as an fc fan, im going to defend cooke for once(since his departure
)
in my opinion, cooke as a player was top draw for fc, a leader that we have never replaced since he left, was this the start of our demise? yes it was in my opinion, a truelly gifted player who sold his soul for big dollars over the "other" side......one of which im sure he regrets to this day....
unfortunatly for one reason or another he hasnt been the same since he left fc and likewise we havent either.....why this is i dont know, but i think fc was good for cooke and cooke was good for fc....
he nearly single-handedly took us to the grand final, and his combination with swain and horne was class,almost telepathic at times as cooke stated himself in a team that was just reaching its potential....once he left, the gap was too big to fill...hence our predicament as i write this......people will never realise what a player like paul cooke did for fc, yes, he has a great pass etc, but it was more than that, he was part of the fabric of the club having been there since he was very young. ......i think he maybe past his best, but having half the red army loving you when you signed and then questioning your play the very next week must make him think to himself wether it was the right choice in defecting.....some people will never forgive the way it all happend but in my opinion, fc have never been the same without him.....
