Joe Cole

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Considering the funds we have, I think it's a decent move. The short term question has got to be "does this signing improve our squad?" and I think Cole does. There are always negatives, age and injury concerns, but he is a midfielder who can pass the ball, keep the ball and play a killer pass. There isn't anybody else in our squad who you could describe like that.

[kiddylion]

Hoolahan only started 3 games this year in a side that we beat twice & got relegated

[silhillvilla]

Talk about extremes , we've gone from buying young cheap prospects to now buying over the hill free rejects . Our last 3 signings - Grant Holt, Philipp Senderos and Joe Cole.
I'm not sure the club knows what it's doing .

[Witton Warrior]

Talk about extremes , we've gone from buying young cheap prospects to now buying over the hill free rejects . Our last 3 signings - Grant Holt, Philipp Senderos and Joe Cole.
I'm not sure the club knows what it's doing .

Please tell me Holt was only on loan and has now returned to the Land of Pies?

[pauliewalnuts]

Hoolahan only started 3 games this year in a side that we beat twice & got relegated

Hoolahan started more than 3 games last season

If you're talking about this calendar year, then it's worth noting that Joe Cole started 2.

[nigel]

I'd guess the latter - when he was at Lille he used to get the Eurostar each day for training.

Don't know how long the train takes to Lille (EDIT *1 hr 20 min*), so it probably took less time doing that than crossing London 

[silhillvilla]

To drive from say Stratford to White City id say 3 to 4 hours.

[tomd2103]

Talk about extremes , we've gone from buying young cheap prospects to now buying over the hill free rejects . Our last 3 signings - Grant Holt, Philipp Senderos and Joe Cole.
I'm not sure the club knows what it's doing .

Absolving themselves of any blame from the fans?  I can see a sentiment similar to "we buy young, inexperienced players and they moan.  We buy older, experienced players and they moan.  There is just no pleasing this lot" being trotted out at some point this season.  That sentiment of course missing the point that the fans just want to see good, committed players no matter what their age.   

[QBVILLA]

Seen plenty of comments about him being past his best. Well at his best he was playing in the CL, representing England and trousering the best part of £100k a week. Not wishing to be disrepectful to our club, but if he wasn't past his best we'd have absolutely feck all chance of signing him. He isn't as good as he was but he is better than what we already have because if you haven't noticed we've been shit for the past four years.

There's always the option of signing players who haven't peaked yet, of course. Meaning ones who are further along the line than the dross we've bought in recent seasons.

We did that in previous seasons with Young £9.5m, Milner £12m and Downing £12m.  Haven't been able to afford that since so it's been bigger gambles on Lowton,Westwood etc. I'm hoping with the signing of Cole the likes of Westwood can progress and whilst I doubt they'll become £20m players like Young and co they will benefit from having a player alongside them who has been at the very top. We've had too many players in the side over the past two seasons in particular who haven't peaked yet so my thinking on it is a blend of experience will be beneficial to both the present and the near future.

[cannock villa]

Imagine if we'd have the internet years ago. Post from 1980- Can't believe we sold fans favourite and prolific goal scorer last year Andy Gray, and now we've bought that journey man Peter Withe, sack Saunders.
Post from 1989- Can't believe we've bought that cripple from Man United Paul McGrath, past his best and will never be fit enough, sack Taylor.

[pauliewalnuts]

Imagine if we'd have the internet years ago. Post from 1980- Can't believe we sold fans favourite and prolific goal scorer last year Andy Gray, and now we've bought that journey man Peter Withe, sack Saunders.
Post from 1989- Can't believe we've bought that cripple from Man United Paul McGrath, past his best and will never be fit enough, sack Taylor.

Not having a go at you, cannock villa, but every single time there is a contentious signing, someone rolls that one out.

[QBVILLA]

Imagine if we'd have the internet years ago. Post from 1980- Can't believe we sold fans favourite and prolific goal scorer last year Andy Gray, and now we've bought that journey man Peter Withe, sack Saunders.
Post from 1989- Can't believe we've bought that cripple from Man United Paul McGrath, past his best and will never be fit enough, sack Taylor.

Not having a go at you, cannock villa, but every single time there is a contentious signing, someone rolls that one out.

Well we're all pundits. If you go back through these pages there'll be posters heralding the signings of N'Zogbia and Ireland and slamming the spunking of £7million on some unknown Belgian kid. Time will tell with Cole as with every other signing whether it was a good move or not.

[malckennedy]

Imagine if we'd have the internet years ago. Post from 1980- Can't believe we sold fans favourite and prolific goal scorer last year Andy Gray, and now we've bought that journey man Peter Withe, sack Saunders.
Post from 1989- Can't believe we've bought that cripple from Man United Paul McGrath, past his best and will never be fit enough, sack Taylor.

Not having a go at you, cannock villa, but every single time there is a contentious signing, someone rolls that one out.

Perhaps they do (though I can't say I've seen it). That doesn't make the point any less valid.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Imagine if we'd have the internet years ago. Post from 1980- Can't believe we sold fans favourite and prolific goal scorer last year Andy Gray, and now we've bought that journey man Peter Withe, sack Saunders.
Post from 1989- Can't believe we've bought that cripple from Man United Paul McGrath, past his best and will never be fit enough, sack Taylor.

Not having a go at you, cannock villa, but every single time there is a contentious signing, someone rolls that one out.

Perhaps they do (though I can't say I've seen it). That doesn't make the point any less valid.

new one on me too, and valid

can't see the problem with signing Cole, nothing to lose and lots to gain. May well be 6 years too late but he is still the best midfielder on our books at the moment

[supertom]

I'd prefer taking the punt on 32 year old Joe Cole as opposed to 32 year old Hoolahan (who'd have cost a fee too). At the top of their respective games, Cole is a much better player. Hoolahan couldn't get in the Norwich side under 2 different managers last season. He's also had form and fitness issues as Cole has.
Granted, Hoolahan has performed better in more recent history, but even so, he's probably had a solid 18 months at Premiership level (without really standing out that much), where-as Cole has played at the highest level all his career. He's played a lot in Europe, and in 3 World Cups too.

I'd much rather take the gamble on Joe Cole getting close to his best form, than Hoolahan. It may have been a more assured bet on Hoolahan. But I prefer gambling on a potentially very good player, over a potentially okay player.

Lambert at least has previous using a number 10 style player in Hoolahan. That position isn't alien to his style, so I would hope he can get the best out of what Cole has left now.