Mon Oct 28, 2019 8:13 am
‘ Neil Warnock rages, but Cooper keeps his cool ‘
Monday 28th October 2019
The dynamic between Warnock and Cooper on the touchline was arguably just as fascinating as the action on the pitch.
Warnock was a typically large presence, constantly pacing around his technical area, frantically barking orders and voicing his disapproval over certain decisions to fourth official and, in the end, making little attempt to hide his frustrations.
The Yorkshireman was living every kick of this contest, and while some Bluebirds are now asking serious questions over his future at the club, you simply cannot question his passion for the job.
With that in mind, you get the feeling this defeat will have really, really stung.
In contrast, Cooper was, for at least 85 minutes, largely emotionless, almost cutting the figure of an intrigued neutral watching Super Sunday in the pub.
The moment Wilmot's header hit the back of the net, he was unmoved, only pulling his hand out of his pocket to gesture at his players to calm down.
It resulted in a fascinating contrast between the two coaches, whose footballing philosophies couldn't be any more different, a fact that wasn't totally lost on the Swans boss.
"We knew we would have to deal with a lot of aerial balls and we dealt with that well," he said after the game. "When the game did settle I thought we were the team we want to be.
"We played through the lines and created numerous chances, slightly disappointed we didn't win by two or three."
Cooper did eventually let his emotions shine through in the last few minutes of the game, turning round to gee up the home crowd, urging them to roar his team over the line.
They duly obliged.