Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

Key thing with Cole is he stays fit. Not sure if his injuries last season were niggles related to that other one he had the season before. Anyway hope all that is past him now.

he was out for 10 months with a bad one, but (according to the player and our medical guys) has recovered.

JOE COLE (PREMIERSHIP)

09/10 : 25 apps
08/09 : 14 apps
07/08 : 33 apps
06/07 : 10 apps
05/06 : 34 apps
04/05 : 28 apps
03/04 : 35 apps

Only included the Premiership as all appearances may include long cup runs and CL appearances so distort the figure, whereas Premiership is a fixed maximum of 38 so comparable across seasons.

82 Premiership appearances in the last four seasons isn't great, even allowing for a big and costly squad.


Of the players Woy has signed/strongly been linked with, seems to be an age issue appearing for me. Shelvey, Jovanovic and Wilson were allegedly done deals before Woy, but I see too many names linked of journeymen footballers who are ok but strikes me it is Woy's shortlist from playing at Fulham and he doesn't seem to be getting 30+ year old players at bargain prices either

Cole 28 - bosman (not too old, no fee)
Young 31 - reputedly £2.5m
Petrov 31 - reports at £7m, supposedly to replace Mascherano!

The current Fulham squad has an average age of 29.5, one of the higher in the Premiership and ridiculous. We lose a few players like N'Gog, Babel and even Mascherano and start signing more 30+ year olds then we'll have an ageing squad before the start of the season. You need some balance, but I'd have thought we already have enough experience

30+ : Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Kuyt, Gerrard
27-29 : Reina, Jovanovic, Cavalieri, Degen, Rodriguez, Cole
24-26 : Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Torres, Aquilani, Mascherano
20-23 : Babel, Lucas, N'Gog, El Zhar, Insua

£7m for a nothing special 30 year old is a bit much. Ironically he was a big hit for Celtic having been signed by JOHN BARNES!

[nesloone]

A great signing....really amazing and he will fit perfectly into the team.

[Dundalk]

I'll send Torres goal crazy



The Reds No.10 reckons the chance to link up with Fernando Torres was a major factor in his decision to move to Anfield and is now intent on creating a raft of chances for the Spain star.

"One of the main reasons I came to Liverpool was because I wanted to play with these great players and I'm going to work every day to make Fernando as many chances as I can," Cole said.

"I've been watching the way he plays ever since he came to the club and, the season before last, he was the best striker in the world, without a shadow of a doubt.

"I love playing with strikers who play on the shoulder of the last defender. The best striker I played with at Chelsea was (Hernan) Crespo; his movement was absolutely unbelievable.

"I had a good relationship with him and hopefully I will be able to have that kind of relationship with Fernando. My job is to make chances for the front men and I can't wait to play alongside him."

[JoeTerp]

was MOTM for me

[tubby]

The only thing missing for him tonight was a goal. He seems really up for it too. Chelsea are going to regret letting him go.

[Benny The Noon]

He looked very good linking up play and looked at his most dangerous when he drifted out wide and created space for himself and put in some great crosses

[boodiddy1]

I know pop was poor. But, you can see in movement and technique that our Joe is gonna find his true home here. He's never a wide man. But can drift wide. I think Roy knows this and him behind nando is gonna be great. With gerrard in centre. We have real steel now. In Roy I trust

[Thommo's perm]

JC
MoM
OK

[Scottbot]

Anyone else surprised at how quick Cole looked tonight? I guess you pay more attention when they'r playing for your team but I thought he looked VERY sharp, a real livewire and generally at the heart of everything going forward.

[maypaxvobiscum]

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed this week Cole did not have the footballing intelligence of the man he signed to replace him, Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun, but his movement and trickery suggested Hodgson may benefit from his Italian counterpart's loss.

A case of Sour Grapes?

LINK

Joe Cole is at Liverpool is a dream come true though. always wanted him here since his West Ham days. probably the most creative English player around today.

[Roger Red Hat]

wonderful game last night. He looks sharp and made some great chances. Would of loved him to score in front of the kop but it'll happen soon if he keeps this up.

top signing.

[Dundalk]

Still cant believe we got Cole plus 6 million and they got Yossi

[roberto green]

Still cant believe we got Cole plus 6 million and they got Yossi

I know he was the best player on the pitch last night and the amount of chances he set up for Ngog was unbelievable, goes without saying Ngog is sh!t and if Torres was in that position he would of had about 4 goals.

If Gerrard Cole and Torres are on form this season they will be a handful for anyone


Happy Days!!

[TarnRed]

Good performance from Cole didn't really show me anything I didn't already know about him. Good awareness when the ball was coming into him, neat touches, always looking for a defence splitting pass when in the third of the pitch. Both he and Gerrard already have an understanding at such an early stage, if Torres gets himself fit he could surpass his goal tally that he reached in his first season with us. Happy days.

[lakes10]

had to laugh  today, i put the game on and just as they were saying how fit Cole was he looked   and very unfit. happy to say that he looked better later on.