Cocker Hoop: The Biography of Les Cocker, Key Man for Ramsey and Revie

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Cocker was eventually awarded a medal in June 2009, which was collected on his behalf by his family. A great read for the Elland Road faithful, but also for anyone wanting to get a view of football from the 1960s and 1970s. Now as a non-Leeds United fan and given my view that the film is deeply fictionalised for cinematic effect, I don’t have the same misgivings or deep rooted anger towards the film as many of the Elland Road faithful have. April 1974 saw Sir Alf Ramsey sacked, prompting all the backroom staff including Cocker stating they would resign in a show of loyalty to the ex-England boss.

Despite Revie’s recommendation of John Giles as the new manager, the board went with Brian Clough, and in doing so, Cocker left to take up a role as Assistant England Manager. Co-authors Robert Endeacott and Dave Cocker have provided a wonderful tribute to Les Cocker in this book, with Endeacott’s insightful interviews and knowledge of Leeds United combining with Cocker’s family anecdotes and stories of the time. The departure upsets many Leeds people, he is The Don after all, while his England appointment is not exactly met with universal approval either.Here, his distain for the film The Damned United is detailed given its portrayal of people and events, including Cocker. Les Cocker signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of 15 in 1955 when the club was flying high in the old First Division. Indeed throughout the book, the FA is not seen in a good light, with the institution in one incident more concerned with looking after the FA Council members than those on the frontline.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket (if applicable) is included for hard covers. There is another well conducted interview from Endeacott, with Glynn Snodin who was at Rovers at the time (and later went on to play for Leeds), explaining that Cocker’s enthusiasm and input was the same whatever the level of the game, “if you needed help, Les was always there for you. It worked, as they won 1-0, but in the final the magic powers apparently evaporated in 85 degree heat and Arcadia lost 3-0. The story, which is told from Jimmy O’Rourke’s perspective, sets records straight, corrects myths and rumours and puts right certain ‘selective memories’.

In 1960 Cocker moved to Leeds United, [3] as one of the country's first FA Coaching Certificate holders. In this print from Memory Lane Prints, we are transported back to the vibrant world of Leeds United Juniors in 1963. A Cocker played for Manvers Main in the 1942 Montagu Cup final who had been on the books at Arsenal.Set against the backdrop of a bygone era, when training methods were simpler yet equally effective, this snapshot offers us a glimpse into the past while highlighting timeless principles that still hold true today. In 1969, he appeared as a substitute for Kidderminster Harriers in an FA Cup tie against Telford United at the latter's Bucks Head ground. His factual works include Hunting The Hooligans (co-written), A Celebration - the Official Leeds United Centenary Book, The Leeds United Collection and Peaches, A Chronicle of The Stranglers. Numerous reports and theories abound about Revie’s time as England manager: the players he selected or dropped, the tactics, the dossiers, money, why he resigned and if he was pushed, and the ‘deceitful’ manner of his leaving. Kerr went on to manage South African side Arcadia United, with Cocker joining him in Pretoria in February 1966, shortly after breaking his collar bone in the final minute of a game at Lockheed.