By JONAS TERRADO
Scott Cooper was officially named as coach of the Philippine Azkals more than three weeks after former England captain Terry Butcher relinquished the post without even handling the national squad for at least one match.
Originally hired as a senior adviser for Butcher, the Irish-born Cooper will now carry the responsibility of steering the Azkals to greater success especially with the AFF Suzuki Cup set in November and their maiden appearance in the Asian Cup slated in early-January.
“The qualification for the Asian Cup was a great feat and you have to give plaudits to the coach at the time and the players that accomplished that,” Cooper said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday.
“Potentially, I’ve always admired a lot of the Filipino players. For me, this is a team that’s got a lot of potential and a lot of opportunity to maybe go a step or two if the right steps are produced,” Cooper added.