Job offers roll in for Cooke as Drogs prepare to let him go
Speaking yesterday ahead of Saturday’s EA Sports Cup final with Shamrock Rovers, Cooke refused to divulge precisely what sparked Drogheda’s decision, and the timing of it.
While it looks like the end of his three years at the club, the 62-year-old Dubliner insisted he is prepared to sit down and talk to the club’s board to resolve their differences. But Cooke stressed the ball is in their court.
Cooke is the club’s most successful ever manager behind Paul Doolin, having led Drogheda to a remarkable second place in the league last year. They also won the EA Sports Cup and played in the Setanta Sports Cup final this season as well as in Europe.
“That’s their choice,” said Cooke on whether there could be talks on resolving the situation. “I’m an open-minded man. I’ll sit down and talk to anybody.
“I’ve no issues. It’s nothing to do with football or budgets, my wages. I’ve answered the issues raised and I just want to move on. I’ve six weeks to go until the season’s end, hopefully seven, if we get to the Aviva.”
Either way, Cooke wants to stay in football, ideally at home, but says he has already had enquiries from abroad.
“It’s amazing the calls I’ve had from different areas of the game already.
“An agent in America has asked me if I would be interested if something came up in the MLS or the league below it. I played [there] for two years in the mid-1970s with Hamilton City near Toronto in the Canadian League.
“I’ll look at all things but I would prefer to stay here.
“Another agent asked me if I would be interested in an U21 coaching job in the Championship in England, to work with two young coaches and give them the benefit of my experience. No one knows where football will take you.”
* The FAI yesterday confirmed EA Sports have extended their sponsorship of the league cup up until 2015.
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