Joe Cole

[Villa in Denmark]

Counting his daily wages one penny at a time?

[supertom]

Counting his daily wages one penny at a time?

He could still get injured doing that.

[Risso]

I'd pretty well forgotten that he plays for us.  I can just imagine the horror of the chirpy cockney chats between him and Sherwood.

[Matt C]

Likewise I'd forgotten he was here. Spends his days exchanging fitness tips with Vlaar presumably.

[eamonn]

I would have thought 'im and Tim would be thick as thieves. If he is fit then it seems that Grealish and Gil are ahead of him in the "fancy stuff like pass and move" pecking order.

[supertom]

To think at one point it almost seemed like our hopes for actually creating goals for Benteke rested on the fine china shoulders and legs of Mr Joe Cole. Suddenly we've got Grealish getting game time, Zogbia actually playing well, Sinclair and Gil have come in and even Gabby has turned up now. It feels strange to have options.
As such I don't envision Joe Cole playing for the club again. He'll go down as Pires Mk2.

[eamonn]

He'We'll always have Burnley.

[Salsa Party Animal]

is it possible to get fitness back and become top level player ? (For the like of Joe Cole)

[Ian.]

To think at one point it almost seemed like our hopes for actually creating goals for Benteke rested on the fine china shoulders and legs of Mr Joe Cole. Suddenly we've got Grealish getting game time, Zogbia actually playing well, Sinclair and Gil have come in and even Gabby has turned up now. It feels strange to have options.
As such I don't envision Joe Cole playing for the club again. He'll go down as Pires Mk2.

And end up in the "You forget they played for Villa" thread.

[OCD]

To think at one point it almost seemed like our hopes for actually creating goals for Benteke rested on the fine china shoulders and legs of Mr Joe Cole. Suddenly we've got Grealish getting game time, Zogbia actually playing well, Sinclair and Gil have come in and even Gabby has turned up now. It feels strange to have options.
As such I don't envision Joe Cole playing for the club again. He'll go down as Pires Mk2.

This season you could read through the squad list and wonder why we were where we were. The players were there but there was a very limited coaching staff overseeing them, led by someone who lacked outward passion and whose tactics constantly illustrated a lack of confidence in his own players and fear of the opponent. If we were to still to go down, it would be down to Lambert and by the club taking too long to replace him. If the team that showed against Albion had appeared against Stoke and Newcastle, we may well have an additional 4 or 6 points.

[LeeB]

is it possible to get fitness back and become top level player ? (For the like of Joe Cole)

I don't think so. His problem is he breaks down before getting back up to full speed, and the sands of time are against him.

[aj2k77]

is it possible to get fitness back and become top level player ? (For the like of Joe Cole)

Too many injuries as well down the years have taken there toll on him.

[olaftab]

Joe Cole is a very lucky man to squeeze another season's salary sort of money for nothing but now it's time to say goodbye.

[PeterWithesShin]

Tim Sherwood is a big admirer of Joe Cole and believes he still has plenty to offer in claret and blue.

An injury-hit 2014-15 campaign to date has restricted Cole's appearances, meaning the Villa faithful are yet to see the best of former Chelsea man since his arrival in June 2014.

Throughout his football career, Cole has built up an enviable CV, listing prestigious honours including three Premier League trophies, three FA Cups and two League Cups.

And, providing club and player establish a healthy balance between training and playing, the manager believes the 33-year-old remains highly influential - on and off the field.

He said: "Joe is not getting any younger but I still think he's got a part to play. He's not broken by any means.

"He's got great experience.

"I like players who can affect the game and Joe, when he is on the pitch, does that.

"He can score and assist.

"I don't like players who are just out on the pitch - I like them to affect football matches.

"You just have to make sure you nurture him to get the right balance between training and playing because the most important thing is the playing. They need to be at a physical level to deal with the demand.

 "He's good around the place. He's been at every game.

"He's been in the dressing room before the match talking to the players.

"We have a relatively young squad so he's valuable to me."

[Mortimer's Bear]

I can't see him having any great involvement from here on in, I just hope Jack Grealish can learn from him in training.