The Joe Cole Question
I was having a chat with an opposition supporter about Joe Cole the other night – or to be more precise, he was on about the risk of Chelsea losing Cole whilst I was telling him it won’t happen. Now though (even if I won’t be backing down) I’m beginning to wonder which one of us was right.
You see, my argument is that Joe Cole has made it perfectly clear plenty of times he wants to stay at Chelsea, so there’s nothing to worry about really. But the flip side to that is if he’s so determined to stay, how come he hasn’t signed a new deal yet? It was suggested to me this could be because the club are yet to offer him a deal worth signing and whilst I might argue Cole has made it clear he won’t be dragging Chelsea through the press over a contract because money isn’t his motivation, I suppose even I have to concede his agent will still want any new contract to reflect his worth – particularly in comparison to what some of his fellow tem-mates are paid.
But what is his worth to Chelsea?
Well, for me and a fair few others, he’s priceless – but whilst my views on Joe Cole are well documented they’re not necessarily agreed with. Certainly not where managers are concerned anyway because not only does he constantly have to prove himself, he’s completely underused. Yet again this season, since coming back from nine months out, his inclusion has been sporadic. Personally, I can’t quite work that out because it’s not as if there’s been anyone putting in performances worthy of keeping him out. And whilst some might throw in the old ‘inconsistency’ chestnut, I’d have to ask how easy it is to build up that consistency if you’re only getting half a game here and there?
So, with his contract up in the summer, no new deal struck and Joe Cole being far too good a player to be wasted on a bench, I’m beginning to think my argument that we won’t lose him is wearing a bit thin.
Filed under: Current Players, Rants
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the guys in charge know joey is a fans favourite, if they let joe go then they clearly have no respect for the opinion of the fans, who are the most important part of any club, letting Joe go isn’t an option for them
JOE COLE IS ONE OF MY BEST PLAYERS IN CHELSEA, AND HE IS THE ONLY ENGLISH PLAYER WITH FLAIR AND DRIBBLING SKILLS. IF YOU REALLY FOLLOW CHELSEA UP, YOU WILL KNOW THAT THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF PLAYER CHELSEA NEED AT ALL TIME. I AM NOT REGRETING CHELSEA LOOSING ROBINHO AS WE HAVE A PLAYER LIKE HIM.
j.cole has been playing like shit since perhaps his first game back. He struggles to really do anything and just doesnt fit in yet. Partly because the majority of players had the offseason to work together and were already fit, j.cole has to do both these things at once. simply put j.cole at current level is not good enough for chelsea.
u r right ish, i rather see kakuta or matic in place of joe in the middle. he’s juz unusually below-par lately,age catching up maybe? there’s sparks missing, the dribbling n passing n possession r juz a pain to watch. no wonder he’s not signing yet.
How about Zhirkov? He’s also only getting half a game here and there, yet he has looked lively whenever he has come on.
Really, Joey has been playing like shit. And he is not underused at all. It’s Yuri who deserves more games. I know they play in different positions, but how you accomodate Joey in the lineup affects who you play on the left flank.
I am not saying that we should sell him or anything. But Carlo really needs to get the best out of him as soon as possible. Joey is not young anymore.
Great player who is often well spoken of by the average fan in the southern americas. He has played consistently for Carlo. 2/3rds of the games he has been able to play since he’s come back, he has started so I don’t agree with the article. Mourinho had problems with him too and whilst he is not playing his best football he cannot expect a contract that reflects the same money as Terry and Lampard who have made themselves priceless to the club. Sadly Joey is not an Essien, Lampard, Terry or Drogba and Chelsea can afford to lose him whilst he plays the way he does as they’ll buy a quality creative player. One of my favourite Chelsea players but on present form (apart from his first game back in the carling cup he has not played a whole game of decent football let alone a string of matches) I can understand why the contract has not been signed, until he starts performing at the level that Carlo expects he wont be offered the contract that is being held out for.
Every player passes thru the patch ..
Lampard was horrible once .. but that dosent necessarily means u need to sell the player or keep his contract pending for that matter ..
Joe Cole is a proven mid fielder .. the manager needs to get the best out of him ..
If you notice the formation .. its not really working as effectively is it? Diamond can be a bit tricky for players to catch on ..
I think Joe needs to stay .. and the manager needs to give him games to get into the groove .. or watever ..
If performance was the only criteria irrespective of the conditions surrounding the case .. then deco/kalou/malouda can be shown the door as well ..
true fans know he needs to stay
fact is joe has’nt done it. he’s looking a luxury and i’m afraid he has to go,there has not been a time where he can be looked at as a untouchable. he has’nt progressed,not his fault as he’s been injured.
Joe Cole certainly still looks like he has great potential, unfortunately though he has not shown any consitency at all this year. I have advocated for a long time that Joe Cole should be played as a playmaker behind the strikers. His dribbling and accurate passing seemed to make him the natural candidate for that position. After Carlo used him the first time in that position, I was amazed by his performance and thought for sure Joe was going to make this position his own and excel over there. Unfortunately regardless of how much fans love him he’s not playing well for the club right now. Ballack, Deco and him are well below par at this point, and it’s ridiculous to say the club should keep him just because he is a fan’s favourite. It might be too early to write him off and sell him but if he doesn’t do better by the end of the season, the club should offload him. I think the club needs to start looking for an established playmaker regardless. This is one of the most crucial positions under the diamond formation. Somebody of Fabregas’ caliber would take Chelsea to new heights.
Unfortunately football is not too interested in the fans anymore, so fans opinions of Joe Cole will count for nothing.
Joe Cole for me is inconsistent, but has amazing ability. He can change a game in a minute, but other players are more valuable to command a regular place in the starting line up….but saying that I love flair players, dating back from Alan Hudson and then Wee Pat Nevin, so I would have Joe cole in my starting lineup every time….but not too sure how many we would win!
I watched Wee Pat Nevin and he was constantly exciting everytime he got the ball at Chelsea…but he never earned the money they get today and I do not care what they say…the money is a driving force behind a lot of players and rarely do they have to earn their salary! But for me it is about time some of them did!