Cooper sees positives in Singh approach

01 July 2010 10:45
NEW Darlington manager Mark Cooper believes chairman Raj Singh's hands-off' approach can help bring success to The Northern Echo Arena.[LNB] Cooper was appointed on Tuesday and his first impressions of the chairman have been favourable.[LNB] He lasted only 76 days in his last job, at Peterborough United and was sacked in January, and held talks with Singh in March regarding the Darlington position.[LNB] Simon Davey was appointed then but after two shock resignations in recent weeks it is Cooper who finds himself in the Arena hotseat and he is looking forward to working with Singh.[LNB] I'm taking the chairman on face value, he said. I like what he's said to me, he was straight with me when I spoke with him last time a few months ago and he was straight with me on Monday.[LNB] If things don't work out then they don't work out. I've been in a situation before at Peterborough where it hasn't worked out for whatever reason.[LNB] But the chairman here has said he will deal with the business side of things and leave me to the football which, as a manager, is what you want to hear.[LNB] I've read one or two things which have said what happened here lately might have been the chairman's fault, but having spoken to him I know that all he ever wanted is someone in and has said right, get on with it'.[LNB] He's told me what there is to spend and it's great to have a chairman that doesn't want to tell you how to play. He's just told me to get on with it.[LNB] Cooper will discover today who the opponents will be in his first competitive match as Darlington manager with the Blue Square Bet Premier fixtures released this afternoon.[LNB] They were originally going to be released on Monday, but Conference officials have brought them forward.[LNB] An announcement yesterday read: It was originally anticipated the release of fixtures would take place on Monday, July 5 but as most football supporters will now have a free World Cup weekend, the Football Conference felt it would be prudent to allow fans the opportunity to have them a few days earlier and to look forward to the new season with relish, rather than bemoan England having already returned home from South Africa.[LNB] The opening day of the season is August 14 while Darlington's first pre-season fixture is at home to Sunderland on Saturday, July 17 (3pm).[LNB] Meanwhile, Northampton Town have signed former Darlington striker Tadhg Purcell.[LNB] The Irishman scored nine goals in 22 games after joining in January from Shamrock.[LNB] But he signed only a sixmonth contract and informed Quakers of his intention to leave at the end of last season.[LNB] Gateshead striker Daryl Clare has been sold to Cambridge United for a £10,000 fee.[LNB] The Lincolnshire-based former Ireland B international, and twice Conference Golden Boot winner, was unable to commit to full-time training on Tyneside.[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo