17 Jun 2012

Newcastle hero insists: Midfield misfit is 'absolutely perfect' for LFC. Agree?

Anfield legend Steve Nicol recently urged Brendan Rodgers to dump ageing midfielder Joe Cole, arguing that the midfielder is too 'slow' and ineffective, and 'can't hurt anyone going forward. Alas, Rodgers has made it clear yesterday that Cole will be given a chance to prove himself at Liverpool next season, and former Newcastle and West Ham star Shaka Hislop believes that the Reds could benefit if the former Chelsea star can get his tactical indiscipline under control.

Speaking to ESPN on Tuesday, Hislop argued that Cole is 'exactly the type of player Liverpool need', but acknowledged that there were weaknesses to his game that Rodgers would need to iron out. He said:

"Where Cole has let himself down, or where his career has stuttered, is that he's not very defensive minded. He plays with an indiscipline, which may have worked at West Ham, but this indiscipline cost LFC at times. If he can get that under control then I think he'll be absolutely perfect for Liverpool".

Based on Rodgers' comments, it seems inevitable that Cole will be playing for Liverpool next season, but hopefully he'll only be a squad player, and not a first-teamer. I just don't see the sense in keeping Cole:

* As Nicol said, he's slow, and his best years are behind him.

* Cole is not going to be part of LFC's long-term future, so what's the point?

* Every time Cole plays, a younger, developing player will miss out.

* Cole is a drain on the wage bill, so unless he's playing every game, where's the financial sense in keeping him?

Why not just let him go out on loan again, or better still, sell him. Granted, Brendan Rodgers knows him from his time at Chelsea, and he may be suited to a quick-passing game, but Liverpool can do better, and given Cole's age, it's not like he's going to be part of the club's future.



Jaimie Kanwar


34 comments:

  1. He can produce that creativity that was so needed and missed last season. 

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  2. He hasnt been any good for years last year he was only fair in France as a player also what happened to the philosophy of bringing in young players.
    Cole will only be in the way of young players wanting to make a mark and i agree with Nicols comments whole heartedly.

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  3. you could make the exact same point about Gerrard. would you say they should loan Gerrard out too?

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  4. can he though?
    cole wants to play in a central position.can't see that happening.
    if you consider that we will probabaly play a variation of 4-3-3 and our midfield will probably be llucas/gerrard/siggurdsson.
    cole doesn't have the legs to play in a wide position.
    i just don't see where he fits in.

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  5. it's always mentioned that rodgers and cole worked together at chelsea as if that's some sort of saving grace.
    how long ago was that now? cole was a completely different player.that last season and a half at chelsea where he was injured and barely played is more like the cole that turned up for lfc.
    still though he had a better return than downing.

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  6. What Rodger's is saying is all players on loan still have to report back to LFC for pre season. Their wages are still paid by the club. All players will be given a fair chance. discussions, transfer requests et all will considered and decisions will be made based on these.
    But I agree that Cole is not a future prospect and should be sold.

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  7. the best we can hope for is that fat sam allardyce will come in with a stupid offer and try 'revive; his career at west ham. it's been rumoured before.

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  8. Joe Cole has the football intelligence needed for the new regime.

    Is he mobile enough now though? Maybe not.

    Selling Joe Cole is easier said than done. He picked Liverpool because we gave him a reported £130k, £120k or £90k per week, depending which source you believe, on a 4 year deal.

    We currently pay the bulk of his salary while he is on loan, so he us costing us anything from £3 million to £4.5 million per year even when loaned out.

    Why would he leave Liverpool given the 2 remaining years of this lucrative contract?

    We will need to give him a large pay off, unless West Ham do something silly and sign him, matching his wages.

    We need to talk up his chances of playing for us, have our media people leak some transfer fiction about Cole, so that West Ham don't think they can wait us out all summer.

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  9. Gerrard's penchant for Hollywood or Hail Mary passes may not be easily reconciled with Rodger's plans alright.

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  10. 90,grand a week,surely you could split that and get a couple of half decent free singnings better than him

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  11. I'd like to think that he could link up well with Suarez, given his experience and the talent we've seen in the past. However, he's not the quickest so fast, flowing attacking moves might not suit as he could struggle to keep up with the pace. I think Pacheco and/or Suso may be more suited to our style of play under BR. Both are younger and earning considerably less than Joe, Suso has immense promise and Pacheco is a product of La Masia so he will be familiar with tiki taka.
    Having said all that, though, I'd give Joe until January to prove he deserves to stay, I'd set him a target of something like 5 goals, 10 assists before 1st Jan, otherwise, sell him to WHU for enough to cover his last 18 months of LFC contract.

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  12. he's perfect for paying him 90k per week.

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  13. Playing in his proper role as an attacking midfielder, Gerrard's "Hollywood" passes become through-balls and assists again.

    I really don't understand the constant criticism of Gerrard from so many supposed Liverpool fans.

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  14. I totally agree with the bullet points as to why LFC should get rid of Cole by any means necessary. It is possible to agree a mutual termination of the contract, such that he gets a pay off and can agree and enjoy the end of his career playing for a deal a lower wage elsewhere, while also saving Liverpool some of the money remaining on his contract.
    That would be best for all parties imo.

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  15. Theycallmemrburt9:59 am, June 18, 2012

    In a playmakers role in the middle of the park...who knows.  Cole has a touch of the John Barnes about him in his latter days.  His winger days are well and truly over but if he is tasked with being clever and intricate in the centre of the park my bet is he will pull it off with his eyes closed.  He can't shoot to save his life but he is definately a player who understands how the continental game should be played.  I'd keep him.

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  16. Theycallmemrburt9:59 am, June 18, 2012

    Stevie like Carra has been poor since Rafas last season.  That's three years.  The constant criticism in this respect is just.

    Since Rafas departure SG has defined his own role in the team and that is central midfield.  His stats playing here compared to his stats playing right mid or off the striker are poor.

    Look at Gerrard's two most incisive pieces of play for England during the Euros.  A CROSS for Carroll and a neat little bit of footwork to beat his man on the LEFT.  He constantly pulls wide to create space for himself and put crosses into the box so why doesn't he want to start out there.  In Stevie's own words "It's too much running playing right midfield" (quotes taken from the season McCallsiter signed when Gerrard was asked to play wide to accommodate him)

    If Gerrard gets back into some sort of form he is still a good player, but how long do we wait.  Three years and counting.............

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  17. Theycallmemrburt9:59 am, June 18, 2012

    I doubt he'll end up playing wide if he does stay.  There are way too many quotes from the lad saying, more or less, the next time he plays on the wing it will be as a musician on a giant pigeon.

    Creative players need the backing of their managers.  They need to feel if they give the ball away the manager will back them to keep trying to do the same tricks and flicks.  Hodgson and Kenny were having none of it.

    If Gerrard didn't have the backing of the board, managers and fans he would also struggle with his high risk game.  If Cole has the complete backing of Rodgers it could be all he needs to make a central midfield berth his own.  I think we'll still see dribbling from the boy but the burden of pressure to beat 3 men every time he touches the ball will cool.  He like most naturally gifted players in sport i.e Federer, Ronnie O'sullivan and Micheal Jordan all tailored their game as they got older but still managed to stay at the top even though they were not the players of old.  Cole should have been allowed to adjust his game when he signed for us but our managers expected a mature model of Cole to replicate his youth.  Rodgers will allow him that.

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  18. Theycallmemrburt9:59 am, June 18, 2012

    agreed

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  19. Theycallmemrburt9:59 am, June 18, 2012

    for shizzle. great post

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  20. fucking asshole...!! who are you to judge a legend..!! you're just nobody to predict the importance of SG in the footballing world..so just shut the fuck up !!

    gerrard's hattrick against everton was the prrof of his current ability..
    and the way he has been contributing for england in the EUROS as a Center mid and defensive mid,, he shows the class that assholes like YOU cant see !!
    fucking moron,, you're talking abt 3 years ??
    you cant own even a quater of his abilities in the next 3 births of urs..!! 
    STFU asshole !!!!

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  21. There are 2 problems with cole. One he has little pace the other is the speed he takes on the ball. The game is faster than ever and he likes to flaff about on the ball. He will need a rethink of his whole game.

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  22. you think anyone would buy him even for something like 3-4 million pounds?? 

    the answer is no...
    i dont understand the art of buying players,, who we know are of some class (e.g. maxi,, kuyt,, aquilani) but we still want to loan/sell them out ?
    last two seasons have been freaking awesome for maxi,,yet he hasnt been playing..
    kuyt was a player who had the abilities equalling 5-6 million pounds atleast.. but we sell him for 1 million euros (even less than a pound)...
    maxi is a class act..but we are ready to release him..same with aquilani..and cole..
    if the same player was with manU or chelsea..they would have eased up a handsome amt for selling these players..

    being an honest fan of LFC over the past decade,,, i believe cole deservs a chance..he is slow but he can come out good in a tiki taka style of football...

    Rodgers believes in him..itz time for us to believe in him to.. we have a manager who has the abilities to become a world class manager like mourinho or gardioula...so lets just believe in him and let him think whtz right and wrong for the club who has been in utter misery over the past few years...!! itz time for rodgers..

    SUPPORT RODGERS AND HIS DECISIONS..
    STOP CRITICISING HIS DECISIONS!!
    STOP CRITICISING COLE!!
    LETS BELIEVE IN RODGERS AND HIS PHILOSOPHY !! :) :) :) :)

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  23. Wasn't meant to be a criticism

    Gerrard has had to rely on trying to do everything himself at times, under Rodgers the emphasis will be based around short passing

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  24. I doubt Gerrard has dictated that he has to play a withdrawn role in midfield, even while the likes of Henderson & Shelvey have been playing advanced roles in the middle, especially not with Kenny Dalglish as the manger - from what I can see from the outside looking in, it looks like his managers are making the decision that he is the best fit for that role because of his ability to make a tackle, and for my money it is just the wrong decision.

    And even if Gerrard were somehow demanding such a role, if his stats suggest that he is clearly much better individually and for the team as an attacking player than in a defensive role, then surely it is the managers responsibility to deploy him in that more advanced position, rather than blame Gerrard for not being as effective in his weaker position right?

    Btw, I don't have the stats to back it up, but having played both in central midfield and outwide (not pretending to be a pro or anything like it, just playing for Sunday league and school teams) I would have to say that there is more running involved in being a central midfielder than as a wide-man or attacking midfielder. Maybe less explosive runs, but more miles overall.

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  25. Ok, so if his age is an issue and not being a part of the future, then we should sell Stevie as well? How about selling Carragher?

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  26. Hey Jamie Tello out of contract next summer, rumours say that Barca will let him go for around 7 mill pounds, do you know anything about this and if true would you agree that he would be a great signing for that price?

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  27. ChelseaFanHereInPeace10:05 am, June 18, 2012

    Chelsea fan here in peace, I think your major concern with Cole sticking with LFC next season is his injury record, it's one of the major reasons we let him leave, that and his laughable wage demands but that's another discussion altogether. I believe he can give you an element that would be missing with Kuyt leaving however as I say, his injuries would be the major concern for LFC fans.

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  28. Seem to remember he scored a nice deft touch goal against Man U the season before we got him.

    Played well for Lille...

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  29. At least spearing wouldn't get a game :)

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  30. Little Joe Cole. So much hype (and some of it rightly so) yet hasn't fulfilled it, not even close. As a bit part player he could do a role but he is supposed to be on some huge wages, which we really shouldn't be having on board without CL football to pay for it.

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  31. Slow, injury prone and his wages are astronomical (especially if he's to be a bit part player). If West Ham take him off our hands and we could put half his wages into the transfer kitty and could get a younger replacement, with more potential and his best years ahead of him.

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  32. Mr. Point Of View7:17 pm, June 18, 2012

    i believe in cole....

    MY POV: 

    - liv cant attract any big name anymore...be realistic....
    - he can read game....a proper AM so less pressure for Stevie G ( either going fwd or def ) mainly focus on create passing...
    - can used him as 2nd fwd in LSrz is injured/ban....
    - can used as reserve n boost morale for reserve game or 2nd game instead of younger with lot tense
    - english local quota
    - mentor to youngster (especially OWNER wan buy young talent) skill
    - we cant afford buys BACK UP...since he available

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  33. If you think he did well in France, check the statistics. It says otherwise. He had some fair periods and then some flat, he was very hot and cold. Needless to say, this was in France for Christ sake. Totally different ball game this side of the Channel.

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  34. Why the hell would we keep him if we buy Sigurdsson anyway?!

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