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

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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. The photograph beautifully encapsulates the essence of sport - dedication, discipline, and teamwork. Switching to inside left, he rattled in 21 goals in 16 games, and won representative honours with an appearance for an Overseas XI against South Africa. In another of Endeacott’s insightful interviews, former Leeds player Gerry Francis, provides an early assessment of Cocker’s impact at Elland Road. Here, his distain for the film The Damned United is detailed given its portrayal of people and events, including Cocker.

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. Born in Wolverhampton, Cocker began his career in the youth team of Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1956, playing in their 1958 FA Youth Cup triumph. As one of the first recipients of full coaching badges at England's Lilleshall, he established himself as a supreme trainer and coach for Leeds United, and helped build a famous footballing dynasty alongside Don Revie. Whether you are a football enthusiast or simply appreciate moments frozen in time, this print is sure to evoke nostalgia while inspiring you towards your own personal goals – be it on the pitch or elsewhere.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. It serves as a reminder that success in football extends beyond mere physical prowess; it requires careful attention to one's health and fitness regime. The departure upsets many Leeds people, he is The Don after all, while his England appointment is not exactly met with universal approval either. He went on to win the Youth Challenge Cup in 1958 by beating a Chelsea team that included Jimmy Greaves.

Working from numerous books and biographies, as well as (more importantly) previously unpublished notes written by Don Revie and Les Cocker, DisRepute – Revie’s England tells the truth about his exit from Leeds, his time as England boss and his departure to take charge of the United Arab Emirates national team.

Leeds went onto win the 1973/74 First Division championship and with it, put Don Revie in a position as favourite to take the England job. The lead up and the tournament in 1966 dominate Chapter 5, with an excellent interview with the Three Lions right-back of the time, George Cohen, providing a great inside view of the England set-up and Cocker’s contribution during that historic time. But there is an individual that connects both, and whose name is not so familiar – that of Les Cocker. Chapter 4 sees Leeds start to make their make on the English game with a first appearance in the 1964/65 FA Cup Final, although ultimately losing 2-1 to Liverpool.

He left Leeds in 1974 to become full-time Assistant Manager to Don Revie with the English national team however when Revie left in 1977 to become manager of the United Arab Emirates national team, he went with him as his assistant. Like many men of the time, we discover that he didn’t like to talk about his wartime experiences and in understated fashion referred to his injury as, “just a graze” indicative of a stoic nature. 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. 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. Seemingly forever maligned as being too ‘professional’ and obsessed with money, Revie learns that two reasons for England’s downfall have been the lack of professionalism and the mismanagement of the sport by its penny-pinching and not entirely honest rulers.Cocker was eventually awarded a medal in June 2009, which was collected on his behalf by his family. In a Under 23 friendly in Vienna, Alan Ball was sent off with Les providing a consoling arm to the distraught player. Given then that one of the co-authors as a die-hard Leeds fans could be seen to be wearing white rose tinted glasses and the other co-author is the book subject’s son, some may question how dispassionate a book this can be. However, for the England national side dark clouds gather as they miss out on qualification for the 1974 World Cup finals in West Germany.

The campaign attracted support from former Leeds players including Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer and Johnny Giles, as well as British politicians including Gerry Sutcliffe and Richard Caborn.Following a generous Foreword from ex-Leeds United player John Giles (as he signs himself in the book, rather than the Johnny familiar in his playing days) about his time working at the Elland Road club with Les Cocker, there follows an Introduction from Endeacott. And whilst there are various books about Revie and Ramsey detailing their respective playing and managerial careers, the story of the assistant to both these giants of the English game is pretty much unknown.