Complacent Cole deserves boos
Mon Oct 13 08:57AM
Early Doors never thought it would see anybody leap to Ashley Cole's defence.
This is a man who embodies everything odious about the modern game. Who left his boyhood club to chase money; who became the face (or the back) of anti-respect when he turned away from a referee; who played the field despite landing a pop star wife; who published a remarkably self-pitying autobiography that sold only 4000 copies.
Now he is cast as a victim after England fans booed him for his calamitous pass that led to Kazakhstan's goal on Saturday.
Words like 'disgraceful', 'mindless' and 'idiots' are bandied about by players, managers and pundits who reach the po-faced conclusion that anyone who booed Cole is worse than Hitler.
First of all, there is the namby-pamby argument that nobody should be subjected to public ridicule.
Tell that to Ashley's more successful other half Cheryl, currently appearing on a TV programme that has spent the last two months laughing at poor saps who think they can sing but can't.
Next comes the claim that the fans are to blame for England's poor home record. Wembley will never become a fortress unless people get behind the team and show unwavering support.
Surely this puts the cart before the horse? Fans wouldn't be booing if the team wasn't so crap.
The crowd had already endured 68 minutes of utter tosh with some patience before Cole's party piece allowed Zhambyl Kukeyev to race through and score the most embarrassing goal England have conceded since Davide 'General' Gualtieri took just eight seconds to beat David Seaman for San Marino.
Rio Ferdinand also deserves blame, incidentally. If he had reacted to Cole's ricket as quickly as Kukeyev did, he would have cut the ball out easily.
Only then did the jeers rain down on Cole. But it is important to understand that he wasn't booed for the mistake as much as what the mistake represented.
For reasons that are painfully obvious, Early Doors doesn't condone booing people for incompetence. Cole was guilty of more than that.
That San Marino goal in 1993 came from another left-back error, by Stuart Pearce. He under-hit a backpass and San Marino scored. But it was merely rubbish, not reprehensible.
When people say Cole didn't make his mistake on purpose, they are wrong. Of course he did it on purpose.
ED doesn't mean he deliberately gave away a goal. But he knew that the pass was showy and risky, and he played it anyway because it was only Kazakhstan.
In nearly a decade of club football, has Cole ever done anything as stupid as that? (On the pitch, that is.) Would he ever, in a million years, think of doing that for Chelsea? Of course not.
Cole personified the entire England team, which was suffused with complacency. Where the 4-1 win in Croatia was full of urgency, drive and ambition, Saturday's match was totally flat.
England were so convinced that goals would come by divine right, they couldn't be bothered to make anything happen.
It was the same at the back. In the first half, rather than making an obvious clearance, Matthew Upson attempted a dangerous backpass to David James. Presumably because booting the ball into Row Z against such lowly opposition would have been embarrassing.
A couple of minutes before the first goal, Kazakhstan nearly scored after Cole was caught miles out of position.
Where was he? Vomiting on the floor of a black cab? Watching X-Factor? Debating some p*ss-take contract offer?
Clearly, England were not trying, and Cole was the worst offender.
Clubs and the FA are happy to view football as a product when it suits them. They take full advantage when people pay huge sums to consume football matches, replica shirts, Peter Crouch calendars and Wes Brown alarm clocks.
Despite this relentless commercialisation, there seems to remain an old-fashioned view that the people who shell out thousands of pounds a year for this tat should not be viewed as discriminating customers.
They are expected to shell out £70 a head for tickets, get a crappy old train to a dank corner of North-West London (no parking at English grounds, obviously), spend another tenner on a programme, then buy overpriced hot dogs and fizzy drinks.
And then they are expected not to complain when they see something as lifeless and complacent as the first 70 minutes against Kazakhstan?
Nobody is forcing people to come to football matches. If they are not entertained, they won't be back. That's business. And if you don't want football to be a business, bring prices back down to 1966 levels, when World Cup tickets set you back all of seven bob.
Otherwise, you must expect people to make their voices heard when they feel short-changed.
And who said unconditional support was the best way to help your team win, anyway? Why is it that fans are expected to sit there (sorry, stand there) and cheer, clap and whoop, whatever fetid tripe their team feeds them?
Managers who take this approach - well, Kevin Keegan - are ridiculed for it. There are times when you need a good old-fashion rollicking to sort things out - and the booing of Cole was the fans' version of the hairdryer treatment.
Players are mollycoddled and protected from reality enough as it is. Do they really need fans to overlook their failings and give them a pat on the back they clearly don't deserve?
England's performance in general - and Cole's in particular - was unacceptable and they needed to be told so.
Things improved markedly after the booing started - do you think it was a coincidence? Well, yes, it probably was.
The late glut of goals probably had less to do with the abuse meted out to Cole than England's realisation that defending set-pieces is no more a part of Kazakh culture than naked wrestling or the running of the Jew.
But it's fun to boo Ashley Cole.
- - -
Disagree with the above? Well, you're in good company. Jonathan Symcox explains why booing simply isn't on. And Reda Maher agrees with him. Early Doors thinks they are both fools.
- - -
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Steven Gerrard: "It's up to the manager whether he plays me and Frank [Lampard] in central midfield or plays a three and changes the formation."
Only for the staggering arrogance in Gerrard's statement. It hasn't even occurred to him that he might be dropped.
EXCHANGE OF THE WEEKEND: Paul Dickov on Goals on Sunday, proving he is just as troublesome as a pundit as he was as a player.
Pleasingly, Robbie Savage was the target of his mischief, forcing Chris Kamara to defuse a potentially embarrassing situation.
Savage on Scotland 'striker' Chris Iwelumo: "I didn't expect to hear that sound coming out of his mouth."
Dickov: "Why?"
Savage: "Well, er.."
[Awkward silence...]
Kamara: "Because he's coloured!! HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! It's OK, you can say it!!!"
- - -
FOREIGN VIEW: Early Doors is bracing itself for the worst. Despite France coming from two goals down to draw in Romania on Saturday, the most entertaining man in international football could still get the push. The French FA meets on Wednesday to discuss Raymond Domenech's position.
mornin'
From pit304 on Mon Oct 13 08:58AMWho is Paul Iwelumo?
More to the point why couldn't it have been him playing on Saturday at Hampden rather than Chris Iwelumo?!!
I've never heard a crowd fall so silent in all my life.
From lonzuk on Mon Oct 13 09:03AMMorning all!
From mickr273 on Mon Oct 13 09:06AMWhen Carvalho (Chelsea) made a similar mistake and gave Rooney (ManUtd) the ball to level the score a few months ago, no Chelsea supporters booed Carvalho and they wouldn't have booed even if Chelsea were to lose that day. And I believe that this would have happened in any club, but not National football. I think that England fans see club football as more important so they bring their Club identity with them at Wembley. I don't think there were any Chelsea supporters who booed Cole on Saturday. I just think that due to lack of results of the National team, many fans care only about their clubs and their players in the National Team.
From kreshnikberisha on Mon Oct 13 09:13AMTOTAL AGREMENT..... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
From michaeldbarrett on Mon Oct 13 09:14AMbeat article in ages
From denisclohessy on Mon Oct 13 09:21AMHave you thought that people do not like Ashley Cole?
From plewis696 on Mon Oct 13 09:23AMWell said mate!
From alistairmonaghan on Mon Oct 13 09:27AMWes Brown alarm clocks? I'll take a thousand!
From bad_salad_man on Mon Oct 13 09:27AMTotally true ED, Such performances should get booed
From jacquesbittar on Mon Oct 13 09:29AMbeckham gave a great commitment even jz played 4 few minute..my suggestion is...should gv at least 30 minute to him....becks great 4eva
From ask_selvan on Mon Oct 13 09:29AMbeckham gave a great commitment even jz played 4 few minute..my suggestion is...should gv at least 30 minute to him....becks great 4eva
From ask_selvan on Mon Oct 13 09:29AMto right boo the lazy @#$% im sick of whatching these prima a donas wailing when tackled wailing about money wailing about the fans they need a stiff kick up the backside
From concjim on Mon Oct 13 09:30AMMorning Mick its Anne_helm just changed my name the other one was a bit too revealing how are you today?
From annieimnotyour on Mon Oct 13 09:31AMAbsolutely spot on!
If Cole lives by the 'look at me aren't I great' sword then he must be prepared to die by it too!
Great article. It shows just how 'out of touch' the media are if they think Cole was being booed for the mistake. It was simply a catalyst.
From lost_007 on Mon Oct 13 09:31AMCrikey an ED that I wholeheartedly agree with. It actually sounds like someone with some sense wrote it today
From stoohardman on Mon Oct 13 09:33AMI think Ashley Cole represents everything that's wrong with English football. An arrogant, overpaid, uncommitted, overconfident, arrogant (did I already say that), prima donna that shouldn't even be picked for the England team. Or is it just that they're so worried about getting injured while away on international duty that they just can't be bothered trying?
There are plenty of other players much more talented than Ashley Cole who could fill that position and would run their legs off for the team.
I wouldn't even by him a ticket to Belarus. Nor any of the other lightweights that contributed to the poor performance on Saturday.
From rick.hudson on Mon Oct 13 09:39AMENGLAND SPORT PRESS SUCKS When Carvalho (Chelsea) made a similar mistake and gave Rooney (ManUtd) the ball to level the score a few months ago, no Chelsea supporters booed Carvalho and they wouldn't have booed even if Chelsea were to lose that day. And I believe that this would have happened in any club, but not National football. I think that England fans see club football as more important so they bring their Club identity with them at Wembley. I don't think there were any Chelsea supporters who booed Cole on Saturday. I just think that due to lack of results of the National team, many fans care only about their clubs and their players in the National Team.
From joysokoya on Mon Oct 13 09:40AMhe was playing with such arrogance that 30 min before his mistake I commented that that if we were to make a mistake against them it would be from Cole...there is one thing playing with confidence quite another to show disrespect - that's what Cole was doing and the crowd let him know that we know!!
From twdewell on Mon Oct 13 09:40AMIt's true that Ashley Cole is a rat, and I certainly wouldn't call anyone who boo's their own team 'worse than Hitler'. But I still can't understand the logic of going to see your national team and then booing a player after a mistake. Surely you're there to encourage and support your players to help them do well. I thought boo's were generally saved for the opposition.
From cgrant456 on Mon Oct 13 09:41AMSurely booing Cole is almost like racism, I hope along with a heavy fine Rio gets to use the wembley big brother cameras to pick out people in the crowd who were making booing shapes with their faces and have them banned - alternatively all fans should be made to wear headsets and recordings could be made to ensure that nothing else is said to upset the delicate and innocent nature of the playerz. I imagine this approach would be adopted before goal line technology as it is brim full of 'fifa-sense'.
From ian.lapsley on Mon Oct 13 09:45AMThank you for sticking up for the right of the ordinary fan to boo if he/she wants to. All this hysteria about Cashley Cole being booed is simply ridiculous. If any of us mere mortals make a mistake in life then we get punished. As is rightly pointed out in this article, Cashley has made several in his life and yet gets upset when he is in any way critised.
From chappellp on Mon Oct 13 09:46AMWHAT ABOUT DAYS HE SAVED ENGLAND SHUT UP AND GROW UP
From joysokoya on Mon Oct 13 09:47AMWhat good does booing a player do? i'm on fan of Ashley Cole but i really dont see the point of booing a player that makes a mistake
From sdhamm on Mon Oct 13 09:47AMquite frankly they were all pretty @#$%, the scoreline flattered us. In respect of Ashley Cole i thought he was awful throughout the match, missing tackles, positioning etc.I don't agree with booing the team you are supporting whilst they are playing as i believe it's counter-productive but when they come off the pitch by all means let them have it.
From biscuitmonster2008 on Mon Oct 13 09:47AMCole deserves everything he gets and then some, the money grabbing little tw**.
From richardc3162002 on Mon Oct 13 09:48AMWhat a great article, nice one ED you hit the nail on the head there.
From wolves_male1968 on Mon Oct 13 09:49AMChris Iwelumo is Black not coloured
Chris Kamara is a Jheri curl fool living in the 70's
Robbie Savage really needs to get out more.Keep racism out of football and ignorance of the telly
From hovabyte1 on Mon Oct 13 09:50AMMornin all. Good article ED. If the fans were booing him throughout the game because of who Cole is and what he represents, then I would have understood it more. I agree that they have the right to boo - i'm just not sure what purpose it serves. I can't imagine the English players were in any way encouraged by it.
From kgh_r on Mon Oct 13 09:50AMTotally agree ED. Have never rated Cole either as a left-back for England or any club. How we yearn for someone with say the class of Evra to fill that position. Time for Capello to give a young player a chance to prove themselves. Keep up the objective work.
From dinotaylor2 on Mon Oct 13 09:51AM
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