Joe Cole

[Chris Smith]

It is noticeable that last season the complaint was 'no more of the young and hungry approach, we need proven PL experience'. We get that experience and all of a sudden 32 is past it.

The complaint isn't just about his age, that's totally misleading, as I suspect you know, Chris.

It is that he hasn't managed to do much in the last several years.

Nobody would be moaning about Barry who is the same age. Why? Because he proved as recently as last season that he still had it.

People weren't just asking for "age" or "experience" last season - I'd have thought it was a given that any player with those attributes would still be able to offer something on the pitch.

Of course 'some' people are making a thing of his age. The same as 'some' people criticised the buying younger players or foreign players or home grown players. In other words, for a few people whatever the club do is the opposite of what they should do.

Like everyone else I have no idea how Cole will turn out but he is the type of player we have missed for a while and at the same time adds much needed experience. Fingers crossed that he delivers.

[silhillvilla]

Beginning to think we are getting outside advice from somewhere now.
Keane, slenderos, cole. None of this is lambert work

[PaulWinch again]

I'd love us to sign Barry, he'd make a massive difference.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'd love us to sign Barry, he'd make a massive difference.

For starters there'll be XL kit to buy in the white tent next summer. Which is a bonus for us bigger sods.

[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.

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.

I didn't mean that we get things wrong, so much that those two signings get rolled out - the implication being that sometimes signings which look highly unlikely to work out, do work out very well.

Given that the first of them was 35 years ago, and the second 25 years ago, two examples in that sort of time frame renders it a pretty meaningless comparison.

It's all very well and good saying '...but every single time there is a contentious signing, someone rolls that one out.' paulie. And you are right.
But as long as people judge a player on his previous history, before he's even kicked a ball for us, this will always happen.
Joe Cole could turn out to be another Paul Merson, Philippe Senderos could be a Martin Lausen,  then again they might not.

Which was exactly my point.

Rolling out examples of players who did work out is of absolutely no relevance. They might work out, they might not.

If you agree that the signings might work out why are you so negative about them?

[Steve R]

Thank you Olaf, Louzie, PWS.

[N'ZMAV]

Joe Cole in the middle of the park for 20 games next season will be an improvement on any player we had last season in that role.

[Rancid custard]

He definitely has something to offer and a point to prove so I'm all for it, his injury record does worry me though. I never really saw him working out at West Ham with Allardyce there, didn't really seem like his kind of player. What's interesting is they didn't want fuck all for him.

[john e]

Beginning to think we are getting outside advice from somewhere now.
Keane, slenderos, cole. None of this is lambert work

It's not that clever, they were both on frees

[claret and blue blood]

Beginning to think we are getting outside advice from somewhere now.
Keane, slenderos, cole. None of this is lambert work

thought the same last night listening to Joe Cole,who is advising ?

[mr underhill]

 happy Harry Redknapp's dibbs is all over this one, I'll be bound.

[nigel]

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.

I didn't mean that we get things wrong, so much that those two signings get rolled out - the implication being that sometimes signings which look highly unlikely to work out, do work out very well.

Given that the first of them was 35 years ago, and the second 25 years ago, two examples in that sort of time frame renders it a pretty meaningless comparison.

It's all very well and good saying '...but every single time there is a contentious signing, someone rolls that one out.' paulie. And you are right.
But as long as people judge a player on his previous history, before he's even kicked a ball for us, this will always happen.
Joe Cole could turn out to be another Paul Merson, Philippe Senderos could be a Martin Lausen,  then again they might not.

Which was exactly my point.

Rolling out examples of players who did work out is of absolutely no relevance. They might work out, they might not.

But it is relevant, mate.
At the time these players mentioned were thought to be past their best.
Surely the fact we now know they worked out is irrelevant, as at the time of signing we didn't know what was to come.
Senderos and Cole fall into this category.

The point cannock villa (and I also posted something similar, too) is making is, if this forum, and others, had been around back then what would the fans have been saying?
Andy Gray was my hero, and when he was sold I was devastated. His replacement, Peter effing Withe, ex blues reject!!
How chuffing wrong was I? That's why Ron Saunders is a better judge than me 

[KevinGage]

And the very reasonable point Paulie made earlier is having to dredge the dark recesses of time to cite examples like Withe and McGrath  shows how much of a gamble it is. 

I'm sure 99.9% of us on here want the deal to work out. I can't understand why any Villa fan wouldn't want that.   But his age and injury record mean the odds are stacked against it.

It was interesting to see his comments after leaving Liverpool too.  Essentially, he said he never should have signed for the club as he never really wanted to be there and never had a connection with the club or fans. 

On joining, he said he was joining a bigger club than Chelsea, and his best years were ahead of him.

We all know players say that kind of guff when they join, so I'm not going to be swayed by what he said yesterday (as good as it was to hear a player talking us up, rather than the likes of Dunne and Ireland talking about joining a 'nice family club'). 

[Rolta]

And the very reasonable point Paulie made earlier is having to dredge the dark recesses of time to cite examples like Withe and McGrath  shows how much of a gamble it is. 

I'm sure 99.9% of us on here want the deal to work out. I can't understand why any Villa fan wouldn't want that.   But his age and injury record mean the odds are stacked against it.

It was interesting to see his comments after leaving Liverpool too.  Essentially, he said he never should have signed for the club as he never really wanted to be there and never had a connection with the club or fans. 

On joining, he said he was joining a bigger club than Chelsea, and his best years were ahead of him.

We all know players say that kind of guff when they join, so I'm not going to be swayed by what he said yesterday (as good as it was to hear a player talking us up, rather than the likes of Dunne and Ireland talking about joining a 'nice family club').

Maybe it comes down to this: do you want to look for reasons to be positive or look for reasons to be negative? They be the choices.

I'd say you're gunning for reasons to be negative! He might work out or he might not, but personally I am convinced he's a better option (even from the bench) than what we had last season. He'd be a better option even if he was in a wheelchair, and I think it's reasonable to say we'll never have to worry about that. In light of where we're at as a club, this all positive for me.   

[malckennedy]

And the very reasonable point Paulie made earlier is having to dredge the dark recesses of time to cite examples like Withe and McGrath  shows how much of a gamble it is. 

I'm sure 99.9% of us on here want the deal to work out. I can't understand why any Villa fan wouldn't want that.   But his age and injury record mean the odds are stacked against it.

It was interesting to see his comments after leaving Liverpool too.  Essentially, he said he never should have signed for the club as he never really wanted to be there and never had a connection with the club or fans. 

On joining, he said he was joining a bigger club than Chelsea, and his best years were ahead of him.

We all know players say that kind of guff when they join, so I'm not going to be swayed by what he said yesterday (as good as it was to hear a player talking us up, rather than the likes of Dunne and Ireland talking about joining a 'nice family club'). 

Citing the examples of the player who scored the goals that won us the league and European Cup and the player widely regarded as the club's best post war centre back is hardly "dredging the dark recesses of time". These are stand out signings who were enjoyed by many on this site, they do not have to be dredged for. We may easily add the example of Merson and all 3 were felt to be signings of players who had had their day.