Liam Cooper
Premier League is better than boats
Role models come in all shapes and sizes.
Ask a Scotland supporter for their Identikit of a centre-half to lead the country, and an image of a player lying in bed drinking a bottle of beer at 5am is unlikely to come to mind – even if he does have his arm round a trophy.
However, as Steve Clarke fine-tunes his team for the bid to reach Euro 2020, Liam Cooper – the man who tweeted his early- hours celebration of Leeds United’s Championship win – looks a decent bet.
Certainly, the 29-year-old seems to possess the winning combination of humility and perseverance the Tartan Army loves to see in their heroes.
He might not be a Gordon Strachan or a Billy Bremner, two legendary Leeds United and Scotland stars of the past.
But he has definite potential to be a modern-day Gordon Mcqueen.
Cooper is happy to admit that but for football, he would be working on the boats, like his father and brother.
Now he is eager to follow a tide which has swept him from England’s fourth tier to the Premier League and, he hopes, can now help him land a regular international place.
As he looked back on his times of being called up, but not called upon, with Scotland, he admits: “It can be difficult and disheartening.
“But I come from a family who have never had anything given to us. We never give up.
“Sometimes people’s opinions are different. But I stuck to my guns, worked hard, got myself in the best shape possible, and played well for my club.
“You can only focus on your club, and then from there you get recognised.
“I’ve managed to do that and, hopefully, I can stay in the Scotland set-up now.
“That attitude comes from my family as a whole. We’re a workingclass family, who have good morals.
“I’ve had it instilled in me from an early age to never give up, and to give your all by working as hard as you can.
“My father put that in me since I can remember.
“He was always tough on me as a kid. If I had a good game, he’d always pick something up.
“I had plenty of arguments with him in the car on the way back from games when I was younger.
“That’s just how it was. He was super-critical.
“At the time, it wasn’t the best because no one likes to get told they’ve played poorly. But I thank him for it now.
“He always wanted the best for me, which I understand now because I have kids of my own.
“We grew up in Hull. My dad, Dave, works on the boats on the River Humber, taking pallets out to the big ships.
“My brother, Joe, does the same, so they have plenty of cold nights on the river.
“I’m thankful that my career went in another direction. I was one of the lucky ones.
“I’ve got a lot of friends who were unfortunate in the game. They had to go and get jobs on building sites.
“I was lucky, I threw all my eggs in one basket but it has paid dividends for me.
“I’ve had to work hard for it, as I
was never the most- naturally- gifted player.
“But one thing I’ve always had is a big heart. I never give up.
“Now, I’m here today and I have so many people to thank.”
The tweet he sent on the morning after Leeds United’s’ Championship title win was part of that acknowledgment.
“The fans don’t often get to see that side of the players. But we’re just normal people like everyone else,” Cooper continued.
“I’m sure thousands of Leeds fans would have done the same that night, so I thought I’d share it with them and enjoy it while it lasted.
“There were times I feared I wouldn’t get to where I wanted to go – 100%.
“That was especially the case when I was in League Two with Chesterfield. At that level, international football is so far away.
“I got my dream move to Elland Road, but it was a difficult club to be at for the first few years.
“There were people getting sacked, and no food at the training ground.
“But since Andrea Radrizzani, the new president, has come in, he has been different class.
“He had a vision, a five- year plan to get Leeds back into the Premier League.
“And it has been brilliant since Marcelo Bielsa arrived as manager.
“So when you’re doing well for your club, you get the international recognition as a result.
“But when I was younger, in League Two, this was so far away, I didn’t even think about it.”
While Cooper’s accent may be more Hull than Harthill, he convinces on the question of commitment.
“It’s my father’s side of the family who are Scottish,” he revealed.
“My late grandad John, my dad’s father, was born in Scotland.
“I still have a lot of family in Bo’ness, who are eager to get down to the Leeds games.
“My parents come up and visit them, so I have a lot of support from my Scottish connections.
“I haven’t had a night out in Bo’ness yet. I used to go when I was younger, but I struggle to get the time now.
“But the family is always in touch, and they watch the Leeds games on TV.
“It’s a proud moment for me when they get so excited about me being called into the Scotland squad.
“They’re always after a bit of inside
To even be mentioned in the same breath as Bremner and
Mcqueen is unbelievable
info – but I have to hold fire! Scotland has reconnected me with my roots. Every time I am called up, I think back to my grandad and how proud he would be.
“It touches you, knowing they’ll be looking down and being proud as punch.
“Having grown up as a Leeds fan, I know all about the club’s Scottish heritage.
“I do hear a lot about the Scots guys who have gone before, the likes of Strachan, Bremner and Mcqueen. Their photos are plastered all over the walls of the stadium.
“To be even mentioned in conversation with those players is unbelievable.
“The guys are legends, not just at Leeds but in Scotland as well.”
To achieve that kind of lasting fame himself, Cooper knows he will need to be a success against worldclass talent such as Mohamed Salah, Jamie Vardy and Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang.
He gets his first taste of it at Anfield on Saturday, where the aforementioned Egyptian won’t be champions Liverpool’s only threat.
“I have not played at the top level, and don’t count myself as a top-level player yet,” he said.
“I need to prove myself. I have done it at Championship and League 1 and League 2 – but the Premier League is a whole new world.
“So I am not going to sit here and say I am a Premier League player because nobody knows that yet.
“I have to go and prove myself again, like I have done over many years, and hopefully I can do that.”
He won’t be without help. He is huge fan of his club boss, Marcelo Bielsa, and sees similarities in the approach of Scotland coach Steve Clarke.
“There’s a long list of things Bielsa has done for me. But the main ones are my mentality and my physical condition,” said Cooper.
“It’s unbelievable. I never thought I’d be able to perform to the level I have. I didn’t think it was possible.
“It’s just the way he works, his dedication to the game and his analysis – it’s second to none.
“I couldn’t ask for a better manager going into the Premier League.
“Steve Clarke is quite similar to Marcelo, to be honest, in terms of the videos and analysis we do.
“It is not much a change for me because that is what I am used to.
“It is great for the team because when the team are prepared, the team will go out and play better.”
With the European Championship play-offs looming large on the horizon, the country will hope he is right.