Joe Cole’s second spell with West Ham is coming to an end, according to ‘Claret and Hugh’.
The 32-year-old hasn’t had the most successful of returns to Upton Park and – depending on your opinion – this is because he isn’t up to the job anymore or because Sam Allardyce has played him out of position.
Cole has also had his fair share of injuries and with his contract up in the summer, it sounds like he will pursue his next career option as a free agent.
Cole is believed to have issues over Big Sam’s selection policy, most notably against Chelsea earlier in the season, when he was subbed off early against his former club and stormed straight down the tunnel.
What are your thoughts on Joe Cole’s homecoming?
I would rather have Joe Cole in the team than Matt Taylor, Jack Collison or Ricardo Vaz Te
Those 3 are Championship players. Joe is a proven Premiership player. He is our joint top scorer isn’t he?!
Joe Cole is NOT a Premiership player. He has lost pace, makes the wrong choices on passing and does not track back enough or quick enough when he tries to.
Would he walk into any other Premiership side….o he wouldn’t. He was a bad signing based on emotion rather than plan for the future.
I agree Collison, Vaz Te and Tylor are Championship players…..that’s why we are where we are…..we have few Premiership players….Noble, Read, Carroll,Jarvis…that’s it.
Sorry Tony but I think that Joey Cole has had his day albeit that he does provide the occasional goal. When you see him run twenty yards then stand there panting with his hands on his hips one could be forgiven for suspecting that he may be a forty per day smoker.
Taylor, Collison & Vaz Te are Championship players as, proven of late, is Nolan. We need a complete overhaul of our midfield plus the acquisition of a couple of strikers.
Joe loves West Ham and despite him not being at his best this season, please give this a thought; if you are playing for the team you love who is managed by some fat Northern imbecile who insists on picking his chosen few week in week out despite their poor performances in their preferred positions and you were either left on the bench, played out of position to accommodate his favourites, or humiliated by being substituted before half time……..would you want to play for him?
I might be wrong but I do think that Joe Cole does actually WANT to play for us and that has always got to be a plus in this day and age. Unless your there in the dressing room there’s no way of knowing whether there is a genuine rift between the player and manager. I just don’t understand why Allardyce would sign him if he didn’t fancy him – or was it his signing ? maybe a sentimental chairman’s choice – hence the lack of game time ?
I’d still pick him ahead of Nolan at the moment though. We have too many players out of form at the same time, who knows maybe the hard pre-season has taken it’s toll. As long as we finish above bottom 3 this season, we should just write it off and move on to the next one.
I understand what you are saying but the points are;
If he is a professional and takes his salary he should play to the best of his ability every week for the team, which he doesn’t. Many players are not in their ‘ ideal’ position but play where their manager wants them to.
2. He just isn’t good enough for the Premiership now. He had great talent several years ago but even then never got to the level he should have been at with his talent
3. I personally don’t care if Joe Cole loves the club or not. It’s a job to him and his Father will put him wherever the money is good regardless of any love for any club,that’s why he will go to QPR next.
Steve is right Joey loves West ham and we love Joey , but Steve they are right Joey looks f**ked ( sorry) by halftime you are right in saying he is being played out of position but he is a prim player and needs to deal with it, and that my hammer friends is bad Management , BFS OUT !!!!.
I agree he is past it but look at players like Taylor Nolan collison vaz te shouldn’t we be releasing them before joey cole he’s out 2nd top scorer ain’t he aswell ?
Joe Cole is finished – he’s blowing out of his arse after 20 mins – he just can’t keep up any more – defensively he’s a liability & whatever magic he had in an attacking sense has gone – no time for sentiment – Matt Taylor , Vaz Te , Nolan , Macartney , & O’Brien all too old – get rid along with BFS !
Cant believe ppl think j cole is finished. We gotta keep him surely? .
Joe Cole has not got the stamina anymore but if you wanted to bring somebody on to score a goal he is a much more clinical finisher than any of the others that have been mentioned.
If we got Parker back got rid of Nolan and played Joe off Carroll with his reading of the game he would score a lot of goals and Parker with the help of Noble and Diame would be a lot tighter and proactive in midfield
I’m afraid Joe’s legs have gone, blowing in the 1st half the other day. but keep him at the club in a coaching role, the lot we have at the moment are not bringing any players into the 1st team.
I would rather Joe Cole than Kevin Nolan any day of the week
Many think he’s not the same player we had 10 years ago, and whilst I would agree, I also think that it can’t be very enjoyable or motivating playing in a team with such boring tactics and such a lack of creativity. Many would love to see him given a chance more centrally, but even when Kevin Nolan got suspended recently, Allardyce instead brought Matt Taylor into the middle (a winger, btw). We have creative players, Noble, Cole, Morrison, Jarvis and Downing are all very good players technically, capable of passing the ball (on the floor) and maintaining possession, but I feel that that they are all constrained to an extent by Allardyce’s tactics. Stewart Downing must notice it most, going from playing with Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, to Kevin Nolan and Modibo Maiga
Gold and Sulivan really need to put an end to the rot at Westham. We have brought in proven players and thaty have been ruined by the Rot… Allerdyce. Before gets rid of any more good players and brings in more of the crap he has wasted so much money on he needs to be remove. In answer. Keep Joe Cole, bye bye Allerdyce. Bring in Demba and Ince, use Potts and other youngsters to strengthen our Backline. Nolan out until his attitude changes and make Noble Captain
spot on my son.
Not the player he was pre injuries and age caught up with him. Unfortunately for us Chelsea probably saw his best years as a player.
Joe has not performed well because we have a clown as a coach who persists in playing a dreadful Nolan and building a team around him leaving other players playing out of position or even on the bench. Joe has lost his sparkle due to being played on the wing and its allardyce that’s the problem as he actually thinks his a good coach.
It should be allardyce and nolan GONE.
I totally agree with John. I hope someone at west ham reads these feeds and realises the discontent the fans have with this allar-dick nolan situation. How can any manager consider playing joe cole out of position game after game to allow nolan to stand in the middle of the park watching the game play around him. Ok JC is not the player he used to be, he spent his best days on chelsea bench, but he still has that flair and creativity we need to make real chances.
There is no belief at upton park anymore. Against west brom we had a goal kick with one minure on the clock and 8 of our players were still in our own half! No attempt to push up and give Jussi a target to aim for.
Also can I also ask…. what is big sams problem with perhaps trying to play C Cole and Maiga at the same time?
Perhaps Vaz Te should be given a more striker type roll like in the championship. He has proved when he is focussed he can bang them away….. just saying like.
Yes i agree scoring goals wins games it also takes the pressure of the defence play 442 we have NATURAL wide men in joey downing jarvis and even vaz te why not try this formation? The current one isn’t working.!
we should be booing sam and nolan till they go win lise or draw