Andy Cole

[LFEE]

3 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

My first and biggest football heartbreak. 

 

He's got a point about not being mentioned, but that's the price he paid for going to Man United and being another cog in the machine. It's him and Beardsley never being brought up as the best PL partnership that's a travesty. They're the best there's been yet they're talked about, if at all, as a footnote.

Exactly. Beardsley never being spoken about as a PL great actually a bigger travesty.

[Kid Icarus]

14 minutes ago, LFEE said:

Exactly. Beardsley never being spoken about as a PL great actually a bigger travesty.

 

I agree but I kiiind of get it, Beardsley was pretty much a spent force by 1997, with his peak over about 18 months between 93-95. Players that shone bright like that, even the brightest, don't get the accolades they maybe should. The biggest one for me is Suarez, as far as individual seasons go, his is probably the best I've seen, but because he wasn't here for a long time and also because he's such an arsehole he gets overlooked in the all-time stakes. 

[LFEE]

23 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

I agree but I kiiind of get it, Beardsley was pretty much a spent force by 1997, with his peak over about 18 months between 93-95. Players that shone bright like that, even the brightest, don't get the accolades they maybe should. The biggest one for me is Suarez, as far as individual seasons go, his is probably the best I've seen, but because he wasn't here for a long time and also because he's such an arsehole he gets overlooked in the all-time stakes. 

Well… he was brilliant at Liverpool and Everton also unless you are just classing the 1st Divison/PL apart. Which I’d understand if so.

[Kid Icarus]

Just now, LFEE said:

Well… he was brilliant at Liverpool and Everton also unless you are just classing the 1st Divison/PL apart. Which I’d understand if so.

Definitely, but football was invented in 1992 with these things, which is a bit annoying.

[Rafalove]

1 hour ago, Kid Icarus said:

My first and biggest football heartbreak. 

 

He's got a point about not being mentioned, but that's the price he paid for going to Man United and being another cog in the machine. It's him and Beardsley never being brought up as the best PL partnership that's a travesty. They're the best there's been yet they're talked about, if at all, as a footnote.

 

 

 

Watching him name his greatest ever team I’m surprised  he didn’t put Beardsley in there.

[Kid Icarus]

59 minutes ago, Rafalove said:

 

 

 

Watching him name his greatest ever team I’m surprised  he didn’t put Beardsley in there.

Has he done one again? When he was on Soccer AM maybe 10 years ago he had him in. 

[LFEE]

1 hour ago, Rafalove said:

 

 

 

Watching him name his greatest ever team I’m surprised  he didn’t put Beardsley in there.

WTF? His career was down to him 

[pedro111]

Still remember to this day where I was when the news broke that we had sold Andy Cole. It's burned into my memory like when we signed Shearer, or 9/11. He was my first footballing hero. I was 12 years old. He meant everything to us kids back then.

[Rafalove]

8 minutes ago, LFEE said:

WTF? His career was down to him 

 

 

Aye even left himself out the team and went with Yorke and Ruud. 

 

 

Edited April 23 by Rafalove

[STM]

Aye and won a treble. 

 

Fucking selfish cunt.

[TheBrownBottle]

I really liked it when he sang ‘Fuck off Kevin Keegan’ and called us sad Geordie bastards after the ‘96 Cup Final.  We should name a stand after him. 
 

In all seriousness, that’s only part of the reason why he hasn’t been as loved or respected as he might have been.  His spell at NUFC was brief - he was a superstar when he was here, but both injuries and a reversion to the mean had caught up with him by the time he was leaving the club.  He went nine games without a goal before he left - and by all accounts him and Paul Stretford had been hawking his services all over the shop.  We all loved him when he was here, but I don’t remember hearing anyone pining for his return after he went.

 

He won trophies after he left - but no-one would ever suggest that Man Utd wouldn’t have won those trophies without Andy Cole in the team.  Ultimately, he wasn’t a top drawer centre forward - he got the right move at the right time, in an era when the standard of English top flight football was at its lowest ebb.  Hoddle was (is) a nutter, but he was bang on re the number of chances he needed to score.  It’s incredibly to think of what Man Utd might have won if Ferguson had ever signed a genuine top class centre forward in that period. 

 

 

Edited April 24 by TheBrownBottle

[lovejoy]

52 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I really liked it when he sang ‘Fuck off Kevin Keegan’ and called us sad Geordie bastards after the ‘96 Cup Final.  We should name a stand after him. 
 

In all seriousness, that’s only part of the reason why he hasn’t been as loved or respected as he might have been.  His spell at NUFC was brief - he was a superstar when he was here, but both injuries and a reversion to the mean had caught up with him by the time he was leaving the club.  He went nine games without a goal before he left - and by all accounts him and Paul Stretford had been hawking his services all over the shop.  We all loved him when he was here, but I don’t remember hearing anyone pining for his return after he went.

 

He won trophies after he left - but no-one would ever suggest that Man Utd wouldn’t have won those trophies without Andy Cole in the team.  Ultimately, he wasn’t a top drawer centre forward - he got the right move at the right time, in an era when the standard of English top flight football was at its lowest ebb.  Hoddle was (is) a nutter, but he was bang on re the number of chances he needed to score.  It’s incredibly to think of what Man Utd might have won if Ferguson had ever signed a genuine top class centre forward in that period. 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to read this, I had no idea he had gone 9 without a goal prior to the sale. I think I was 12 when we sold him, I just remember being gutted and probably look at him through rose tinted glasses a bit.

 

 

[Nucasol]

1 hour ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I really liked it when he sang ‘Fuck off Kevin Keegan’ and called us sad Geordie bastards after the ‘96 Cup Final.  

 

 

 

Definitely the reason he doesn’t get the love from a number of our fans. Pissed so many people off with that.

[NUFC91]

I think people get hung up chances missed by top strikers, as its been mentioned by people such as Shearer and Ally Mccoist recently but top strikers miss chances in positions that good/average strikers don't get in to.

 

Makes me laugh how Haaland gets stick.

[TheBrownBottle]

51 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

I think people get hung up chances missed by top strikers, as its been mentioned by people such as Shearer and Ally Mccoist recently but top strikers miss chances in positions that good/average strikers don't get in to.

 

Makes me laugh how Haaland gets stick.

‘You’ve got to be in a position to miss’ etc.  Yep, absolutely true - but it’s still about shot conversion.  As I said, in the early- to mid-90s English football was likely the weakest it’s ever been relative to other major European leagues post-war.  You’ll hear lads of my generation constantly talking about the English striking talent of that generation - Shearer, Cole, Ferdinand, Sheringham, Fowler, Collymore, Wright etc.  I don’t think any of them - other than Shearer - were genuinely elite-class players.  Due to the ‘three foreigners’ rule in Europe (where Welsh and Scottish players were treated as ‘foreign’ too) most English sides had eight English players.  So most of the goalscorers were English.  It didn’t mean they were great - English football was in a nadir at that point.

 

That Newcastle side played with five forwards - two wingers, a deep lying forward and an attacking midfielder who was effectively an inside-forward as well as Cole as a no 9.  The chances that were created for him … you’d have to rewatch games from 93/94 to see it.  Beardsley was a wizard; Lee was a superb attacking midfielder; Sellars a superb provider; Fox when he came in was a constant threat.  Beresford and Venison were excellent attacking full backs who could provide balls into the area.  Cole was provided chance after chance after chance.   To his absolute credit, he buried 40-odd of them.  But someone like an Isak would have scored close to a ton if he was playing in that side.  
 

Also, the idea of Haaland getting stick is a joke.  The lad is a goal machine.  

[Pancrate1892]

5 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

‘You’ve got to be in a position to miss’ etc.  Yep, absolutely true - but it’s still about shot conversion.  As I said, in the early- to mid-90s English football was likely the weakest it’s ever been relative to other major European leagues post-war.  You’ll hear lads of my generation constantly talking about the English striking talent of that generation - Shearer, Cole, Ferdinand, Sheringham, Fowler, Collymore, Wright etc.  I don’t think any of them - other than Shearer - were genuinely elite-class players.  Due to the ‘three foreigners’ rule in Europe (where Welsh and Scottish players were treated as ‘foreign’ too) most English sides had eight English players.  So most of the goalscorers were English.  It didn’t mean they were great - English football was in a nadir at that point.

 

That Newcastle side played with five forwards - two wingers, a deep lying forward and an attacking midfielder who was effectively an inside-forward as well as Cole as a no 9.  The chances that were created for him … you’d have to rewatch games from 93/94 to see it.  Beardsley was a wizard; Lee was a superb attacking midfielder; Sellars a superb provider; Fox when he came in was a constant threat.  Beresford and Venison were excellent attacking full backs who could provide balls into the area.  Cole was provided chance after chance after chance.   To his absolute credit, he buried 40-odd of them.  But someone like an Isak would have scored close to a ton if he was playing in that side.  
 

Also, the idea of Haaland getting stick is a joke.  The lad is a goal machine.  

Interesting point and whilst I might of previously disagreed I think you've convinced me. 

The idea of recently promoted teams like Blackburn and Newcastle having a go at the league is probably unthinkable now. 

 

Remember us coming up against sampdoria in the rangers competition and being really surprised we lost 1-3 as we looked like we could batter anyone in the premier league. Serie A was miles superior to the premier league at that point

[The College Dropout]

If you take away penalties - Cole is 19 goals behind Alan Shearer.

 

It changes people's perspective of him massively. Even if he was crap at pens and scored 50% his best Man U seasons go from 18, 19 to like 21, 22 and he's way closer to Shearer overall.

  

[TheBrownBottle]

1 hour ago, Pancrate1892 said:

Interesting point and whilst I might of previously disagreed I think you've convinced me. 

The idea of recently promoted teams like Blackburn and Newcastle having a go at the league is probably unthinkable now. 

 

Remember us coming up against sampdoria in the rangers competition and being really surprised we lost 1-3 as we looked like we could batter anyone in the premier league. Serie A was miles superior to the premier league at that point

Yeah, the Ibrox Tournament.  That’s burned into my brain too - we beat Man Utd on pens, then I went with my dad to watch the final vs Samp in the local.  Lombardo absolutely tortured us …

 

edit: England’s status in Europe wasn’t great.  When we blew the title, it isn’t often remarked upon how English sides faired in Europe.  Man Utd were put out by Rotor Volgograd; Blackburn finished bottom of a CL group with Legia Warsaw, Rosenberg and Spartak Moscow; Leeds were hammered 8-3 by PSV; Forest knocked out by Auxerre after scraping past Malmo on away goals; Liverpool couldn’t get past Brondby; and Everton lost to Feyenoord.  Hard to imagine that set of results today - I reckon there’d be a national enquiry  

 

 

Edited April 24 by TheBrownBottle

[The College Dropout]

29 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Yeah, the Ibrox Tournament.  That’s burned into my brain too - we beat Man Utd on pens, then I went with my dad to watch the final vs Samp in the local.  Lombardo absolutely tortured us …

 

edit: England’s status in Europe wasn’t great.  When we blew the title, it isn’t often remarked upon how English sides faired in Europe.  Man Utd were put out by Rotor Volgograd; Blackburn finished bottom of a CL group with Legia Warsaw, Rosenberg and Spartak Moscow; Leeds were hammered 8-3 by PSV; Forest knocked out by Auxerre after scraping past Malmo on away goals; Liverpool couldn’t get past Brondby; and Everton lost to Feyenoord.  Hard to imagine that set of results today - I reckon there’d be a national enquiry  

 

 

 

Just as the Premier Lague has gotten stronger. Nordic countries and eastern European countries club sides have fallen off a cliff.

 

Steau Bucharista nd Red Star won the European Cup in the 80s/90s. Anderlect and a Nordic country won the UEFA cup.

 

Serie A was the undoubted king. But the rest of the quality was spread around. Italian teams won 8 out of 11 UEFA Cups pre-mass CL exapnsion.

[Pancrate1892]

6 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Yeah, the Ibrox Tournament.  That’s burned into my brain too - we beat Man Utd on pens, then I went with my dad to watch the final vs Samp in the local.  Lombardo absolutely tortured us …

 

edit: England’s status in Europe wasn’t great.  When we blew the title, it isn’t often remarked upon how English sides faired in Europe.  Man Utd were put out by Rotor Volgograd; Blackburn finished bottom of a CL group with Legia Warsaw, Rosenberg and Spartak Moscow; Leeds were hammered 8-3 by PSV; Forest knocked out by Auxerre after scraping past Malmo on away goals; Liverpool couldn’t get past Brondby; and Everton lost to Feyenoord.  Hard to imagine that set of results today - I reckon there’d be a national enquiry  

 

 

 

Mental that like, I remember all of them games quite well. 

Remember Barcelona on a different football planet to man utd when they bumped them 4 nowt too, albeit the 3 foreigner rule like you mentioned 

[TheBrownBottle]

8 minutes ago, Pancrate1892 said:

Mental that like, I remember all of them games quite well. 

Remember Barcelona on a different football planet to man utd when they bumped them 4 nowt too, albeit the 3 foreigner rule like you mentioned 

Yep, they absolutely took them to pieces that night.  And then that Barcelona side were taken apart 4-0 in the final by Milan!

[Gottlob]

Isak is a top class striker, but Cole was quicker, more agile and showed better movement off the ball, albeit at a time when there was more space to be found between opposition defences. I also reckon he was a more creative finisher, and while he never had the same explosiveness at Manchester United he became more technically proficient, more adroit in the buildup play and better at heading the ball. He was a key player for them during their treble-winning season, and therefore part of two of the great Premier League partnerships, first alongside Beardsley and then alongside Yorke. For me he's one of the best strikers in the history of the league, just behind a class of Shearer, Henry and Aguero.

[Jonas]

6 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Yep, they absolutely took them to pieces that night.  And then that Barcelona side were taken apart 4-0 in the final by Milan!

Milan was the year before. That Barcelona side minus Romario was beaten by PSG and Daveed (and Weah) - first time I saw him play and liked the cut of his jib, Neil Coxed Albert Ferrer in the seceond leg. Ajax beat them in the final (and twice in groups) that year - Wor Kluivert scoring.

 

 

 

Edited April 25 by Jonas

[TheBrownBottle]

22 minutes ago, Jonas said:

Milan was the year before. That Barcelona side minus Romario was beaten by PSG and Daveed (and Weah) - first time I saw him play and liked the cut of his jib, Neil Coxed Albert Ferrer in the seceond leg. Ajax beat them in the final (and twice in groups) that year - Wor Kluivert scoring.

 

 

 

 

I remember that  - you’re right, it was the year before that Milan beat that Barca side

[Optimistic Nut]

On 24/04/2024 at 15:41, The College Dropout said:

If you take away penalties - Cole is 19 goals behind Alan Shearer.

 

It changes people's perspective of him massively. Even if he was crap at pens and scored 50% his best Man U seasons go from 18, 19 to like 21, 22 and he's way closer to Shearer overall.

  

 

Think when I checked a while back, Beardsley and Allen scored 8-9 pens between them in that 93/94 season. Even a 50% hit rate would have got Cole to close to 40 in the league, 45 total.