The Palace Fan 1,624 Posted November 13, 2018 Joe Cole has announced his retirement after 20 years as a professional footballer. The 37-year-old, who won 56 caps for England and scored 10 goals for his country, was last playing for the Tampa Ray Rowdies in the USA. @True Blue @Cicero @Spike @Bluewolf @carefreeluke @The Liquidator Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
True Blue 837 Posted November 13, 2018 Loved Joe Cole, he was great for us. Always felt he would be much bigger than he was. After leaving Liverpool he was never on top level, think his best years were with us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaaC (John) 1,974 Posted November 13, 2018 Good old Joe Cole, I think he should have just stayed at Chelsea and agree on what @True Blue said: "After leaving Liverpool he was never on top level, think his best years were with us..." 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluewolf 3,102 Posted November 13, 2018 Joe Cole is one of those players you never seem to see growing old... 20 years in the game is a good innings.. I wish him luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6666 776 Posted November 13, 2018 I'm thinking most people, like me, thought he already retired a few years ago... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cicero 3,283 Posted November 13, 2018 Legend. Won us the title in 2006. Many tend to forget he was constantly played out of position to accommodate Lamps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smiley Culture 1,148 Posted November 13, 2018 Undoubtedly a good spell at Chelsea but he never quite reached the heights he could of, did he? A flair player that had some unbelievable technical ability, the sort that we’re not used to from English players and we saw flashes of sheer brilliance from Cole, the goal at Köln vs Sweden for England, but I don’t think he reached the level he could have. Chelsea was undoubtedly his best spell but injuries curtailed him at times. He could have been one of the best players we’ve produced for a long time. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stan 7,389 Posted November 13, 2018 25 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said: Undoubtedly a good spell at Chelsea but he never quite reached the heights he could of, did he? A flair player that had some unbelievable technical ability, the sort that we’re not used to from English players and we saw flashes of sheer brilliance from Cole, the goal at Köln vs Sweden for England, but I don’t think he reached the level he could have. Chelsea was undoubtedly his best spell but injuries curtailed him at times. He could have been one of the best players we’ve produced for a long time. Pretty much my feelings as well. Had a great season or two at Chelsea but could have amounted to so much more. For someone that good, you don't end up at clubs like Coventry or Tampa Bay Rowdies (!). Had he not been so injury-prone, perhaps his career could have taken a more fortunate turn. Also gotta say I'm in the 'didn't know he was still playing and thought he retired a few years ago' club. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cicero 3,283 Posted November 13, 2018 Was also a reason Hazard joined us. Remember Cole stating that during his time at Lille, Hazard used to ask him how it was like at Chelsea. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaaC (John) 1,974 Posted November 13, 2018 That's 3 of Chelsea's ' Golden Oldies' retired now, Cole at 37 the same age as John Terry and Drogba at 40 years old, Oh, I forgot about Frank Lampard at 40 but I don't think he has retired as he is a manager with Derby County. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cicero 3,283 Posted November 13, 2018 1 hour ago, Teso dos Bichos said: How predictable!! Another one of those players who would of been average if it wasn't for Mourinho, who did wonders with him. Mourinho lost his brilliance after 2010 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danny 974 Posted November 13, 2018 Scored the greatest England tournament goal my lifetime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LFCMike 1,204 Posted November 13, 2018 I can't believe he carried on this long. He was fucked after 10 minutes whenever he played for us 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Gonzo 3,578 Posted November 13, 2018 12 minutes ago, LFCMike said: I can't believe he carried on this long. He was fucked after 10 minutes whenever he played for us He was so abysmal for us. Typical Hodgson LFC signing - well past it and nowhere near good enough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Palace Fan 1,624 Posted November 13, 2018 Regarding fulfilling his potential - from 2005 until about 2008 I would say he was playing at his full potential. He was an important figure in a title winning side and one of the first names on the England team sheet. Which I'm sure is what everybody hoped he would become. The difficult thing is we all presumed he would be playing at his full potential for a lot longer. Injuries did hamper him and he will always have unfinished business lingering over his name at West Ham where the fans would have expected more from him in their shirt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Gonzo 3,578 Posted November 13, 2018 14 minutes ago, The Palace Fan said: Regarding fulfilling his potential - from 2005 until about 2008 I would say he was playing at his full potential. He was an important figure in a title winning side and one of the first names on the England team sheet. Which I'm sure is what everybody hoped he would become. The difficult thing is we all presumed he would be playing at his full potential for a lot longer. Injuries did hamper him and he will always have unfinished business lingering over his name at West Ham where the fans would have expected more from him in their shirt. I think what stopped him from continuing to play at a top level after he left Chelsea was definitely his fitness. As @LFCMike said, he'd be absolutely spent by the 10th minute in matches. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JOSHBRFC 451 Posted November 13, 2018 Such a good player to watch in his prime. His goal against Sweden in the World Cup sticks out whenever i think of Joe Cole. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cicero 3,283 Posted November 14, 2018 15 hours ago, JOSHBRFC said: Such a good player to watch in his prime. His goal against Sweden in the World Cup sticks out whenever i think of Joe Cole. Making Vidic and Rio look like proper mugs will forever be my favorite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SirBalon 2,606 Posted November 14, 2018 One of my favourite English footballers of his generation and one I thought was discriminated against due to size and stature at the time which was before the full change in mentality her in the UK where footballers are concerned. Such a class player. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gunnersauraus 523 Posted November 14, 2018 21 hours ago, Danny said: Scored the greatest England tournament goal my lifetime. Was Owens against Argentina before your time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cicero 3,283 Posted November 15, 2018 Was only that ACL injury in 2009. Other than that, he was pretty much injury free. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spike 2,121 Posted November 15, 2018 On 13/11/2018 at 10:57, Teso dos Bichos said: How predictable!! Another one of those players who would of been average if it wasn't for Mourinho, who did wonders with him. Not true at all. Mourinho drilled the flair out of him to make defensive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vegan Kel 171 Posted November 15, 2018 Always liked him and wanted us to sign him from West Ham. He had a very good career but I don't feel we saw anywhere near his potential. he should have been a world beater. I remember him absolutely mugging Roy Keane off all game when he was 17 (think we drew 2-2) and not many players did that. I honestly believe that if he had played under Ferguson or Wenger rather than Mourinho we'd have seen a very different Joe Cole, one that actually played in his natural position for starters, and he'd be talked about the way Gazza is Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cicero 3,283 Posted December 28, 2018 Taking on a coaching role in the academy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
