothing, it then puts the pressure on the players, and it gets from bad to worse, really. There wasn’t a lot in the game, three mistakes, really, every time the ball went in our box it looked like they were going to score.
MS: Has there been a problem recently that changes you’ve been forced into making. It feels like, building up those relationships, partnerships on the pitch. It just hasn’t clicked because of all the changes you’ve had to make?
MC: No one’s really interested about injuries or people leaving the club or transfers. No one’s really bothered about that, they just want to see a performance. And I take responsibility. I sign the players, I take responsibility for the performance. We’d love to have Jake Wannell, Aaron Jarvis, Morgan Williams, Frank Nouble in the team, but they’re big chunks out of the team, and we’re relying on young boys like McGuckin, Wilson, McLean. We’re relying on them to try and get us through.
MS: Is it fair to say it’s not a lack of desire. It’s just not happening at the moment. You don’t see a lack of effort out there?
MC: We’re just immature. Another team, you know, like I said before, we’re trying to bring in the best players that we can to replace the injured players, but there’s only so much that we can pay, plus you’ve got, at this stage of the season, you’ve got to try and get players to come to Yeovil and it’s, it’s really, really tough. I mean, we spent days on the phone to try and replace the players that are missing, and it’s tough.
MS: You said about the manner of the goals conceded, we agreed with it on radio, is it saying you almost feel helpless as a manager when there’s individual to have mistakes?
MC: Yeah, the first goal, their centre forward runs straight through middle. The second one is a back pass, and the third one, a long throw bounces on our six yard box. So listen, it’s what it is. I take responsibility for it. Players tried. You can’t say they didn’t try. They worked really hard, but [there’s] been a lot going on in the last couple of days.
MS: It feels like the last week must be one of the most difficult you’ve had at the club?
MC: Yeah, like I say we lost the players that we’ve lost, and trying to replace them has been really tough, and we just have to give support to the boys that come in and are new. We have to try and get them through that. We have to try and resolve the situation with Frank Nouble and see what happens with that.
Pic Gary Brown
MS: Can you give us the latest on that, you were very open, and we’re grateful for that. Pre match. What’s been going on with Frank Nouble?
MC: So, Frank wanted to go to Gateshead. Somebody from Gateshead approached him that we’ve now found out, have got no influence or don’t own the football club. I think this person did a deal with Frank’s agent, which obviously then unsettled Frank, which it would do because he had a good deal going to Gateshead, and then it went quiet, and we then found out that there was no deal, and the person that was doing a deal with Frank’s agent, and Frank had no jurisdiction to do the deal, because as far as I’m aware, he doesn’t yet own Gateshead, so, really disappointing from Gateshead’s side of it, and feel sorry for Frank, really, but you know, he wanted to go.
Frank wanted to go, and he made it clear that he wanted to go and play for Gateshead. So, we granted that wish, but it’s fell through. So we wait to see now what happens. We’d have loved Frank to be in the team tonight, because he would have made a big difference for us,
MS: Do you think he’ll play for Yeovil again?
MC: I don’t know, I don’t know where it is. As far as we’re aware, we’ve been told that Frank’s deals off, so he’s still our player. So we’ll have to see what happens in the next couple of days.