It was a glum evening in Walsall, where Leicester City just about scraped through to the next round of the Carabao Cup. Following a disappointing 90 minutes, the Foxes were saved from the embarrassment of losing to a League Two side due to the heroics of Danny Ward. The Welshman made a vital save in the first half to keep the scores 0-0 and followed that up with three penalty shoot-out saves.
Poor performance by Leicester City
Despite Steve Cooper fielding a heavily rotated side, the team had enough quality to win the match comfortably. However, a spirited Walsall performance coupled with some poor football by the Foxes saw the game go to penalties.
Although Leicester won in the end, it was a frustrating performance to watch. The 2000 away fans who were present made their feelings clear to the manager, chanting, “This is embarrassing”, and calling for Cooper to “sort it out.” During the second half, a Foxes fan even made his way to the Leicester dugout to voice his frustration to Cooper.
Steve Cooper accepts fans’ criticism
In the post-match interview, Cooper accepted the fans’ criticism, stating they had every right to show displeasure and that he must win their approval by proving himself to be the right man for the job.
“I didn’t really see (fan who made his way to the dugout), but I heard the chanting in the crowd and I’ll own that,” Cooper said. “You’ll never hear me having any disrespect against fan opinions. That’s what a supporter is, they need to support their club in how they see fit. I will own that.
“I need to build some credit with supporters and earn the right to do the job. I knew that anyway. It’s things like that that will make me even more committed and determined to do well. I’m desperate to do that.
“I have no problem with it. It’s an experience for me that I will try to make the best of. What an opportunity to show how good I am and how good we are. That will be my approach to it.
“I have a lot of respect for supporters” says Steve Cooper
“I’ll never have a bad opinion about any view. I have a lot of respect for supporters. I know I have got to build credit with supporters. It’s nights like this where you can look back on and really build strong relationships. That’s my objective.
“I really, really want to do well for this football club. I’ve really bought into what it stands for and the people who work here. Everyone is so good-willed and good-natured and wants the club to do well and I take that responsibility seriously. That extends to the supporters. It’s important to talk about it. I see it as a great opportunity.”
To his credit, Cooper took full responsibility but the only way he can win the fans back is with points and good performances.
