Mark Cooper readying summer transfer target list in case he is given Notts County job permanently

Anyone worth their salt in management starts early, it's the best way to recruit - as with out of contracted players, you can snap them up earlier. Hopefully Cooper is here to remain and will bring some excitement per the signings he may potentially attract to Notts.

COYP!

Good evening Joe,

Best wishes to all.

You may recall how well Swindon Town played for the majority of last season: our doubling you comprehensively doing you no favours at all. Things went well up to Easter but then Mark Cooper began his policy of severe squad rotation and lost all impetus. It was generally thought that he snatched  Play Offs from the jaws of automatic promotion. Despite his policy of resting players he started at Wembley with a marginally fit Nathan Thompson who, in the first two minutes gave away a free kick which he failed to defend, led to the opening goal and he was stretchered off. The match became ritual humiliation. Mark brought on Andy Williams for his last twenty minutes in a Swindon shirt but left young striker Jermaine Hylton on the bench.

We had an exceptionally good squad last season but consensus is that it was put together by Chairman Lee Power not Mark. The squad was dismantled in the summer with many players moving up the pyramid. This year's squad is much weaker and has been injury ravaged. Mark seemed to "lose the plot" early on: he seemed to frequently use players out of position and not use available young talent. He said that in the position he was in we would not win until injured players returned so he expected to lose the next three or four matches. Then he was sacked.

I do not dislike Mark Cooper but last season is arguably the best of a generally patchy managerial career. If he becomes your permanent manager I wish him well. Talking the job is all very well but results alone count.

Having said all this we have given Luke Williams a five year head coach contract and we are hanging on by our nails: would Mark have fared worse and achieved relegation?

Get it sorted Notts, we have a manager prepared to put in the leg work required to move on from this terrible season.