Joe Cole – What Do They Expect?

Posted on March 5th, 2010 by Chelsea D

I got the right hump when Joe Cole was left out of the England game. So much so I was whingeing like a bitch even when preferred bench-warmer Shaun Wright-Phillips put the ball in the back of the net.

You see, whilst I accept Cole missed most of last season for us after suffering a cruciate ligament injury and I also accept even his club manager doesn’t appear to have much faith in him, starting him in just 11 of his 17 games this season, I still believe he’s one of England (and Chelsea’s) most creative players. He might not have rediscovered his form yet and he might be struggling with his confidence right now but until his manager’s give him a real chance, what do they expect?

A third of his appearances in the league have been from the bench and when there’s a substitution to be made, irrespective of how badly his team-mates might be performing, you can guarantee it’s Cole dragged off every time. His club is holding out on a contract and his international manager comes out in the press saying “Every game that Joe plays we either watch live in the stadium or view on television. But there are some problems for him. He’s not back like the player I remember. We have to wait. Possibly he will improve over the last two months.”

Again, what do you expect?

Well, what I expect is for Joe Cole to react to this the same way he’s reacted to every question that’s ever been asked of him in the past – he’ll prove himself.

You know what they say – ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’.

Filed under: Current Players, International, Rants

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3 Responses to “Joe Cole – What Do They Expect?”

  1. Ranners, on March 5th, 2010 at 13:13 Said:

    Nobody needs 2 years to ‘recover their form’, Cole was OK with Arrogantio breathing down his neck and he would be a reasonable bench player at £60-70/ week, he is nowhere near worth £100k+ so if Spuds want him they should sign him. CFC need to concemtrate on getting the average age of this side down and Cole is already 28.

  2. adrian, on March 6th, 2010 at 11:11 Said:

    Without all of the tricks, flicks and desire to take people on, Cole is like every other option in the England line-up – decent but hardly electrifying.
    As the years have gone by Cole’s natural inclination to do the unthinkable has been bred out of him by a combination of old age, lack of match-play, and a bunch of managers who believed that such skill was diametrically opposed to a regime of discipline. I am a huge Chelsea fan but what Cole needs is a manager that encourages his flair, believes in him, and plays him more often. If he is serious about his football he needs to wake up and realise that bench-warming is bench-warming and real football takes place on the pitch. I am certain his performance would improve under someone like Harry and as someone who has watched him from a 17 year old he has never been the same since he left the Hammers. The year they went down he took the captain’s arm-band and he was electrifying, the best West Ham player by a country mile. Lampard was mediocre by comparison. If only West Ham would have stayed up they may have retained his services, and you may be looking at a different Joe Cole today.

  3. charles, on March 8th, 2010 at 04:31 Said:

    I would love for him to prove me wrong, but I sincerely believe Joe cole is past his prime. Let’s be serious he has had chances to prove himself, but hasn’t done so at all. He has had chances both playing as a winger and as a playmaker, and though he might have shined in 1 or 2 games earlier on in the season, that’s not enough for him to get a regular place in the squad. Both Chelsea and England have other more deserving players to be in the team. I think the best way for him to save his career is to leave Chelsea, he is still a good player, just not good enough for Chelsea right now. He would be a great buy for a lower profile team. I’m not convinced he would be a regular starter at Tottenham either (let alone Man U) but I can see him starting frequently for a team like Everton. They will lose donnovan soon, and they have been a strong team in the past few years, he can resurrect his career over there.
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