By Andy Cole 16 April 2010 The Premier League title is Chelsea’s to lose, but lose it they can. Before anyone starts accusing me of Fergie-esque mind games – just because I am an unashamed Manchester United fan – I acknowledge Chelsea are in pole position, and deserve to be. Winning 2-1 at Old Trafford […]
Andy Cole
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‘Bayern weren’t typically German, just typically hard-nosed, as all winners should be’
By Andy Cole 9 April 2010 Sir Alex Ferguson was bitterly disappointed that Manchester United were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday after a game his team obviously should have won. I can only guess that the pain and frustration of losing on away goals having been 3-0 up on […]
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‘Barca’s blueprint: flexibility, interchange, effort, fluidity, dynamism and passing, passing, passing’
By Andy Cole 2 April 2010 Arsenal were handed a footballing lesson on Wednesday night in the Champions League by the team whose blueprint they seek to follow – not to mention given a fortunate penalty by an incompetent referee. But Arsène Wenger’s side showed they’ve got some mettle by recovering from 2-0 down to […]
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‘Most players fit some conventional description, but Messi isn’t just a striker or a midfielder; he’s everywhere and everything’
By Andy Cole 25 March 2010 The latest rich list of footballers’ pay by France Football magazine was released yesterday and Lionel Messi has jumped to the top, making £29.6m in 2009 from salary, endorsements and sponsorships to put him above even David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. I have no idea how realistic these numbers […]
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‘At United’s level, ownership does seem like a billionaire’s game’
By Andy Cole 12 March 2010 I played a round of golf yesterday and I can’t begin to tell you how bad I was. The weather was beautiful and the conditions were ideal but I was terrible. Nothing went right and my score was so appalling that I gave up counting. Yet compared to Milan’s […]
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‘You’ll need to understand what was in my head at the moment my rift with Sheringham began to get even close to comprehending’
By Andy Cole 5 March 2010 I would rather sit down and have a cuppa with Neil Ruddock, who broke my leg in two places in 1996, than with Teddy Sheringham, who I’ve pretty much detested for the past 15 years. When I explain to you why that’s the case, it might provide a small […]
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‘Prince William is a Villa fan and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can’t all support the best teams, can we?’
By Andy Cole 26 February 2010 At a time when too many footballers attract too many headlines for the wrong reasons, please note that many do good work too. I accept that’s not as sexy, especially for the tabloid headline writers, as taking a wayward player and crucifying him for behaviour that is the stuff […]
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‘The kiss’n’tell is prostitution, part of a football industry full of hangers-on and parasites’
By Andy Cole 19 February 2010 Snowboarding, skiing, motorbikes, casual texting, impromptu nights out and all manner of other activities that “ordinary” people do without thinking have one thing in common for a professional footballer: they’re out of bounds unless you want to risk getting yourself into serious trouble. It’s a pertinent subject during a […]
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‘Did we look at pay and say the business plan was mad? No. That’s the owner’s job’
By Andy Cole 11 February 2010 Portsmouth were given a seven-day stay of execution yesterday at the High Court from being put into administration, or worse, but their financial problems aren’t new; they have roots dating back to at least 2006. As somebody who signed for Pompey that year I can give you an insight, […]
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‘Stripping JT of captaincy is cosmetic. The real issue is whether he stays in squad at all’
By Andy Cole 4 February 2010 The debate over John Terry’s captaincy of England has snowballed into a minefield of moral, practical and sporting issues. I certainly don’t envy Fabio Capello – it’s far from easy to see what should be done next. Capello is a worldly man, and a hard one, and he’ll want […]
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