Cocker Hoop

Robert Endeacott

Description

Cocker Hoop is the authorised biography of football coaching great Les Cocker. A tenacious and resilient forward, Cocker played for two clubs: Stockport County (196 games, 48 goals) and Accrington Stanley (130 games, 50 goals) before retiring in 1958 to move into coaching. As one of the first recipients of full coaching badges at England's Lilleshall, he established himself as a supreme trainer and coach for Leeds United, and helped build a famous footballing dynasty alongside Don Revie. His rising reputation attracted the FA's attention, and Cocker helped the England team achieve their pinnacle success in 1966. Filled with interviews, anecdotes and revelations from throughout Cocker's career, Cocker Hoop brings us a personal portrait of the great man, and is co-written by his son Dave Cocker and sportswriter and novelist Robert Endeacott.

Informations

• Publié par: Distributed by eBookpartnership
• Date de parution: 25 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781801503006
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2022
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Robert Endeacott and Dave Cocker, 2022
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright.
Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 9781801501477
eBook ISBN 9781801503006
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eBook Conversion by www.eBookPartnership.com
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
1. The beginning
2. World War Two to 1959
3. Leeds and England dreaming
4. 1965 - on the up
5. 1966, England s glory
6. 1967 to 1970 - Leeds time and turn for glory?
7. 1970 - Mexico and after
8. 1972 - t FA Cup
9. 1974 and past it?
10. Two eras
11. The UAE and then Donny
Epilogue
Acknowledgements and Thanks
Bibliography
Photos
cock-a-hoop
adjective
extremely and obviously pleased,
especially about an achievement
Dedicated to Les and Nora Cocker, and all their family and friends
Foreword
I WAS very pleased to be invited by Robert and Dave to provide the foreword for this biography of Les Cocker, a colleague for over a decade. Les and I enjoyed a good working relationship throughout and I m looking forward to reading the book once it s finished. I m sure it will be a really interesting read about a fine man who deserved all the accolades he has received.
I didn t really know much about Les in the early days of my playing career, which was starting while his was coming to a close. Following his years as a player, his new role would be in coaching which involved much more than just the learning of formations and tactics.
When I joined Leeds United from FA Cup holders Manchester United in August 1963, some people probably doubted my judgement, if not my sanity, as Leeds were in the Second Division at the time. I could have easily answered those doubters by saying that it was all part of my big plan and that I knew exactly what I was doing, but of course there is always doubt in a player s mind when they re changing football clubs, whatever era we re talking about. In my case, though, the move wasn t as impulsive as it might have seemed; I d been watching Leeds situation with interest and was sure that they were going places, so when Don Revie came in to sign me, it didn t take much persuasion. He made it clear to me that I would be a big part of his plans for the future of the club, and that would start immediately with a full-on push for promotion to the First Division. It was definitely the right time for me to change clubs. Les was already at the club, as was Syd Owen who had been a great player (and Footballer of the Year in 1959) and would prove to be a great influence and asset, so it was clear Leeds meant real business.
A big influence on my decision was, without a doubt, the presence of Bobby Collins at Elland Road. The signing of Bobby had been huge. At the time, Leeds were struggling in the lower half of the Second Division while Scottish international Bobby was at First Division Everton. You couldn t get a better example than Bobby of how to play and how to be a good professional. Everyone in the game was aware of his quality, not only as a player but for his leadership, professionalism, his competitive edge and his will to win, so for Don and Harry Reynolds to get him to play for Leeds was a real coup and statement of intent. They were developing a fine squad of players and had very good coaching and training personnel, men who knew what they were doing and knew what they wanted to achieve because the whole club was united in its ambition. Les Cocker was certainly one of those men; he was crucial and integral for Leeds United s improvement and growth.
Les s honesty, integrity and willingness to help anyone were always plain to see, and his influence and positive effect on the players and the club as a whole cannot be underestimated. Everyone associated with the club knew they could trust him, rely on him and learn from him. Time and time again he proved himself to be an outstanding coach, trainer and even physio. His contribution to the cause of Leeds United and England should never be overlooked or allowed to be forgotten, and I hope and trust that this book will help to reinforce that feeling.
Best wishes
John Giles
Introduction
WHENEVER I have mentioned that this biography was happening, a frequent response has been, It s about time! , along with how much Les Cocker s story deserves telling. He has, for me and, I suspect, many more football supporters, been one of those figures frequently seen in league and international football - especially 1966 - who very little has been reported on.
A certain film which, for the purposes of this book I shall call Carry On Clough - with no disrespect towards the fabulously inappropriate Carry On series - depicts Les as some sort of callous, dishonest bully. I try to be objective and reasonable in my ways but have to say, what a load of codswallop that film is. He is not the only one badly characterised in the film, of course; it is quite disgraceful in spite of a couple of excellent performances. Anyway, dear reader, you will see here that in reality he was a good and caring and dedicated man, a consummate professional who gave everything his best shot and who would readily help anyone in need. He needed to be resilient in his work but the simple fact is, that his intentions were to help achieve the best results for everyone he worked with. If he coached you then it was you who he wanted to benefit, not himself, to help you realise your ambitions and be the best you could be in your field.
Throughout my reading and research of numerous articles, biographies and autobiographies for this book, I ve been intrigued by how many themes, events and attributes resonate with and sternly link prominent characters in Les s story. Revie and Ramsey for example, considered by many to be polar opposites, shared similarly strong views on certain matters, mainly football related of course. And a faithful yet independently minded lieutenant for both was, of course, Les Cocker.
I m extremely grateful to the interviewees for their contributions to this book, and I know many of you will understand what a personal thrill it has always been to speak with famous figures, heroes even, of my childhood. Unfortunately, I didn t manage to collar all of my targets; Mr Keegan is a difficult man to get hold of and I must have followed the wrong yellow brick road in trying to reach Sir Elton John!
One thing I ve learnt in life from favourite forefathers is that your best efforts are the minimum requirement, the very least you should give, whatever your task. For various reasons that we all have been affected by, Cocker Hoop has been at times difficult to proceed with but it has always been a rewarding journey, thanks mainly to Les s family, friends and colleagues for their help and goodwill. Although I never properly met him - I m not sure I even got his autograph - I grew up knowing him and his achievements with Leeds and, of course, England. A story my parents told me about him made me understand what a fine chap he was. On the official Leeds United train journey home after the 1972 FA Cup Final, with my dad Barry and mum Moyra on board thanks to Dad being on the ground staff at Elland Road, the FA Cup - filled with champagne - was shared around among the lucky occupants of the train carriages in celebration. It s a long time ago, of course, but I think I m right in saying that it was the first time Mum ever drank champagne. Anyway, this gesture was instigated by Les who, perhaps surprisingly, was on board along with Don Revie. Coincidentally, Les s eldest son, Dave, was also there, and you can read of his exploits then and on other occasions later on.
Thank you for investing in this book. I hope you enjoy reading it even half as much as I did researching and writing it.
Robert Endeacott, March 2022
PS Thank you, Marcelo Bielsa, for bringing Leeds United back to life. Your wisdom, dignity and football doctrine will always be remembered and never allowed to be forgotten.
1
The beginning
WITHOUT WISHING to reveal any major plot spoilers of Les Cocker s story, here are a couple of quotes I unearthed about him. For me, they perfectly encapsulate aspects of the man s character.
The first comes from an Accrington Stanley match programme of 1954, when Les was aged 30 and a seasoned attacker for The Owd Reds : Les Cocker is now in his second season at the club and has proved a great servant with a heart to match his ability. He is a nuisance, he never lets an opponent settle and he can snatch goals in brilliant style.
Though Les was at Leeds at the time, the second quote comes from an Aldershot versus Stockport programme in the early 1970s, referring to his playing days: It s difficult to remember anyone who grafted for 90 minutes as much as he did. Courage and determination were his answer to his lack of inches.
You will see in this book that all of these Cocker qualities remained as constants throughout his life and that he shared common bonds and characteristics with many other football men of the same era. Hardship, war and conscription undoubtedly helped to unite those of a certain age, and we owe much to Les s generation in helping to rebuild the country and