[Archived] Cole To Leave?

[American]

Where else are we going to get a player who scores once every 2 1/2 games in a team that has spent far too long of the last 3 years scrapping around at the bottom?

Our team and our results will not be improved by Cole leaving.

Terrible service from the left a couple seasons ago....

And I agree our results wouldn't be improved by him leaving, but I don't think they'd be hurt, either, if a suitable replacement was found for about the same we got for Cole (Radzinski?).

And for those blaming Souness for this: First, he was rumored to be going well before the blowup with Souness and second, I think it shows a lot about the professionalism of both of them that Souness was still willing to start him, and that he performed at his best of the season, after it happened.

[USABlue]

Apart from the fact that Yorke has been a big time under achiever I think that his mere presence has been a major negative distraction for Cole.

Think about it, Cole was good until Dwight came and then came the lack of effort the attitude problems and the clear look of not giving a toss. Once it became clear that Yorke was finished at this club Andy's whole game improved, of course this could be attributed to the emergence of Gally and Stead too.

I think the theory has some credibility, Yorke brought down Cole's game and his work ethic and heightened his attitude problems.

Towards the end of the season I thought Andy Cole was doing very well on and off the ball, now if he could just figure out how to beat offside traps better (or the players passing the ball can learn the timing of Andy's runs better) I think we can expect good things from Andy next season.

[USABlue]

LET Article

A few quotes from Flitty on Cole

I did not see anything about Cole or Flitcroft, just Souness looking to get 2 players by this weekend.

[Lathund]

USA: I believe they only use a couple of different URLs for Rovers news, so that new ones replace old ones but with the same URL. Quite a stupid system really.

American: He's been instrumental in our late surge. Setting up two of Stead's goals (The winners vs Fulham and Everton) as well as putting in the cross that led to Dabizas own goal. Not to mention opening the scoring vs Fulham. And he's forging a nice partnership with Stead.

I also don't think Souness will get rid of him, as he's started every game (I think) since his bust-up with Souey and he's been playing really well. I don't think Souness is stupid enough to get rid of him, especially if Andy says that he wants to stay. The players Souey has sold (With the exception of Duff who we recieved silly money for) have all been underperforming. Dunn, Taylor, Yorke (soon), Mahon etc.

[Parasyte]

I hope to high hell that Cole stays, unless we get the 7.5 million or so we paid for him back, which is highly unlikly.

On the Fowler front, if a swap is in line, I wouldnt mind a Jansen/Fowler swap... sad as though I'd be to see Matty leave.

If Cole goes though, I will personally rip out his knee caps with a lemon zester.

Quoting £7.5 million as an acceptable sale price is completely irrelevant to the current situation with Cole.

When you buy players of a certain age you have to accept that the price, like a car, depreciates over time.

If you purchased a brand new car from a showroom, after three years you would sell it on for less than you paid and accept that the difference in the two purchase prices is the cost to you for three years motoring in a new car.

The same factor goes for player purchase. When selling a player clubs offset how much they pay for a player against how much 'value' they have obtained from the purchase.

In Cole's case such matters to take into account would include him making a valuable contribution to saving us from relegation two years ago and a cup in the trophy cabinet.

I accept that you know that we wouldn't get £7.5 million IF we sold Cole, but you may as well say that you hope we can sell him for £30 million and use the money to buy back Duff and put the rest towards a new hotel for the Riverside - it's not going to happen.

I assume your last line about lemon zesters was supposed to be funny. It wasn't.

Perhaps subtle sarcasm isnt quite your thing, but I am happily aware we would be lucky to get anything for Cole, and I must apologise that my sense of humour is obviusly at a lower state of maturity than your own good self... tithead.

[den]

So now we can put this thing to bed.

JW has just said on radio lancs that Andy Cole is a big part in rovers plans for next season.

Amen.

[jim mk2]

So now we can put this thing to bed.

JW has just said on radio lancs that Andy Cole is a big part in rovers plans for next season.

Amen.

That could come back to haunt you!

[den]

Just to expand - JW was replying to Andy Cole's recent comments about him wanting to stay next season. He said he was pleased to hear that because he [AC] was a big part of rovers plans for next season.

Sounds pretty clear, but of course things can change.

[Modi]

[Conspiracy mode]

"he's a big part of Rovers plans, as we need him as a makeweight in the £4m deal to bring XXX to the club?"

[/conspiracy mode off]

[pussycat]

Cole has been reported as saying although he has row'd with Souy this season, he is happy and doesn't want to leave, do we really believe him after Shearer, Sutty, Duff all said the same thing and then went bye bye.

Do you think he will be more consistent with Stead to play up front with evry week?

[roversWASmylife]

I’d be very sad to see Cole leave the club.

Whatever arguments both Cole and Souness have had at the club should be forgotten in my opinion and more focus what the player does on the pitch.

Cole this season has been outstanding, he’s scored goals, created goals and has hardly had any decent service what so ever from the flanks.

From Cole’s comments since Saturday’s game it seems as he wants to stay but it’s up to Souness.

Another player who Souness argued with, just makes you wonder who is actually in the wrong?

COLE HAPPY AT ROVERS

[92er]

Martin Fowler has already played for us.

[Blueboy Downunder]

Cole has been reported as saying although he has row'd with Souy this season, he is happy and doesn't want to leave, do we really believe him after Shearer, Sutty, Duff all said the same thing and then went bye bye.

Do you think he will be more consistent with Stead to play up front with evry week?

exactly the point pussycat....since steadys arrival at ewood coley has be-reborn. and good on them both aswell.

[philipl]

Agreed, I would far rather keep Cole than sell him. He seems to have been a positive influence on Stead and Gally and he has really shown a lot of determination towards the end of the season.

However, he must be on a basic of at least £2m a year plus the rumoured £1m loyalty bonus next year. Were we to receive £1m for him, the Rovers' budget would look £4m better off.

My big problem with this is that Andy is the type of player who could enjoy an Indian summer to his career. He is looking sharp, supremely fit, is self-centered enough to look after himself properly and who knows, might cut out many of those misses he is infamous for.

[78]

Apart from the fact that Yorke has been a big time under achiever I think that his mere presence has been a major negative distraction for Cole.

Think about it, Cole was good until Dwight came and then came the lack of effort the attitude problems and the clear look of not giving a toss. Once it became clear that Yorke was finished at this club Andy's whole game improved, of course this could be attributed to the emergence of Gally and Stead too.

I think the theory has some credibility, Yorke brought down Cole's game and his work ethic and heightened his attitude problems.

Towards the end of the season I thought Andy Cole was doing very well on and off the ball, now if he could just figure out how to beat offside traps better (or the players passing the ball can learn the timing of Andy's runs better) I think we can expect good things from Andy next season.

That's absolute rubbish.

Cole's performance hasn't changed that much, he's played the same way for the majority of the matches since he joined us. It's just that most people remember the sitters missed and not the dragging the defenders away from the central area or holding up the ball etc etc. Yorke's got nothing to do with Cole's performance. The major factor in Yorke's performance is his pace, he doesn't have any. His game used to be about pace and running at defenders, he can't do that anymore, so when he gets the ball, he's more or less standstill which makes it easier for the opposition to regroup. Souness did try Yorke behind the strikers and he did ok but just like Tugay, the options aren't there and so that failed aswell.

I bet the same people who claim that Cole's performance was rubbish when Yorke played can't even figure out who is who when watching the game and do the lazy option which is just claim they both were rubbish, at the end of it.

That Yorke is crap - how did he miss that sitter?

That was Cole

They both are crap then

hahahah

[joey_big_nose]

Cole has been reported as saying although he has row'd with Souy this season, he is happy and doesn't want to leave, do we really believe him after Shearer, Sutty, Duff all said the same thing and then went bye bye.

Do you think he will be more consistent with Stead to play up front with evry week?

exactly the point pussycat....since steadys arrival at ewood coley has be-reborn. and good on them both aswell.

Just watched the goal he scored last saturay again on Rovers world. He really looks a lot more enthused about football than he has for a while, he seems really happy.

If I was him I would be intrigued about what I couls achieve with Stead and Gally at Rovers. Both are excellent players, and with Jon he has already struck up a really good partnership- something he has not had since Jansen's injury. Cole will have a great crack at breaking the 15 goal barrier next season if he stays, and for the first time since Shearer left I have real confidence in the ability of our strikers to make a full contribution in terms of goals.

[NEARREY]

Andy Cole should he stay or should he go ?

It's a dilemma I've been thinking over the last few days.My thought are

Some points for :

He has formed a successful partnership with Stead that looks like it could

do very well in the Premiership next year.

He has a long history of scoring lots of goals in the Premiership.

He is (or is going to be) the only striker on our books with experience

which is going to be invaluable to bring on our younger strikers.

Some points against:

He has only scored 11 league goals this year (and 7 last)

Other than the first and last half a dozen games this season he has

shown a lack of desire and effort.

He doesn't talk much with Souness.

He gets (allegedly) £50k per week and is due a £1m pay off.

So with finances tight this year the dilemma for Rovers is :

Scenario 1

Cost for Andy Cole next year

£50k/wk or £2.6m plus £1m pay off = £3.6m

Likely return = 10 - 11 league goals

Scenario 2

Sell Andy Cole for £1.5m

Likely pay off to him £0.75m

Benefit to Rovers = £0.75m + £3.6m(none payment wages) = £4.35m

So Rovers can pay £25k/week (£1.3m) plus a transfer fee of £3m to get a

striker who can get us 10 league goals a season and they will have a few

more good years in them and have a resale value.

Looking at all the above I have to conclude that a new striker it is.

[joey_big_nose]

Have to say though that there is another side to your scenario. Somebody would actually want to pay 1.5 million for him and match, or at least come close to matching, his 50k wages. I cant see that happening.

[joey_big_nose]

Just been at the gym and ysaw sky sports running a story to do with Fowler and Cole. There was no sound unfortunately.... does anybody know what it was about? BBC and Skysports.com are not running anything.

[greggyk]

it was reporting that Coles agent has dismissed claims of a move away from ewood park. Nothing we didn't already know mate.

[Paul]

There is a very vague rumour of Cole and Fowler swapping clubs. It's been around for six weeks but only reported a couple of times. Unless both clubs are keeping it totally secret - not easy these days - I HOPE there isn't any truth to the rumour.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

We can only pray and hope to god it isn't true.

[jim mk2]

It would not be surprising if it were to happen.

Souness has only limited contacts within football so tends to sign players whom he knows from his previous clubs.

Souness gave Fowler his debut at Liverpool and tried to sign him for Rovers before the player left Anfield for Leeds. A fee in the region of £11 million was mooted at the time.

Matteo is another player who played for Souness at Liverpool, hence our interest in him also.

I would not welcome Fowler at Ewood Park. Annoying player that Cole can be at times, he has twice the hunger for the game as the lazy and ineffectual Fowler.

No doubt Fowler is looking forward to joining the other ageing players in the Rovers pension scheme.

In order that the scheme remains solvent in the future years, I would suggest that the club changes pensions for new members from final salary to money purchase.

[Rover_Shaun]

Another pointless load of guff

[American]

Souness has only limited contacts within football so tends to sign players whom he knows from his previous clubs.

To the grammar police: Jim is missing a comma between the words football and so.