Thursday 2 April 2015 10:46, UK
Ahead of Bournemouth’s Good Friday trip to Ipswich live on Sky Sports, Adam Bate caught up with Cherries defender Steve Cook to get the lowdown on the club’s bid to reach the top flight for the first time in their history…
Bournemouth’s presence at the top of the Championship table might have come as a surprise to some, but for defender Steve Cook it’s the culmination of Eddie Howe’s vision for this young team. The Premier League is tantalisingly close but there is much work left to do.
“It’s not a huge surprise because we’ve got a great squad and a lot of big characters,” Cook told Sky Sports. “That was the plan – to be contending for the Premier League next year – so I’m not quite as surprised as some people would be.
“I thought we’d be in and around the play-offs but perhaps I didn’t expect us to be in the thick of it quite as much as we are with the aim of hopefully winning the league or coming second. It’s been an amazing season, I’ve enjoyed it and hopefully we’ll still be enjoying it at the end.”
The 23-year-old has been ever present for the Cherries so far this season and even chipped in with a sensational strike into the top corner against Fulham last month. “It’s always nice to get on the score-sheet but to score a goal like that is even nicer – especially for a centre-half!”
Not that Cook fits the lazy stereotype of a Championship bruiser. He’s played more passes than any other centre-back in the division and boasts a passing accuracy of 80 per cent that would look at home in the top flight, despite only three outfield players having hit more accurate long passes.
Passing game
“I like to pass the ball and stay as composed as I can,” he explains. “That’s got me this far – playing football – and that’s the strategy we go for here at Bournemouth. We pass the football and try to play out from the back. That’s our platform to attack and hopefully that’s what I contribute the team – a bit of composure and calmness in my distribution.
“I’ve been pleased because I’ve started every game so far so that’s obviously been good. There have been a few mistakes over the course of the season but playing the way that we do you can get a bit exposed. But it’s all about the team performances. So as long as we manage to keep on doing how we’re doing then the positives will outweigh the negatives.”
That balance is key. Such is Bournemouth’s expansive approach - they are the Championship’s top goalscorers - it’s understandable that they live in danger of being punished on the counter-attack. Is that something the players just have to accept as a necessary risk of their style of play?
“I wouldn’t say we accept it but it’s something that’s just inevitable when we’re going for it so much,” says Cook, speaking from his home on the south coast. “We want to defend properly and keep clean sheets but sometimes it’s not as easy as that.
Entertainers
“We always want to go out and entertain and attack as much as we can. That’s what’s got us success so hopefully we’ll be able to carry on scoring and hopefully – as a defender – keep a couple more clean sheets because that’ll make it a bit more easy for us.
“Really we need to keep three or four more clean sheets if we’re going to win promotion this season. We work hard in the week and both the manager and the assistant manager were defenders so as much as we do attack, we work very hard on defending as well.”
Indeed, Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall - both 37-year-old former Bournemouth defenders - have had a huge impact since returning to the club in October 2012. Having guided the team into the Championship another promotion is now within sight and Cook’s admiration for his manager is obvious.
Cook on Howe
“He’s been huge. He’s a fantastic coach and a very good motivator. What’s more, he never settles for second best and I think that’s why we’re doing so well. He’s got us really up for the games and put a really good squad together so I think that’s going to help us.
“He doesn’t leave a single stone unturned. We all go through it after the game looking to see if there are any areas that we can improve on. There’s definitely a lot of detail that goes into it. He’s at the stadium early and works long days so hopefully it will pay off at the end of the season.”
Such is life in the Championship, there have been lows as well as highs and a run of five games without a win in February threatened to scupper their challenge. But a hard-fought victory over Wolves marked a turning point and a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough last time out took them top.
“When you’re losing it’s hard to see where the next win is coming from but we kept believing we would eventually get that win. Fortunately enough we got it against Wolves and we’ve been able to kick on from that and go on another little run.
Unbeaten run
“We’ve had our blips, but fortunately for us it came early. Obviously we need to now build on the unbeaten run we’re on again and keep that going. It’s difficult to win games in this league and maintain an unbeaten run.”
That run currently stands at six so the Cherries are particularly high on confidence right now, but a Good Friday trip to fellow promotion-chasers Ipswich in front of the Sky Sports cameras represents a significant test of their mettle. It’s one Cook insists that the team will relish.
“There is a real buzz,” he says. “We’re all so close-knit and we all want the same. Not many of the lads in the changing room have played in the Premier League before and everybody wants to experience it. These are the games that you want to be involved in.
“Everyone at the club knows how big the game is going to be. We won’t be changing anything because this is what we’ve been doing all season. There is obviously pressure but we’re enjoying that pressure and we won’t be fearing anything.”
Watch Ipswich v Bournemouth live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 5pm on Friday.
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