The defender also discussed his own affection for the “unique” club, Millwall, and their recent form.
On Wednesday, the 49-year-old manager and the Lions came to an agreement to sever relations, albeit some were taken aback by the announcement’s timing.
As the former London club manager approaches his fourth year at The Den, NewsAtDen questioned Cooper about Rowett on Monday.
Cooper stated prior to Rowett’s exit that the “gaffer knows what he wants, and he sets us up really well tactically.” With the way he observes the opposition and how we position ourselves to counter them or utilize our own strengths to bring out the best in each player, he is an excellent tactician.
“It’s been so long but it’s gone really quickly and he must be one of the longest-serving managers in the league and fair play to him. He’s a top, top manager, a top coach and it’s great that we’ve got him around.
“When he came in, he brought in more feedback from games. We didn’t have so much of that before and we started going over games more and how we could improve from negative performances and also the positive ones where we’ve done well. He’s started showing us and made it clear what he wanted from that side of things and that was a good insight from when he came in. Very detailed and tactical like I said.”
When asked about the erratic league results, Cooper—who has been with Millwall since 2017—made it plain that he wanted the Lions to start playing at their best and realize their full potential.
“I think it’s been okay,” he remarked. As a team, we would have to say that we’ve been really up and down. I would argue that my own particular performances have also reflected that. We’ve done well away from home, but I believe we could have done better at home, where The Den still needs a lot of work.
“Take out the Norwich game, I think we’ve been good in every away fixture and that’s something we’ll look to continue and build on. How we finished that Hull game in the second half at home and hopefully take that into the games in the next period.
“We’ve got a fair few new players getting used to each other. I think we’ve got a really good side, it’s just that coming together and kicking forward. It’s a mentality at the end of the day. When you go and win a game, you feel like we’re a really good team in the division and then you soon get put back in your places in this league and when the games come round so quickly, you can’t rest on any of your laurels or get ahead of yourself in any kind of way.”
In August, Cooper announced he was signing a new long-term contract in an emotional open letter to the fans. He feels that at this point, Millwall is the only place he should be.
Regarding the team, the center defender remarked, “I just think it has its own unique identity.” Of course, every club has a special place in the hearts of its supporters, but ours are particularly special since they hold the club in such high regard. Loyalty, in my opinion, plays a major role in why all of the individuals who follow us value what we stand for.
“Like I said about [late owner] John Berylson – all the dedication and loyalty he put into the club. I think it’s really run off that and it’s great to be a part of. The staff here stick around and the club stick by them and it’s a great place to be a part of once you’re inside of. It was a great moment for me and my family signing that extension.”
