Criticism brings out the best in Jed Wallace – Millwall defender Coops on why Den boos won’t bother ex-Lions star
Jed Wallace will only use any stick he receives at The Den on Saturday as extra motivational fuel.
That is the verdict of Millwall centre-back Jake Cooper, who knows exactly what makes the attacker tick.
Wallace turned down a new long-term contract from the Lions to sign for West Bromwich Albion on a four-year deal in June.
A key driver for the 28-year-old was to join a club that had major prospects of winning promotion to the Premier League.
But the Baggies are not boinging, with manager Steve Bruce sacked last week. A 2-0 defeat to Bristol City at The Hawthorns on Tuesday saw them drop into the bottom three after the midweek round of fixtures.
Wallace was a talismanic figure for Millwall and scored 42 goals in 260 appearances. Asked by a fan on social media what reception he wanted this weekend, he replied: “Ninety minutes abuse and then a small clap”.
Cooper signed for Millwall on the same day as Wallace made a loan return to the Lions – January 19, 2017. Both would go on to make permanent transfers after Neil Harris’ team won the League One play-offs at Wembley.
Asked how a tough reception would affect Wallace, Cooper told the South London Press: “Not at all. If anything, it will spur him on even more. It’s probably why he asked the fans to give him a bit of stick during the game.
“I remember the things he used to say when he had a bad game – that he’d sometimes go looking for negative comments because it gave him extra motivation. That was what he needed.
“I remember when Chopper praised Jed it didn’t help him so much, he responded off a bit of criticism. It gave him an edge. So I don’t think it matters what the fans do.
“Jed is someone who is so well-motivated and has got a lot of self-esteem, it means he can take things on the chin. And that’s exactly the kind of professional you need to be when you are a focal point at a club like Millwall for four years. You couldn’t have been a soft or weak character to have that weight on your shoulders.
“He was a sensible, level-headed guy. You’d never catch him messing around too much. He was very switched on.
“He would fall out with quite a few lads in training, because his mouth would run away with him.
“I’ve seen some shouting sessions with players, myself included in that. But he was always totally honest and told you what he thought about you, that was a great thing about him.”
Wallace produced double digits for goals and assists in two campaigns in SE16 – 2019-20 and 2020-21.
“He produced some unbelievable moments for the football club and unforgettable goals,” said Cooper, inset. “It should make him go down in Millwall history.
“He 100 per cent should get a good reception for the amount of games he played here and also the amount of times I saw him go through real pain to pull a shirt on and play for the club. His fitness record probably speaks for itself, in terms of how many minutes he played and how much we relied on him in those attacking areas – especially after Moro [Steve Morison] and Gregs [Lee Gregory] left.
“Knowing the fans he will maybe get a few jeers but he was a great member of the squad. Unfortunately nothing could be worked out for him here in the end and he’s gone on to try and further his career, try something different at West Brom.”
Cooper and Shaun Hutchinson, who have both worn the armband in the current campaign, are now the longest-serving first-teamers.
Cooper is on 267 games for the Lions and has a contract that runs until the summer of 2024.
Rangers tried to sign him in 2018 after Millwall just missed out on the Championship top six. But the South London club refused to part with their prize asset.
Middlesbrough made a double bid for Wallace and George Saville, only landing the latter. Then Rangers manager Steven Gerrard had made Cooper a top target in that summer window.
“I thought it was going to happen when you find out it is true and a conversation is going on,” admits Cooper. “You think Millwall will say okay, because I’ve come in from Reading and I was only bought for around £250,000.
“So when the offer is in the millions, I thought it would be quick and easy. But Millwall made it clear that I wasn’t going and they wanted me to stay. I got onboard with that. Jed was in the same scenario but Sav did go. It was a funny summer for the club – things were a bit here, there and everywhere.
“Certainly when I signed my last contract I thought I’d be here for however long that is, the next four years. The club really showed a desire to improve and since then it has just gone on an upward trajectory.
“We have finished in a similar position in the league, apart from one season, and the club has really tried to improve with the players and staff that have been brought in.
“But there is still plenty to put in place to jump to that top six and out of mid-table, which is where we find ourselves.”
Cooper says he has not thought about his longer-term situation.
“I’ve got 20 months on my contract and that is still a long, long time,” he said. “Lots of things can happen. I’m a very short-term guy. It’s all about doing as well as I can this season and then we’ll see if the club approach me at any point.”
Cooper is one of the seasoned pros and in the latest edition of Millwall’s club podcast he discussed the dressing room being quieter – without the same kind of lively characters from earlier in his career.
He recalled on Wall Talk how Jordan Archer filled Steve Morison’s brand new trainers with pasta sauce as a prank.
“It has changed but maybe that is more about people taking their job seriously,” said Cooper. “When you lose Jed and Pearcey [Alex Pearce], they are the main ones because they are so vocal. But you can go back to Moro and even people like Aiden O’Brien, Shane Ferguson and Mahlon Romeo – they’d all have strong opinions.
“There isn’t as much messing around or tomfoolery as there once was. But you also need some fun and it has started to come back again.
“We are a stronger group because the new boys are starting to integrate themselves better. Someone like Flemmo [Zian Flemming] has put himself in the group and he has become very popular.
“We lost some big characters and it takes time for things to settle down. Now you are seeing others start showing their character and that can also been seen in the results.”