Cooper 'up for' Leicester challenge after pitch invasion, angry chants

It's not going well for poor old Steve Cooper at Leicester City as the Foxes endure a difficult start to the season. City's ineffective and uninspiring performance against Football League Two side Walsall in the League Cup on Tuesday night has some of the Blue Army already fed up with the Welshman. Returning to the Premier League with an ineffectual LCFC squad was always going to be testing in the extreme for Cooper. Leicester did manage to bypass effectively division four opponents in the end in midweek.

However, penalty-saving specialist backup goalkeeper Danny Ward was required to get the east Midlands outfit over the finish line. In the meantime the King Power team's gaffer was bombarded with disrespectful and challenging chants not to mention boos from his own support. In fact, a so-called Leicester supporter actually attempted to, foolishly and dangerously, confront the ex-Nottingham Forest head coach. Regardless of all this negativity, Cooper remained cordial and extremely diplomatic; he is 'up for' the Leicester challenge even after a targeted pitch invasion and angry fan chants in the midst of a troubling beginning at LCFC.

What Steve Cooper must do at Leicester City

You might think Cooper's Leicester priority is getting the club's fans on his side. That's actually a byproduct of the clear objectives: get the team winning, have the players invested in his methods and create an identity. If that arguably unlikely scenario occurs, the majority of the support will naturally back the former England youth coach.

To be honest, I am unsure that Cooper can realistically see the aforementioned eventuality to fruition. I come to that judgement not because he lacks the skills as a coach, in spite of some strange ideas at LCFC such as Ricardo Pereira's omission. Personnel is the true reason why it'll be difficult to start attaining or obtaining results by any means necessary.

City did invest further over the recently passed summer as opposed to off-seasons gone by. But the signings, aside from Facundo Buonanotte who's only a loanee, are inadequate on the whole. Staying in the English top-flight feels pretty improbable at present. Let's hope I'm wrong - whoever is in charge!

What happened at Walsall's Bescot Stadium?

Due to another inept display from the Leicestershire club, the Foxes fans chanted things like "Cooper, Cooper sort it out” along with “this is embarrassing". Thankfully a Walsall player also floored a City fan seemingly going after the boss in anger. The latter's response is below:

"Asked about the pitch invader, Cooper said: 'I didn’t really see it. But I obviously heard the chanting in the crowd and I’ll own that. You’ll never hear me showing any disrespect towards the fans’ opinion of you. That’s what a supporter is, he needs to support his club in how he sees fit.

'I’ve obviously got to build some credit here with the supporters and earn the right to do the job. But I knew that anyway. It’s things like that will make me even more determined to do well because I’m desperate to do that. I’ve absolutely no problem with it.

'It’s maybe nights like this that you can look back on a form a strong relationship, that’s my objective. I really want to do well for this club.'"