Wigan Athletic boss not 'cut out' for this!

The Latics boss came under fire from a section of the fanbase earlier in the season, before turning things round and steering the ship to the lofty heights of 17th position.

And he welcomes the club's initiative of introducing cardboard cut-outs of fans to offset the lack of supporters in the ground.

"It'll be nice to turn round and look at fans who aren't telling me to get out of the club, like some were doing earlier in the season!" he laughed.

"Maybe they'll have little catchphrases instead, in bubbles coming out of their mouth, to get the message across!

"On a serious note, life as a football manager is a changing game, it takes you up and it takes you down.

"But one thing's for sure, we will miss our supporters on Saturday, because they give us great support.

"We know the numbers aren't maybe as big as some other clubs in the country, but they're every bit as passionate as anyone else's."

Similar schemes have been brought in up and down the country, and Cook added: "Some of the things clubs have been doing with banners and cut-out fans, in the Premier League and the Championship, has been excellent.

"It's great credit to the clubs and the commercial departments, because it's been such a challenge to make the matchdays feel as much like a matchday as possible.

"There's no football without fans, we all know that, but we've got to try to make it work at the moment."