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The Jack Cork appreciation thread


Bad Wolf

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Gutted to see him leave, I have a proper little man crush on Jack Cork. Excellent player, model professional, and surprisingly prolific striker. Bony 2.0 for Swansea, I think! Hope his career continues uphill from here and the Swansea fans take to him well.

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Remember being impressed with him during his loan spell in the dark days of 2008, and was delighted when he joined us permanently three years later.

 

Good luck Jack.

 

Echo that. I have enjoyed watching you play. A very tidy footballer, Swansea should suit you well. Good luck and thanks for the memories.

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I'm a bit gutted by this, tbh. Can't understand why successive managers don't seem to have rated him, a solid, tidy player who very rarely put a pass astray. Versatile as well, I'd have thought he was exactly the type we'd want in the squad if we have any genuine aspirations towards european football. I'm also hoping like hell that this move doesn't affect Ryan Bertrands view of a permanent move here.

 

Good luck Jack, and thanks.

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  • 7 months later...

Not sure why we sold him when we knew we would lose Morgan. I understand that perhaps he felt he wanted more game time and with Wanyama and Morgan, at the time, that was going to be difficult. But now seems like Romeu is hardly a step up from Javk, maybe Classie will be, but a big loss.

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Cork was not a replacement for Morgan, he was a replacement for an-ever improving Wanyama.

 

Had he stayed at Saints, he would still be a sub. Anyway he's made a good move for him and the club and he's going to have a solid PL career, he's also the kind of player I can see being useful for many teams at a good level until very late, a bit of a Scott Parker in my eyes.

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Not sure why we sold him when we knew we would lose Morgan. I understand that perhaps he felt he wanted more game time and with Wanyama and Morgan, at the time, that was going to be difficult. But now seems like Romeu is hardly a step up from Javk, maybe Classie will be, but a big loss.

 

He didn't sign a new contract so was free to move on, which is what he did. He was offered a new contract so it is not as if the club were looking to get shot of him.

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Not sure why we sold him when we knew we would lose Morgan. I understand that perhaps he felt he wanted more game time and with Wanyama and Morgan, at the time, that was going to be difficult. But now seems like Romeu is hardly a step up from Javk, maybe Classie will be, but a big loss.

 

Still annoys how we mismanaged the situation. Treating a high quality english midfielder like a trialist, telling him despite all his excellent performances for us that he had to spend six months proving he was worth a new contract. If we'd treated Fonte(who was out of contract at the same time) like that he would have walked too. He went somewhere he felt he would be more valued, where he still has to fight to guarantee himself a starting position but he feels the manager rates him enough to make it an even fight.

 

Like you i'm hoping Clasie will add the nous we've lost in that position in losing jack and Morgan. Romeu/Vic provide brute force but we really need something more subtle alongside one or the other.

 

Think Cork should be close to england squad, the only equivalent player in his role i see in the squad is Carrick.

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He didn't sign a new contract so was free to move on, which is what he did. He was offered a new contract so it is not as if the club were looking to get shot of him.

 

I bet if we offered cork a new contract when we did with fonte, or around that time, he would be here now.

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Fonte was a regular, Jack Cork wasn't.

 

He was hardly a fringe player struggling to get in. Let's not re-write history. He made more appearances than Fonte in our first season back, 28 to JF's 36 in the second season and 12 before he eventually moved last season. He would have played plenty of games as he always did when we had him.

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I bet if we offered cork a new contract when we did with fonte, or around that time, he would be here now.

 

How do you know? He wasn't a regular and he wanted first team football. I bet he would have gone. Why aren't you missing Puncheon too? He is scoring plenty of goals and getting assists for Palace.

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He was hardly a fringe player struggling to get in. Let's not re-write history. He made more appearances than Fonte in our first season back, 28 to JF's 36 in the second season and 12 before he eventually moved last season. He would have played plenty of games as he always did when we had him.

 

I am not rewriting history. If he was so good why buy Vic? It seems clear to me that he was thought of as a usual back up.

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I am not rewriting history. If he was so good why buy Vic? It seems clear to me that he was thought of as a usual back up.

 

We got Wanyama as you can't only have two CM's good enough to play at this level. Jack Cork was a very good player for us, excellent in many of our best results since we made it back to the prem, not withstanding his excellent contribution in the Championship. He is very good as he's now showing at Swansea and we'd certainly be better off having him now IMO.

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if he is good enough for swansea he is good enough to get in ahead of JWP or davis next to wanyama

 

Absolutely. People refuse to accept we messed up failing to offer him a contract earlier than January of this year. He would still be here and making a valuable contribution, likely as a starter, if we hadn't delayed offering him a deal.

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He was hardly a fringe player struggling to get in. Let's not re-write history. He made more appearances than Fonte in our first season back, 28 to JF's 36 in the second season and 12 before he eventually moved last season. He would have played plenty of games as he always did when we had him.

 

Yeah made more appearances than Vic too in the 13/14 season. 30 vs 24.

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I bet if we offered cork a new contract when we did with fonte, or around that time, he would be here now.

 

Ill take that bet! A good player who never let us down but obviously not a first choice and he wanted first team football in preference to a new contract. For that I respect him. It seems Saints players who leave are either vile defectors or are elevated to a God like status. Not much in between!

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Not sure why we sold him when we knew we would lose Morgan. I understand that perhaps he felt he wanted more game time and with Wanyama and Morgan, at the time, that was going to be difficult. But now seems like Romeu is hardly a step up from Javk, maybe Classie will be, but a big loss.

 

Haha. Think that one might come back and bit yer (I'm sure you'll not mind that though.....).

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Absolutely. People refuse to accept we messed up failing to offer him a contract earlier than January of this year. He would still be here and making a valuable contribution' date=' likely as a starter, if we hadn't delayed offering him a deal.[/quote']

 

I was told that we couldn't due to things in his old one.

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He didn't sign a new contract so was free to move on, which is what he did. He was offered a new contract so it is not as if the club were looking to get shot of him.

 

Yea but were you privy to the details in the contract? Perhaps it was a poor one and that is why he didn't sign it. In my opinion we haven't played well since he left - he is certainly a better player than Ward-Prowse or Steve Davis.

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I don't agree with people on this board or RK who couldn't see past JC being a back up to VW. Two completely different players and actually JC should gave been used more to break teams down at home as VW has a habit of constantly slowing the game down (great against equal or better opposition). Had we done that, and JC saw he wasn't just there in case one of them got injured he would have stayed. I also don't like it when managers make it clear that form is irrelevant and 1 player will always play behind another - which RK has done twice now - doesn't motivate the 'reserve' nor the player in possession.

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Yea but were you privy to the details in the contract? Perhaps it was a poor one and that is why he didn't sign it. In my opinion we haven't played well since he left - he is certainly a better player than Ward-Prowse or Steve Davis.

 

Sorry thats rubbish Cork left mid season last year are you saying we have been rubbish since? Morgan and Wanyama were brilliant in games and he was behind them and he wanted guaranteed first team selection.

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Yea but were you privy to the details in the contract? Perhaps it was a poor one and that is why he didn't sign it. In my opinion we haven't played well since he left - he is certainly a better player than Ward-Prowse or Steve Davis.

 

That is possible but why offer him a contract if we didn't want to keep him? The simple fact is that for whatever reason he refused the new contract and decided to move on. We didn't sell him. Also two different managers seemed to see him as back up rather than as an automatic starter. Anyway, he has left, as have many others so we have different players to support now.

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Absolutely. People refuse to accept we messed up failing to offer him a contract earlier than January of this year. He would still be here and making a valuable contribution' date=' likely as a starter, if we hadn't delayed offering him a deal.[/quote']

 

That is some statement. Have you spoken to Cork directly?

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Mainly because people see anyone suggesting that he could have/should have stayed as direct criticism of the board which a lot of people can't stomach.

 

That is not it at all. The problem is that some people still cant accept that he made the choice to move on and they try and find reasons to have a go at the club. There is absolutely zero evidence to say that he would have accepted on offer if it had come earlier. An offer was made and he rejected it. Perhaps it was a rubbish offer, perhaps he wanted first team football. None of us know what his motive was to move on. Given that he wasn't a regular first team player it is not unreasonable that he moved to get first team football, although he has started on the bench for Swansea a few times. He has gone, why still fret over him?

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That is some statement. Have you spoken to Cork directly?

 

No, have you?

 

Going on what has been said in public and reported by reliable journalists:

 

1. Cork said at the end of the 2013/14 season that he would like to sign a new contract and had spoke with the powers that be about it.

2. Ronald Koeman joins as Manager and there is no sign of a new deal for Cork

3. Koeman says in press conferences in the first half of the season, which is also validated by journalists, that no new contract has been offered to Cork and the club are waiting to see whether or not Koeman likes him enough to be offered one

4. A contract is offered in January (reported by the Echo to be a very good one) which is rejected

5. We sell Cork for peanuts (because of his contractual situation) and the media today report that England are taking a look at him with a view to a call-up.

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No I haven't. It doesn't alter the fact that he was offered a new contract (a very good one you say) and he chose not to sign. So we didn't sell him. He decided to leave. Even without his massive talent we still managed to scrap the best Premiership finish we ever had. Would he had been first choice this year when Morgan left? Debatable as we signed Vic when Cork was well and truly under contract so it is very possible that we would still have signed another DM. I really don't see the problem here. A new manager wants time to make up his mind about a player who is not first choice in his position at the club. he does make up his mind and a new and better contract is offered. If Jack Cork had signed he would still be here.

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No I haven't. It doesn't alter the fact that he was offered a new contract (a very good one you say) and he chose not to sign. So we didn't sell him. He decided to leave. Even without his massive talent we still managed to scrap the best Premiership finish we ever had. Would he had been first choice this year when Morgan left? Debatable as we signed Vic when Cork was well and truly under contract so it is very possible that we would still have signed another DM. I really don't see the problem here. A new manager wants time to make up his mind about a player who is not first choice in his position at the club. he does make up his mind and a new and better contract is offered. If Jack Cork had signed he would still be here.

 

My point is that I believe Jack Cork would still be here had we offered him a new deal last summer, and to that end I also think he would have been a better option than Davis and JWP sat next to Vic as well. That he was willing to sign a new deal (or at least stated he was) when he was already behind Morgan and Vic for that 13/14 season speaks volumes.

 

We've missed out on keeping a player who makes 25+ appearances for us a season and, in my opinion, offers far more in the middle of the park in that deeper role than a few players who have played there for us since he left.

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My point is that I believe Jack Cork would still be here had we offered him a new deal last summer, and to that end I also think he would have been a better option than Davis and JWP sat next to Vic as well. That he was willing to sign a new deal (or at least stated he was) when he was already behind Morgan and Vic for that 13/14 season speaks volumes.

 

We've missed out on keeping a player who makes 25+ appearances for us a season and, in my opinion, offers far more in the middle of the park in that deeper role than a few players who have played there for us since he left.

 

Agree. Usual sheep in denial that there was a window of opportunity last summer, as Cork's father made clear at the time -and for whatever reason, we missed it. I'd have slightly more respect for them if they simply argued that he wasn't good enough for us, though they'd still be wrong.

Edited by shurlock
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Sorry thats rubbish Cork left mid season last year are you saying we have been rubbish since? Morgan and Wanyama were brilliant in games and he was behind them and he wanted guaranteed first team selection.

 

Most of our better football was played in the first half of last season - we went off the boil (with the odd exception) around the time Cork left. For the money we got for him losing him was Koeman's first mistake. Just because we offered him a contract doesn't mean it was an acceptable one. My understanding from talking to people close to him was that Swansea made him a better offer which shows we weren't really bothered about losing him.

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Agree. Usual sheep in denial that there was a window of opportunity last summer, as Cork's father made clear at the time -and for whatever reason, we missed it. I'd have slightly more respect for them if they simply argued that he wasn't good enough for us, though they'd still be wrong.

 

So what you are saying is that Jack Cork threw his toys out of the pram and left just because we didn't offer him a contract earlier? If he really wanted to stay do you think that would have bothered him? According to LLP we offered him a decent contract. It was his choice to leave. There has been plenty of flak aimed at other (and better) players who wanted to leave but for some reason Jack Cork is being offered up as a martyr and is being used as a stick to beat the management. His choice.

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Most of our better football was played in the first half of last season - we went off the boil (with the odd exception) around the time Cork left. For the money we got for him losing him was Koeman's first mistake. Just because we offered him a contract doesn't mean it was an acceptable one. My understanding from talking to people close to him was that Swansea made him a better offer which shows we weren't really bothered about losing him.

 

Perhaps the management weren't that bothered about losing him but Poch didn't see him as a shoe in for that position either did he? If he wasn't going to get a regular game I don't blame him for moving on. I don't blame the management for not seeing him as first choice either.

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He's fantastic, surprised how many Saints fans dont seem to rate him. Brilliant player for us, and we arguably would have gone down if he hadn't replaced Davis/JWP in DM in our first season back.

 

 

Except that he never replaced any of them, he was just injured, thus making only 28 games rather than 34/35.

 

As for offering a new contract, I think that happened way before we think, but Jack Cork had a problem called Victor Wanyama. And if we only consider the characteristics of a DM, Wanyama was and is miles ahead of what Cork could offer.

 

I would also have loved to see us play with two pure DMs at the same time- if people complain about hoofing it to Pelle now, we would've just had to wait and see!

Edited by melmacian_saint
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the same Romeu who was on the bench last game?

 

The same last game that was only one game in a 38 game season? Romeu will start more than either of JWP/Davis in central midfield this season (injuries/suspensions pending). I'm don't tend to state with certainty (because it's all conjecure), but I'm almost positive of that.

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