Championship table ‘can be deceptive’ - Wigan Athletic chief

Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate insisted on Thursday the ladder was ‘lying’ at the moment, with his side mired in the relegation zone.

And Cook knows where his counterpart is coming from.

“Without a doubt it can be deceptive,” Cook said.

“The only thing that really matters is the final league table.

“I’ve said that since the first day I walked in the door, and I’ll always say it.

“For Jonathan to say that, he’s obviously watched his side’s games, and he feels probably not dissimilar to what we were saying after Derby and Bristol City, when we deserved more than just one point from six.

“I’d like to think even the most biased person would admit we deserved more than one point from those games.

“So yes, I am with Jonathan Woodgate...the league table tells terrible lies!

“It is a valid point. Can the league tell a non-true story? I think probably yes.

“You’ll only know at the end of the season where you deserve to be.

“But unfortunately sometimes managers don’t get to stay until the end of the season, and that’s the major problem!”