Sale of Andy Cole, biggest mistake of last season????

Toffa

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I am probably covering old ground here? but
IMO the biggest regret was letting Any go last season!!! and on the cheap!! If he had stayed for 2 more months i think he would have found that
he would have had a bigger part to play last season, than he first thought!!! And dare i say it?? he might have made the england world cup squad!!!! I would have loved to see andy get a good run with RVN. cos andy's link up play was second to none!!!
 
Agree, but it's too late now... forget him and let's concentrate on what we have... :p
 
Originally posted by Toffa:
<strong>I am probably covering old ground here? but
IMO the biggest regret was letting Any go last season!!! and on the cheap!! If he had stayed for 2 more months i think he would have found that
he would have had a bigger part to play last season, than he first thought!!! And dare i say it?? he might have made the england world cup squad!!!! I would have loved to see andy get a good run with RVN. cos andy's link up play was second to none!!!</strong><hr></blockquote>


Cheap? 8m for a 30 year old. I would rather have hung on to Sheringham.
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Originally posted by dmode:
<strong>Agree, but it's too late now... forget him and let's concentrate on what we have... :p </strong><hr></blockquote>

That's the problem apart from RVN and Ole we don't have anything unless Scholes is the back up. Diego has shown virtually no aptitude for the role unfortunately. It is history, quite right, but the Cole sale was a huge error. As always the money was too good to turn down and Fergie listened sympathetically to Cole's concerns regarding the WC. Ironically had Cole been told to knuckle down and fight for a place and had he done that successfully he could well have gone to the WC. He would certainly have been featuring a lot this season had he stayed. Without him we are desperately thin on the ground as far as srikers are concerned.
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It was a good deal for us IMO, I mean when Cole left who would have thought Yorke would become so disinterested leave too. At that moment of time it was alright, cos Forlan was joining us. Moreover, we wouldn't have seen Ole form such a striving partnership with RVN. That said, if Cole were here in the team NOW I seriously won't mind.
 
It amazes me how many Andy Cole fans there are on here. For me, he was THE most frustrating player, past or present, to pull a shirt for our club.

The man was a tremendous athlete, and his running created chances for himself and others that otherwise wouldnt have been there.... BUT he was NOT a quality striker.

The accusations that he needed 5 chances to score were TRUE. I'm made up that he moved on, and good luck to him.

<img src="graemlins/keano.gif" border="0" alt="[Keano]" />
 
Originally posted by MancFanFromManc:
<strong>...and good luck to him.

<img src="graemlins/keano.gif" border="0" alt="[Keano]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

ear ear :D
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Originally posted by MancFanFromManc:
<strong>It amazes me how many Andy Cole fans there are on here. For me, he was THE most frustrating player, past or present, to pull a shirt for our club.

The man was a tremendous athlete, and his running created chances for himself and others that otherwise wouldnt have been there.... BUT he was NOT a quality striker.

The accusations that he needed 5 chances to score were TRUE. I'm made up that he moved on, and good luck to him.

<img src="graemlins/keano.gif" border="0" alt="[Keano]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
He made 5 chances to score in a game because his movement was so good, and hence scored lots of goals - in fact he had an excellent goalscoring record for us, which is why he deserves more respect than that.
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I cant agree Neil.

With all the chances he created (and like I said I appreciate his work rate) he should have been the finest striker to ever grace our league.

Part of my frustration is for the player himself.

I know all about his goals to games ratio, but his goals to chances ratio is appalling. Its all about opinions but he never did it for me.
 
I think a fair amount of respect should be given to the guy, even though I am not his biggest fan.
 
Ashley Grimes = wonderful player! :D
if coley would have stayed he would have just got more and more frustrated not getting the games he wanted. therefore there was no point keeping an unsettled player. now he's a big fishy one in a small murky black pudding pond that is Blackburn Pie-Eaters. Goal King Cole & His Team of Turkey Rolls. + Dwight Donkey-man and El Moustachio, iced fingers, dog droppings and tea with that horrible woman who hangs around the Dwight Yorke Jumbo Hot Dog Stand. Blackburn are a vaguely unpleasant odour which occasionally drifts over from the North. Fubars and Dogshit merchants all.
:mad: :mad: sorry about that, i feel better now i honestly do. <img src="graemlins/angel.gif" border="0" alt="[Angel]" />
 
Originally posted by MancFanFromManc:
[
.

I know all about his goals to games ratio, but his goals to chances ratio is appalling. Its all about opinions but he never did it for me.[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

Sorry that's nonsensical. The fact remains his scoring record was excellent - so what if he missed a some chances and in any case which striker doesn't ? I wonder what you think about his replacement Forlan ? Doesn't create any chances, or very few, and doesn't score any goals !

We miss Andy and his contribution to United should not be dismissed lightly.
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No body 'missed' more than Cole. It used to drive me crazy. If you watch the end of season video's he looked great, but if (like me) you watched him week in week out you'll remember the number of sitters that he spannered.

I'm not moving on this. Its my opinion. If he didnt drive 'you' insane then I'm pleased for you.

The jury's still out on Forlan. Let's wait and see how he does after he's actually started eh.
 
Know this moving from topic but why doesn't everyone get off forlans back!!

He'll be a rabbit caught in the headlights IF he ever starts a game - not sure how everyone thinks he is so crap when he hasn't had any run of games yet
 
Originally posted by MancFanFromManc:
<strong>It amazes me how many Andy Cole fans there are on here. For me, he was THE most frustrating player, past or present, to pull a shirt for our club.

The man was a tremendous athlete, and his running created chances for himself and others that otherwise wouldnt have been there.... BUT he was NOT a quality striker.

The accusations that he needed 5 chances to score were TRUE. I'm made up that he moved on, and good luck to him.

<img src="graemlins/keano.gif" border="0" alt="[Keano]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>


I agree with whoever said it would have been best to keep Sheringham. He wasn't demanding to play every game, just wanted a 2 year contract instead of a one year.

Imo, anyone who doesn't want to play for United first and foremost can leave, and good riddance.
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All right, I know I'm being greedy here. But I wish we had kept both Cole and Sheringham. Yes, Andy did need a few chances to score, but he did create so many chances for himself. And not everyone can finish the way Ole can. As for Teddy, he'd be perfect playing in that link role.

With our strikers a few years ago (with Dwight, Andy, Ole and Teddy), you always knew that any 2 of the 4 strikers could do the job for you. And if for some reason, it wasn't working you could throw the other 2 on. Each of them brought something different to the team. As a unit, our strike force was a lot stronger then.
 
Originally posted by Julian Denny:
<strong>

Sorry that's nonsensical. The fact remains his scoring record was excellent - so what if he missed a some chances and in any case which striker doesn't ? I wonder what you think about his replacement Forlan ? Doesn't create any chances, or very few, and doesn't score any goals !

We miss Andy and his contribution to United should not be dismissed lightly.</strong><hr></blockquote>

When Cole first came to OT he looked like the biggest waste of 7m. (Which is the equivilent of £25m now). Cantona kept looking at him as if someone had crapped on the pitch.

Credit to Cole, he worked at his game. But he was never an international class striker. He scored loads, because United created loads of chances.

Forlan hasn't had anything like the amount of opportunity Cole did when he first came to OT.

The quality of the teams around United is way ahead of what it was for most of the Cole era. Arsenal, Leeds and the Scouse have top quality squads now. It has become much harder for United to win the PL, and it isn't players of Cole's quality which is are going to make the difference.
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Originally posted by Travis Bickle:
<strong>

When Cole first came to OT he looked like the biggest waste of 7m. (Which is the equivilent of £25m now). Cantona kept looking at him as if someone had crapped on the pitch.

Credit to Cole, he worked at his game. But he was never an international class striker. He scored loads, because United created loads of chances.

Forlan hasn't had anything like the amount of opportunity Cole did when he first came to OT.

The quality of the teams around United is way ahead of what it was for most of the Cole era. Arsenal, Leeds and the Scouse have top quality squads now. It has become much harder for United to win the PL, and it isn't players of Cole's quality which is are going to make the difference.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Some interesting arguments there ! Forlan has now made 23 appearances in PL & CL of which 16 have been as sub and no goals in any of them. Cole in his first 17 appearances scored 12 goals. No comparison I think.

The point about the improving standard of the PL is probably valid. However,despite this, Cole seems to have carried on his prolific scoring record with Blackburn - 14 goals from 25 appearances.

By the way the improved level you talk about may have affected one or two others eg Giggs, Beckham, Gary & Phil Neville, Paul Scholes all of whose form has been somewhat patchy to say the least over the last year. Does that mean they aren't the required quality either ?
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has anyone ever considered the horrific notion that our bunch of young lads peaked early and may never match that again? :eek: :eek: :eek: <img src="graemlins/angel.gif" border="0" alt="[Angel]" />
 
Originally posted by Sharkey:
<strong>has anyone ever considered the horrific notion that our bunch of young lads peaked early and may never match that again? :eek: :eek: :eek: <img src="graemlins/angel.gif" border="0" alt="[Angel]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

They peaked mentally rather than physically. If they could recapture the mental strength that won them the Treble, they could easily take Real Madrid, I don't care how many millions they spent on some Brazilian with a shite hairstyle. Or the Frenchman. Or the Portuguese. Imagine the Treble team, playing like they did. Take away Jaap, add Rio. Take away Teddy, Dwight and Andy, add in Ruud. Add in Silvestre's pace. Put O'Shea in place of Ronny. Put Fabien in place of Schmikes. Except for a reserve striker, we look as strong on paper as we were that year. All that's lacking is the mental strength.

Now the good news is this: we can get it back. That's where Keano has a very valid point. We need to get out of the damn comfort zone. And that goes for the fans as well. No more "they're shite, we'll take the 3 points" we have to scream our lungs out at every game just like in 99.

Sorry to go off on a bit of a rant here, but I want so much to see another European Cup... :(
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I was never a great fan of Cole. He had a good goal scoring record but it could have been outstanding if his finishing could have been better. I agree with most of the posts here when they say he was one of the most infuriating players. The amount of chances he made in a match but he still struggled to get 20 in a season.
Selling Cole may have been a mistake but letting Sherringham go was a bigger one. He may have been older but he was a better link man with better finishing ability.
 
How could selling Andy Cole be a mistake when the man wanted to go? You don`t keep a player against their will at a club, especially if they make it clear that they want to be playing every game otherwise they will be very dissatisfied.

Not that I blame Andy for wanting to play every game. He is a true professional and he was for United. Sure he missed chances but I agree with those who point out that he made so many for himself plus he had fantastic service.

As for his first season - he didn`t settle in too badly. Eric knew what he wanted and expected Coley to understand that automatically. Sometimes incredibly gifted people who are natural at what they do cannot understand that others have to work harder at achieving a level that is below theirs. So don`t blame Coley for Eric`s genius that at times overlooked the abilities of lesser mortals.

I think Andy should have stayed. But his ultimatum was play me every game and Sir Alex did not want to do that. So it was good he went to a team like Blackburn and rescued them from the relegation zone.

And while we are on the topic of old strikers, don`t give me that dated crap about why did we dump Dwight? etc. Dwight did the perfect job of ensuring the manager would leave him in limbo. Sorry folks but Sir Alex has a thing about professionals earning their huge salaries and being hungry to want to win everything in sight.

Dwight`s dickhead behaviour off the pitch maybe would not have been so significant if he had given his heart and soul like Keano.

There is no mystery as to why Sir Alex stands by Keano - no matter what our Roy does off the pitch, he gives 1,000 percent whether it is a friendly or a crucial Champions League or Premiership tie. That is the vital difference between Roy and those who have been told they had better look elsewhere.
 
Originally posted by giggsgirl:
<strong>How could selling Andy Cole be a mistake when the man wanted to go? You don`t keep a player against their will at a club, especially if they make it clear that they want to be playing every game otherwise they will be very dissatisfied.
.</strong><hr></blockquote>

That's true but he should have been told to stay as Arsenal did in no uncertain terms with Viera. Clubs can't accede to players wishes in every situation unless it suits them of course. In a way the Cole transfer suited United because it helped "to balance the books" as Kenyon is so fond of saying. From the team point of view letting Cole go at a crucial time of the season was wrong and with Yorke now gone with no sign of a replacement the mistake seems even greater now.
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I agree with Travis Bickle's post.

Andy's gone, move on everyone. Thanks for the goals and the memories.

:cool:
 
Originally posted by Vincent:
<strong>I agree with Travis Bickle's post.

Andy's gone, move on everyone. Thanks for the goals and the memories.

:cool: </strong><hr></blockquote>

Of course it's history but seeing as neither Cole or Yorke have been replaced, how does that affect our future prospects ? That's the relevance of this thread if you think about it. Finally those who can only remember Andy for his misses and not his goals have fallen for Hoddle's propaganda
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Originally posted by Julian Denny:
[QB]

&gt;&gt;Some interesting arguments there ! Forlan has &gt;&gt;now made 23 appearances in PL & CL of which 16 &gt;&gt;have been as sub and no goals in any of them. &gt;&gt;Cole in his first 17 appearances scored 12 &gt;&gt;goals. No comparison I think.

Forlan has effectively made seven starts. Cole was starting from the outset. Some of
Forlan's sub appearences have involved less than 15 mins of play. One of them 3 mins.

Cole's problems as a striker were obvious. He would often score well when the pressure was off. But when the pressure was on - for England for example - he would often dissapear from a game. Hence he was never an international class striker.

If he was such a great striker, why did we sell him on?


&gt;&gt;By the way the improved level you talk about &gt;&gt;may have affected one or two others eg Giggs, &gt;&gt;Beckham, Gary & Phil Neville, Paul Scholes all &gt;&gt;of whose form has been somewhat patchy to say &gt;&gt;the least over the last year. Does that mean &gt;&gt;they aren't the required quality either

Beckham, Giggs and Scholes are world class players. Phil Neville has never been the required quality. The difference is pretty obvious.
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Originally posted by Julian Denny:
<strong>

Andy for his misses and not his goals have fallen for Hoddle's propaganda</strong><hr></blockquote>

West Ham, the championship at stake. That was not Hoddle's propoganda.
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Originally posted by Julian Denny:
<strong>

Ludek Miklosko</strong><hr></blockquote>

He was outstanding but we weren't good enough in front of goal. Cole deserved the flack he took for that match. He never looked confident enough to put the ball away. From what i remember hw was never at his best when the pressure was really on, but i'm sure someone will list a load of games to prove me wrong
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teddy could change a game in the blink of an eye, he should still wear our shirt...
 
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