Liverpool FC Forum

[Benny The Noon]

Massive waste of wages on a luxury player who was never going to excell or fit into a workable system under Hodgson . Another mistake signing .

[metalhead]

LIVERPOOL'S JOE COLE MUST FIGHT TO KEEP UP APPEARANCES

Thursday December 23,2010

By Paul Joyce

JOE COLE was sitting in a media tent in the build-up to England’s opening match at the World Cup when he was asked if Fabio Capello’s disciplinarian outlook, and the sparse and isolated surroundings of the team’s Rustenburg base, might take away some of the enjoyment of being involved in the biggest show on the planet.

“You can’t suck the fun out of football,” Cole shot back, his response instantaneous.

With his own personal annus horribilis now weighing heavily on his shoulders, his attitude may have changed in the months since.

From Chelsea cast-off to England reject to bit-part player at Liverpool, Cole is facing arguably the biggest test of his career as he attempts to coax the smile back on to his face and force himself back into someone’s – anyone’s – starting line-up.

One thing is certain: the new year represents a new start.

“Joe has to come to terms with the fact that he has come here after an unsuccessful period at Chelsea with high hopes of taking Liverpool by storm and unfortunately it’s not happened. That’s life,” said Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson yesterday.

“He should have great confidence in his ability as he is a very good footballer. As far as I am concerned, everything he has to say should be said on that patch of green grass.

“He should be convincing me and everyone watching that this is a player who can help Liverpool win things. And you couldn’t say that has been the case so far.

“I don’t care how many things are written or said, you can’t make black into white.

“What I’m saying could be transformed into ‘Hodgson criticises Cole’, but it’s not that. I’m just analysing the situation.”

Having only recently returned from a hamstring injury, the postponement of the Fulham game and the threat which hangs over the Boxing Day fixture with Blackpool fits neatly with a year of frustration for Cole.
He made as many substitute appearances for Chelsea in the second half of last season, 11, as starts and was restricted to two cameos lasting just 44 minutes in total at the World Cup, despite John Terry’s very public lobbying for him to be shoe-horned into Capello’s starting line-up. Therein lies part of the problem for Cole, whose sole goal for Liverpool against Steaua Bucharest after just 27 seconds has at least earned him a place in the record books as the club’s fastest goalscorer in Europe.

Cole believes he is best deployed just off the striker. Yet after a handful of appearances in that role, stymied by his opening-weekend red card against Arsenal, Hodgson quickly moved him to the left of midfield.

Hodgson currently favours Maxi Rodriguez there and Dirk Kuyt on the right and, with Steven Gerrard also ready to return from injury, the competition for places will only become fiercer. “Joe is a midfield player and what’s the right position for a midfield player?” said Hodgson. “Gerrard has played all over midfield for as long as I can remember because he’s a good player.

“I hope Joe remembers this from the conversation we had in the summer when I made it clear I could not promise him a certain position.

“I made it clear Steven Gerrard was staying and the competition for the one spot, if it was the one spot he wanted, was going to be tough.”

It is interesting to note the way Hodgson speaks about Cole’s situation compared, for example, to the newly found warmth for someone like Lucas.

Liverpool’s interest in acquiring Cole after his Chelsea contract expired had been plotted long before Hodgson was appointed, but the club maintains that the manager approved, rather than simply inherited, the signing.

“It’s a difficult one for me to answer,” said Hodgson. “I was involved in the discussions with him, but the initiative and the desire to take Joe did come from Christian [Purslow, then managing director] perhaps more so than myself because I wasn’t in the position to say these are the players we should be targeting as I hadn’t been offered the job at that point.

“He’s not so much a player I can take responsibility for. I’d have to share the responsibility for Joe, less so than people like Poulsen, Meireles and Konchesky, who are players I was happy to bring to the club.

“Our competition for places is getting stronger, so the only thing I can say to him is, ‘We’re happy to have you here, Joe, but I can’t offer you anything more than a chance and you have to take it when it comes along’.”

Cole will be anxious to do just that.‘Joe has to take his chance when it comes along’

[url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/219000/Liverpool-s-Joe-Cole-must-fight-to-keep-up-appearancesLiverpool-s-Joe-Cole-must-fight-to-k

eep-up-appearances#ixzz18v8nICcw]http://www.express.co.uk/posts....v8nICcw[/url]

Yeah  cheers again Roy. That'll get him onside and playing better. Why not just keep these thing inhouse ffs? Tell me exactly how coming out and saying this is going to help Cole in any way, shape or form.

This was a guy considered to be a 'safe pair of hands' who came to 'steady the ship'?.

And he didn't even sign him either. What a shambles. Another strand of that leech Purslow and his legacy at LFC.

He did the same thing with Glen Johnson, and look how Johnson is doing now! better than before!

[stmichael]

He did the same thing with Glen Johnson, and look how Johnson is doing now! better than before!

he's had a couple of decent games. and lats face it, to be honest that wasn't exactly hard. at the time when he came out and made those comments johnson couldn't exactly be any worse. he came out and asked for torres to step up which hasn't exactly worked has it?

listen, the point is, this is yet another example of the bloke using a player who aint playing well to deflect blame from himself. ok we all admit that cloe has been poor and it's now even been admiited that hodgson didn't sign him. so to bring this out in the open and say that purslow signed him is yet another attempt to shift blame.

[Ben Patrick]

Yeah  cheers again Roy. That'll get him onside and playing better. Why not just keep these thing inhouse ffs? Tell me exactly how coming out and saying this is going to help Cole in any way, shape or form.

This was a guy considered to be a 'safe pair of hands' who came to 'steady the ship'?.

And he didn't even sign him either. What a shambles. Another strand of that leech Purslow and his legacy at LFC.

well loads of people went mad when he did the same sort of thing with Glen Johnson and it brought a positive response.
Let's just wait and see.

I agree that so far it does look like a waste of money but feel that we could utilise him better if we played 4-3-3.

[Benny The Noon]

We are never going to play 4-3-3 under Hodgson - he was a pink and fluffy signing to try and get everyone on hodgson's side and was hailed as the new messiah and the missing piece to the jigsaw .

[worcester_red]

He did the same thing with Glen Johnson, and look how Johnson is doing now! better than before!

he's had a couple of decent games. and lats face it, to be honest that wasn't exactly hard. at the time when he came out and made those comments johnson couldn't exactly be any worse. he came out and asked for torres to step up which hasn't exactly worked has it?

listen, the point is, this is yet another example of the bloke using a player who aint playing well to deflect blame from himself. ok we all admit that cloe has been poor and it's now even been admiited that hodgson didn't sign him. so to bring this out in the open and say that purslow signed him is yet another attempt to shift blame.

Sorry but I think that is a bit unfair on Roy, he is giving Joe a kick up the which is exactly what he needs. He has underperformed massively and considering he came here to revitalise his career then that is inexcusable and shows a very very bad attittude from Joe Cole.

[Masch79]

He did the same thing with Glen Johnson, and look how Johnson is doing now! better than before!

he's had a couple of decent games. and lats face it, to be honest that wasn't exactly hard. at the time when he came out and made those comments johnson couldn't exactly be any worse. he came out and asked for torres to step up which hasn't exactly worked has it?

listen, the point is, this is yet another example of the bloke using a player who aint playing well to deflect blame from himself. ok we all admit that cloe has been poor and it's now even been admiited that hodgson didn't sign him. so to bring this out in the open and say that purslow signed him is yet another attempt to shift blame.

Sorry but I think that is a bit unfair on Roy, he is giving Joe a kick up the which is exactly what he needs. He has underperformed massively and considering he came here to revitalise his career then that is inexcusable and shows a very very bad attittude from Joe Cole.

I agree red that Joe needs a punt up the back side but think it should be done in house. Unfortunately I think St M's right that Roy is using this as an opportunity to deflect blame from himself (again).

[Masch79]

When we purchased Cole I thought he would be fitting into a system and Hodgson would build a team around him with Torres at the spearhead but its  just not materialised. If you are going to bring a lad in for £90k a week you have to play him and have some idea where hes going to slot in the system but its been a right mess all round. Either play the lad up there and just let him roam around or get shut and for christ sakes dont start putting him on the flanks or have him tracking back into midfield. He hasnt played well no doubt about it but we have to give him a proper run, but when you chop and change the side every week and have everyone filtering back into your own half its like pulling teeth out there.

I agree that's how Joe would be best deployed but for that you need a manager who adapts systems to players not the other way round.

I think we'd get more from him roaming but for that we'd need to keep the ball more so he was not constantly having to get back in Roy's beloved shape.

Just think Hodgson and Cole are a complete mis match and that is Purslow's fault rather than theirs.

[stmichael]

Just think Hodgson and Cole are a complete mis match and that is Purslow's fault rather than theirs.

Spot on. The bloke's been a cancer on this football club for the past 18 months.

The thing is, if Cole had set the world alight, the manager would be the first one to take the credit for it. Who he brought in and didn't bring in has sod all to do with a player's form, or lack of it.

[RED BEERGOGGLES]

LIVERPOOL'S JOE COLE MUST FIGHT TO KEEP UP APPEARANCES

Thursday December 23,2010

By Paul Joyce

JOE COLE was sitting in a media tent in the build-up to England’s opening match at the World Cup when he was asked if Fabio Capello’s disciplinarian outlook, and the sparse and isolated surroundings of the team’s Rustenburg base, might take away some of the enjoyment of being involved in the biggest show on the planet.

“You can’t suck the fun out of football,” Cole shot back, his response instantaneous.

With his own personal annus horribilis now weighing heavily on his shoulders, his attitude may have changed in the months since.

From Chelsea cast-off to England reject to bit-part player at Liverpool, Cole is facing arguably the biggest test of his career as he attempts to coax the smile back on to his face and force himself back into someone’s – anyone’s – starting line-up.

One thing is certain: the new year represents a new start.

“Joe has to come to terms with the fact that he has come here after an unsuccessful period at Chelsea with high hopes of taking Liverpool by storm and unfortunately it’s not happened. That’s life,” said Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson yesterday.

“He should have great confidence in his ability as he is a very good footballer. As far as I am concerned, everything he has to say should be said on that patch of green grass.

“He should be convincing me and everyone watching that this is a player who can help Liverpool win things. And you couldn’t say that has been the case so far.

“I don’t care how many things are written or said, you can’t make black into white.

“What I’m saying could be transformed into ‘Hodgson criticises Cole’, but it’s not that. I’m just analysing the situation.”

Having only recently returned from a hamstring injury, the postponement of the Fulham game and the threat which hangs over the Boxing Day fixture with Blackpool fits neatly with a year of frustration for Cole.
He made as many substitute appearances for Chelsea in the second half of last season, 11, as starts and was restricted to two cameos lasting just 44 minutes in total at the World Cup, despite John Terry’s very public lobbying for him to be shoe-horned into Capello’s starting line-up. Therein lies part of the problem for Cole, whose sole goal for Liverpool against Steaua Bucharest after just 27 seconds has at least earned him a place in the record books as the club’s fastest goalscorer in Europe.

Cole believes he is best deployed just off the striker. Yet after a handful of appearances in that role, stymied by his opening-weekend red card against Arsenal, Hodgson quickly moved him to the left of midfield.

Hodgson currently favours Maxi Rodriguez there and Dirk Kuyt on the right and, with Steven Gerrard also ready to return from injury, the competition for places will only become fiercer. “Joe is a midfield player and what’s the right position for a midfield player?” said Hodgson. “Gerrard has played all over midfield for as long as I can remember because he’s a good player.

“I hope Joe remembers this from the conversation we had in the summer when I made it clear I could not promise him a certain position.

“I made it clear Steven Gerrard was staying and the competition for the one spot, if it was the one spot he wanted, was going to be tough.”

It is interesting to note the way Hodgson speaks about Cole’s situation compared, for example, to the newly found warmth for someone like Lucas.

Liverpool’s interest in acquiring Cole after his Chelsea contract expired had been plotted long before Hodgson was appointed, but the club maintains that the manager approved, rather than simply inherited, the signing.

“It’s a difficult one for me to answer,” said Hodgson. “I was involved in the discussions with him, but the initiative and the desire to take Joe did come from Christian [Purslow, then managing director] perhaps more so than myself because I wasn’t in the position to say these are the players we should be targeting as I hadn’t been offered the job at that point.

“He’s not so much a player I can take responsibility for. I’d have to share the responsibility for Joe, less so than people like Poulsen, Meireles and Konchesky, who are players I was happy to bring to the club.

“Our competition for places is getting stronger, so the only thing I can say to him is, ‘We’re happy to have you here, Joe, but I can’t offer you anything more than a chance and you have to take it when it comes along’.”

Cole will be anxious to do just that.‘Joe has to take his chance when it comes along’

[url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/219000/Liverpool-s-Joe-Cole-must-fight-to-keep-up-appearancesLiverpool-s-Joe-Cole-must-fight-to-k

eep-up-appearances#ixzz18v8nICcw]http://www.express.co.uk/posts....v8nICcw[/url]

Yeah  cheers again Roy. That'll get him onside and playing better. Why not just keep these thing inhouse ffs? Tell me exactly how coming out and saying this is going to help Cole in any way, shape or form.

This was a guy considered to be a 'safe pair of hands' who came to 'steady the ship'?.

And he didn't even sign him either. What a shambles. Another strand of that leech Purslow and his legacy at LFC.

“He should have great confidence in his ability as he is a very good footballer. As far as I am concerned, everything he has to say should be said on that patch of green grass.

“He should be convincing me and everyone watching that this is a player who can help Liverpool win things. And you couldn’t say that has been the case so far.


See its these kinds of statements  which takes his hypocrisy to new levels .... surely he realises his words should apply to him especially (some would say specifically) ... and its him who needs to convince fans more than anyone who pulls on that Red shirt .... come on that's what mirrors are for ...that fella that looks back is you Roy

[Thommo's perm]

Hodgson is right about Coles performances so far. Lack lustre and ordinary at best
I for one am disappointed with what he has done on the pitch so far. If it takes a kick up the ar'se to liven him up then so be it.

[stmichael]

Hodgson is right about Coles performances so far. Lack lustre and ordinary at best
I for one am disappointed with what he has done on the pitch so far. If it takes a kick up the ar'se to liven him up then so be it.

the guy is bound to have a couple of good games sooner rather than later. he's been either injured or suspended for most of the season. it's hardly surprising that he's hardly set the world on fire, especially in a team that was so ridiculously poor when he was fit anyway.

so if cole plays really well in the next few games are you saying to me that it will be down to hodgson having a go at him in public and not merely the fact that he may have got a few games under his belt?

[Thommo's perm]

Hodgson is right about Coles performances so far. Lack lustre and ordinary at best
I for one am disappointed with what he has done on the pitch so far. If it takes a kick up the ar'se to liven him up then so be it.

the guy is bound to have a couple of good games sooner rather than later. he's been either injured or suspended for most of the season. it's hardly surprising that he's hardly set the world on fire, especially in a team that was so ridiculously poor when he was fit anyway.

so if cole plays really well in the next few games are you saying to me that it will be down to hodgson having a go at him in public and not merely the fact that he may have got a few games under his belt?

Both and neither
Its up to Cole to realise that he is playing for LFC and start showing the fans what he can do. Or not

[SouthCoastShankly]

Thing is he started off well. His performances were promising.

Joe, get fit, get confident and start scoring.

[stmichael]

Thing is he started off well. His performances were promising.

the problem is, the way we set up for the majority of the season, no flair player would ever thrive in our team anyway. we defended 15 yards too deep and as a result the midfield and the attack were miles apart. oh and is doesn't help when the midfield was getting bypassed most of the time anyway by carra's aimless hoofing.

when the team starts passing and moving better cole will come into his own as he'd thrive in that sort of environment. it was exactly the same with maxi who was struggling and a lot of fans had written off earlier in the season as being a complete flop who couldn't hack it over here. but then when the side started at least playing with a bit more fluency for a few games he started to become more end more involved in terms of influencing games and scoring a few goals.