Then, despite carrying an injury for much of the season, Carlton gave his all, finishing the season as our leading scorer and, crucially, netting in the play off final. Throughout, he has shown remarkable loyalty and devotion to the club, and God only knows why, because we have tried to offload him, he has been asked to carry the team offensively almost single handedly far too often, and a section of the fans abuse him at every opportunity.
And now, every minute of every day, he hears how we are being linked with any striker who has ever pulled on a pair of boots. £6m for Holt? What a joke! Cole has played for England, Holt has never been near an England squad!
I'm not saying that we don't need an option for when Cole is injured or off form, but given the banal offerings of the OS, it wouldn't hurt if the club offered some public support for a man who, unlike Tevez and Parker, understands the meaning of the word loyalty.
HF, cannot argue with anything you have written there. CC can be unplayable one minute and seemingly not interested the next but I think we need to find someone to play alongside him to get the best out of him and also to convert those tap ins, ie a fox in the box type player a la Cottee. JMan43
ReplyDeleteI should have added that I think Maynard is that player but has yet to be given a real opportunity to show that. JMan43
ReplyDeleteWe have two mate, Maynard and Baldock but 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 doesn't allow for a fox in the box. Cottee always played in a 4-4-2 formation, Can you imagine him as the lone striker or parked wide on the right or left wing?
ReplyDeletebit like Green really!
ReplyDeleteWhy would he need public support? He's a big boy. Surely he merely needs to be told privately and thanked for his efforts - as I am sure he has been. Let's not get carried away- loyalty doesn't score goals and he consistently hasn't scored as many as he ought; if he had, we'd have walked the title last season. It would be mad not to try and sign someone to augment or compete with him and let's remember until the deal is signed so called targets are mere paper talk.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously haven't sat and watched him from the 18 yard line where he gives away the ball to the oppos 90% of the time but what he is there for is to draw the defence away from the real strikers as a decoy. Very clever Sam.
ReplyDeleteRight so they should just come out and say how wonderful CC is. Then there will be a dozen or more players want them to do the same for them too or feel the club are showing favoritism. Its what goes on out of the public domain that is important not inane plastic statements of supposed support.
ReplyDeleteWhy Kevin? To counter the negativity that you buy into yourself. Cole played his part, netting 15 times. The quality of the upply was awful last season and whilst he missed a few, every striker does. I think his finishing was better last season personally. Look at the way he took his goal at Birmingham, his finish against Hull and the confidence he showed when taking hs chance at Wembley. The trouble is, people leap on Carlton's every mistake and quickly forget when he shows real quality. Along with Tomkins, Vaz Te, Nolan and Noble, Carlton was a key figure for us last season and without him, we would not now be back in the Prem!
ReplyDeleteYes, give Maynard a chance, I think he will light up the league in a 4-4-2. I actually still think he's a better footballer with a better attitude than Vaz Te, it's just Vaz Te hit form and couldn't be dropped.
ReplyDeletehe gives the ball away a lot...but most of the time its because he has nobody to pass to, by the time he controls a long punt downfield and looks to lay it off and theres nobody on for a pass within 30 yards, whats the guy meant to do, either get tackled or try and play a pass but if theres no support its not his fault. funny how oposition managers say playing against cole (even half fit) is like coming up against 2 strikers, he is that good at what he does, he isn't a fox in the box 20 goals a season striker or have the skills and passing abilty of messi but boy does he work for the team. how would we have done last year if cole was sold and carew played most games? we wouldn't of even made the playoffs
ReplyDeleteSpot on daz!
ReplyDeleteSpy, I would have no problem with the OS running a whole series of statements bigging up the players personally. Would be preferable to the drivel they produce most days!
I'm not negative about Carlton,HF. I don't suggest we should get rid or that he is a bad player or that just now that we have anyone better. I do find him frustrating and maintain that given his attributes he ought to be scoring more goals season on season and not standing still. I don't see how competition could do him any harm, also he never seems to me to be entirely fit.
ReplyDeleteOne word only ....DONKEY. If he was any sort of Premiership player he would have scored 25+ goals against the sort of defending he came up against in Championship !He is not the future . If we can off load him now while peoples memories are short we should snap their arms off .
ReplyDeleteWe need to keep Cole. With so many new players needed and too many not up to the physical of skill demands of the PL, it would be unwise to sell any player who at least can function in the PL. The biggest challenge for Sam is integrating so many new players. It's a worry because players take a long time to get the hang of his methods. My fear is that we'll get of to an awful start, which will build fan tensions or leave us too far behind to catch up. We need another big striker, not instead of Cole but to compete with him. No problem with Cole on the bench, let the form man start. But over a season, if fit, both strikers will get likely get a similar of playing time. We particularly need a big man, who unlike Carlton, gets his headers under the bar. Kenwyne Jones, if he's under £5m looks a good bet to me.
ReplyDeleteCarlton cole, maybe the reason i am considering not renewing my season ticket. Possibly the worst striker i have seen, i would go to the extent of mido (yes mido) of holding up more balls then carlton in his short ( and useless) west ham career. for the sort of play that big sam wants to play we need a big target man, who can hold up the ball and chip in with a 15 odd goals while nolan and the midfield chips in with the rest. i cannot see cant control doing this, can you?
ReplyDelete