JAKE Cooper hailed Gary Rowett as a “top, top manager” in the days before the coach left Millwall.
The 49-year-old manager mutually agreed to cut ties with the Lions on Wednesday with the timing of the announcement taking some by surprise.
Cooper was asked about Rowett on Monday by NewsAtDen with the former boss of the London club approaching his four year anniversary at The Den.
Speaking before Rowett’s departure, Cooper said: “The gaffer knows what he wants, he sets us up really well tactically. He’s a great tactician with the way he watches the opposition and the way we set up to counter them or use our own qualities to get the best out of who we’re playing.
“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.”
Cooper, who has been at Millwall since 2017, was also asked about the inconsistent league form, with the 28-year-old making it clear he wanted the Lions to kick on and reach their full potential.
He said: “I think it’s been okay. We’ve been very up and down, we’d have to admit as a team. And my own individual performances have reflected that as well, I would say. I think at home we should have been better and we’ve got a lot improvement to make at The Den but away from home we’ve been good.
“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.”
Cooper penned a heartfelt open letter to fans and announced he was signing a new long-term contract in August.
He believes Millwall is the only place to be for him right now.
The centre-back said of the club: “I just think it has its own unique identity. Obviously every club means a lot to its fans but the fans we have are unique in their own way and the club is so important to them. What we stand for here is important to all the people that follow it and I think loyalty is a big part of that.
“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.”