By Albatross
May 21 2005

Homesick for Scotland? That was one of the rumours when Neale Cooper parted company with Hartlepool United. It seems more than a little odd then that he's moved even further away from his homeland by taking on the job of Manager at the only Pro club in Kent - Gillingham. To say Cooper's move to Gillingham is surprising to many Pools fans is putting it mildly. That's not because they lack the ability, or that he does; indeed, the Gills should be one of the strongest teams in Division 2 next season and Cooper knows exactly what's required at the level they'll be at having lead Pools to successive playoff places.

No, the surprise is based mainly on the fact that Coops has been assumed to prefer a move back to Scotland to be closer to his family - and instead he's taken a job in the South-East of England that's probably closer to Spain than his native land. Then again, maybe he's worked out he can fly from Manston Airport to Edinburgh on one of the low-cost carriers and save himself some travelling time!

Cooper will once again not be able to choose his assistant; Stan Ternent may have left, but Ronnie Jepson will apparently be staying on. That's not the only challenge he may face; one of the people on the playing staff, apparently with another two years to run on his deal, is former boss Andy Hessenthaler.....

Chairman Paul Scally is also an interesting character for Cooper to work alongside; it would be fair to say that he's far from universally popular with the fans. He's had plenty of fallings-out with Fans Groups and Webmasters, and legal action has been used in the past. Indeed, in a recent article on the Gills official website, he made a sideswipe at some fans groups by talking about a new group called "Friends of Gillingham FC" and their rather friendlier attitude towards the club (and presumably also himself) than certain others - although it's questionable to say the least whether the fans would agree with that assessment.

Whatever the ins and outs of the situation, I'm sure that Poolies everywhere would like to wish Neale Cooper well in his new job; best of luck Coops, except for when we're your opponents!