Paul Cook plays Wolves and backs Kenny Jackett

The 46-year-old former Molineux maestro is now in charge of League Two side Chesterfield, Wolves' opponents tonight.

He's looking to build on a promising managerial career that has seen him win two FAI Cups with League of Ireland club Sligo Rovers where he sampled Champions' League football.

He missed the League Two play-offs by two points last season and Cook, who played 214 games for Wolves from 1989-94, has watched the grim events at Molineux over the past two seasons.

He has sampled similar disbelief to the majority of the fans but believes Jackett is the man to resurrect the club's fortunes.

Cook said: "It's my first time managing against Wolves and I'm really looking forward to the game.

"Wolves are still a massive club for me and my family – my kids still live in Telford and follow Wolves and it's one of the first results I look for.

"We were involved in the change-over from the old ground to the new Molineux and it's disappointing to see them where they are now.

"But the mourning is done and dusted – it has to be that way now. They have got a fantastic manager in Kenny Jackett.

"I'm sure with the right backing from the fans and the board he will take them back to where they belong, which is the Premier League.

"There must have been some deep-rooted problems there and Kenny won't solve it overnight but he will get it right in time.

"He sets teams up the right way, his sides are well organised and he's a very popular manager in the way he works.

"He's a solid guy who is very intelligent and that's the good thing about the club now in that they will go in the right direction again now."

Cook's love for the game has never been in doubt, but how does he do it?

Those who saw the mercurial midfielder play may be surprised that he made the move into management, knowing Cook the manager would have been driven mad by Cook the player.

He said: "I've been lucky in management and lucky in that I've always really wanted a job – I've always loved football and I've always been a Liverpool fan but I want to be successful.

"But people shouldn't be under any illusions in that football management is difficult because it's important to be successful.

"I had a great time in Ireland with Sligo, who are now operating in the Champions League, which is great.

"I then had a short stay at Accrington and the style of football we played there led me to getting the job here."

Cook added: "My only regret from my time at Wolves is not fulfilling my potential. We thought we were good players and we weren't good enough, but we were certainly good enough at drinking!

"But those were the times we played in. Could we have done better and do I regret it? Without a shadow of a doubt.

"A lot of lads look back at their time and thought they should have done more, but they weren't doing the right things off the pitch.

"A lot of footballers were like that and, when you're in that environment, doing certain things, you follow.

"You can't change what's gone. I was lucky enough to get a big-money move to Coventry and managed to play in the Premier League for a couple of years.

"But I'm a fanatic and I've got the ambition in management that I didn't have as a player.

"If you get an opportunity, you've always got a chance and I aim to make the most of mine."

Cook believes the huge increase in wages that started to rise during his time at Molineux brought about a more professional culture.

He said: "It's a monetary thing – players earn a lot of money now.

"Our generation of players all loved the game but now they are all fantastically fit and they all eat and drink the right things."