Carlton Cole splits the opinion of many West Ham fans. In my experience he has been a love him or hate him kind of guy, there is no in-between. With news reaching us that Andy Carroll is set to be signed on a permanent in the summer, is Carlton Cole’s time up? Despite many fans views of Carlton Cole I believe he should be at the club in favour of Andy Carroll next season for a variety of reasons.
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This season we have seen an influx of strikers both in the summer and in January. Modibo Maiga, Andy Carroll, Marouane Chamakh and Wellington Paulista have all joined us, piling the pressure on existing duo Ricardo Vaz Te and Carlton Cole. Unfortunately, with our current style of play, no one has really been given a real chance to make a contribution as far as scoring goals is concerned. One thing is for sure, Carlton Cole is slipping down the same slope as Alou Diarra, Ricardo Vaz Te, Jack Collison, Jordan Spence, Modibo Maiga and probably Chamakh as far as confidence is concerned. This is the reason why I think he may want to leave in the summer as well as the club seemingly pushing him out the door.
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Personally, I think Andy Carroll is a better fit for Big Sam, he is better at holding the ball up but it still rarely leads to anything from what I have seen in his 14 games for us. Admittedly, against Swansea City I thought he played very well, the best I have seen of him but whether he is worth the £17 million and £90,000 a week we would have to pay for him, when we have players like Carlton Cole in the squad, is another question. If Big Sam is still in charge in the summer it is unlikely Cole will get offered a new contract, if only to free up some wages to fund the deal for Carroll. Here are my reasons why we should keep Cole and not make the Carroll deal permanent.
Firstly, Andy Carroll is not a £35 million striker so we are not getting a good deal at £17 million. Secondly, he isn’t even a £17 million striker. £10 million tops is what I would pay for AC, one moderately good season with Newcastle in the Championship (where he scored less goals than Vaz Te) does not make him worth even £10 million. The following season he scored 13 goals in 30 games, not exactly the haul of a £35 million striker. I would just like to get those stats across before anyone comments saying we are getting him at a cut price deal because we are not, at £17 million we are still getting ripped off unless he suddenly starts scoring.
The case for Carlton Cole has been made before. In him we have a loyal player who loves being at the club. We have a guy that, if played in the right system, scores goals. His wages cost less than Carroll yet his performances have not been that far what AC has produced and their goal scoring records prove that. AC may well be a slightly better player overall but is he £40,000 a week better than Cole plus a fee of £17 million to get him? I don’t think he is, especially when we got Demba Ba for a lot cheaper, even if Ba had reached the threshold of appearances he only cost £7million.
Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te were fantastic for us in the Championship and played very well together. When both of them were playing at any one time we would have one of them in form. Vaz Te worked brilliantly off Cole and I think they could produce the same if given the chance up front together this season and next. Everyone knows I love Vaz Te but until he is given a chance in his rightful position with someone else up top I refuse to listen or believe anyone who tells me he cannot produce at the top level, exactly the same situation with Maiga.
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Unfortunately it looks likely that Big Sam will stay on and thus Carlton Cole’s West Ham career will be over. Maiga and Vaz Te may well be sold too and losing those three guys will be big losses for us. For their careers it will be the best move but I will be gutted if my prediction is correct. Carlton Cole has been a fantastic servant for West Ham over the years, he still loves the club despite the abuse he gets from some fans and I am not sure I will ever be able to love Andy Carroll as much as I love Carlton Cole. Of course, I am biased, I will openly admit that but when you look at the facts of the case, is letting Carlton Cole for an overpriced, overpaid striker who just fits a bad system slightly better but still lacks goals the right decision? I don’t think so. I will eat my words regarding Andy Carroll and will openly apologise on this site if he suddenly starts banging them in and starts performing like a £17 million striker and you can hold me to that. However, my love for Carlton Cole will never die, even if he leaves this summer, which in my opinion, would be terrible for the club.
How is “word reaching” you that AC will be signed? I happen to agree that he will, but no terms have been discussed with the player so what do you know that nobody else does?
“Word Reaching” that Andy Carroll will be signed?? is this in the stars/horoscopes?? – if we can afford to pay £80K a week and £17 Million for someone who has scored 2 goals then if I was such as Reid,Tomkins,Collison & Noble I would be looking for another club who would offer me a fair deal and I don’t think they are on £80K a week!
Lads who have just replied. Please read what I have actually written. I haven’t said word has reached me, I said news has reached US as West Ham fans from DS’s mouth himself saying a fee has been agreed, personal terms are next. In my opinion, along with what DS said in the summer that they were willing to buy him for a huge amount of money and pay his huge wages, is fairly conclusive evidence that a permanent deal is set to happen, providing no one else steps in, like Newcastle for instance.
dont want carrol dont want fat sam he only knows long ball, look at it today anyone could have beat us,he is clueless come summer hope their both gone get dicanio in he at least knows how play football,if carrol is injured and cole whos he going to put up front our goalie, go sam for the good of west ham.
Completely agree. Maiga, Vaz Te, Paulista and even Chamakh to a certain extent are all strikers that need to be playing with strike partners. What is the point in having them if he is only ever going to play 1 up front and play the negative rubbish that we all witnessed today. Frustrates the hell out of me.
All DS has said is what we already knew when Carroll signed. We have an agreement with Liverpool to sign him for £17M at the end of the season. That’s not new information and I think it’s far from certain that we will sign him permanently. The brutally honest truth is that he needs to be playing in a much better side than us in order to play to his potential, so I’d be very surprised if he stayed with us. As for Cole, who knows? He’s ok, but never going to be a free scoring striker, but will we ever have that again?
I just assumed as he has come out recently and affirmed that they have agreed a fee that perhaps it is becoming a more serious reality. I think he would be a complete waste of money myself. Then again, we could sign Ronaldo up top on his own and he wouldn’t be able to do anything in Big Sam’s system lol.
ok cole is not a free scoring striker but nor is carroll let them both go along with big sam and start again in the summer.
i agree mate bring in slaven bilic that was painfull watching that crap yesterday i as a westham fan have zero confidence going into games at the moment we need to change the style we play otherwise we could find ourselves dragged into a dog fight
Shhhh! Don’t tell Sullivan that AC sux. We need to sell him. I feel your pain though really as a Liverpool fan. Love Andy but so frustrating. He is a scorer of great goals but not a great scorer of goals. All the moaning at the officials and all the actual falling down (not diving, slipping!)…and don’t get me started on the jogging around doing nothing. He will bag you some great last minute winners but he won’t carry a team to glory.
sorry landon 17m you must be joking AC going back north and you can take SA with him i cant watch this football any longer i hate to say it but come home harry all is forgiven.
Why can’t we keep both, He is Loyal quite unknown nowdays
I agree, think AC is not worth 17 million and far from it. He don’t score enough like he is meant to. As for Cole I think he has been a great player for us and has played over 200 games says a lot for the man and in my eyes slowly becoming a legend, but what you lot don’t seem to understand is that Cole is a holding player and is meant to feed players in, he isn’t going to score you 20 goals a season but he might get you 10 so for being a holding player he has be superb and does his job very very well.
Agree keep both , but goin on match against Aston Villa we should sack BFS gdial kicking options on the field is hopeless bring in Paulista and Chamakh can’t rely on Carroll all the time similar to Carlton Cole
Fuck Andy Carroll his shit against villa he didnt do nothing he can’t pass or shoot his a lazy striker play Cole up front all day long
Got to get rid of the dead wood . Tomkins is the worst defender in the league . No talent , no brain . If he learnt from his MANY mistakes he might just make a Championship player . Noble is loyal but way out of his depth . No comment about Cole !!!!
Noble out of his depth, why is he been watched by england then? He’s probably our best player alongside reid! Don’t criticise unless you watch west ham week in week out. Admittedly noble had poor game against villa but otherwise he been very consistent this season and is about the only player in our team with creativity!
Carlton Cole has knee issues which make him a rotational striker at most, so lets hope he stays and Gollivans get on with bringing in some quality ‘goal-scorers’…….
Watching yesterday’s game was like having my heart ripped out . What SA dished up was totally not WHU. Hoof ball, players that look like carthorses, no pace, no creativity. Carlton Cole is a loyal WHU player but what does he offer that is different to AC. Lets set up 4 4 2 and try and play some attacking footbal. We didn’t deserve to win yesterday, a team low on confidence, young and inexperienced and we set up defensively as per SA does every weekend.Come Sam, grow some balls
I honestly dont think we can improve as a club if we keep playing with only one striker. Which top scorer will come only to be put on the wing or on the bench? Then we are caught in some sort of catch 22. If that is the case we need to go for proper wingers that are a pure goal scoring threat as well. Players that will cost big big punds and who will chose top 4 clubs over us.
Im sure there are a lot clauses and installments to be met if we are to sign Carroll. If he starts scoring goals we might be in for him, for maybe £10-12M. If not we surely wont take up the option. And certainly not at £90K a week as it will destoy wage structure totally. Maybe £40k and as much based on the team winning/him scoring loads of goals or delivering goal scoring assists.
Playing Cole up front with a regular partner would see him score goals I’m sure. He’s much more mobile than Carroll, a lot faster and chases more down. Carroll is incredibly slow, therefore playing him up on his own does not work to the best of the team. Playing Cole with him would add some attacking mentality and Cole would get onto the flick ons faster than Nolan and co. The fans need to realise that Cole isn’t “the worst player to ever wear the shirt” and we need him.
I agree CC is far better as the only striker as he actually can run channels,beat his man and pass.AC is a 1trick pony or donkey! BFS gets more wrong as the season progresses, Av have very bad fullbacks and we leave all our pace on the bench? To sum it up Jussi is over the hill, Taylor not prem class,Nolan and JC you can’t play both as they don’t defend, centre midfield can’t cope when we lose the ball and fullbacks have no covering pace, lucky to of got early points as worst footballing team in the prem after QPR and Stoke on yesterday’s showing.
How the hell can fans come on here and whinge about Cole, Noble and Tomkins when that joke of a player Nolan is picked week in week out despite being totally and utterly useless….He reminds of a schoolboy in the playground goalhanging…I despair !!!!!
Andy C looks to fit Big S style, but the style doesn’t allow the knock downs. If CC was given knock downs then he would be just as effective. CC is also quicker and chases opposing defenders down, AC doesn’t. Keep CC, don’t sign AC.
Get rid of AC his useless can’t pass or score he couldn’t finish his dinner very unfit to put the WHU kit on keep CC does a lot more than AC
Imho AC is miles ahead of CC and he is also much younger. If it is possible i would hold on to AC though CC is not bad as a back-up. I would extend his contract for another 2 years or so.