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.
People seem to forget that you actually had a team not long ago that was feared in the rest of europe. They were led by a man named Sven-Göran Eriksson. He didn't win any medals but he actually had a team at his hands. A team with a profile and with good results behind them. I don't know if England would have won anything if they kept Eriksson but I do think they would have been better off with him. Now the only thing to do is to give Capello a real chance. Let him create a team like Sven-Göran did.
Do I even have to say that that team cannot contain Lampard if you want success?
From richard.ekman on Mon Oct 13 10:53AMI do not like Cole and the comments here are correct. There is some jealousy on our part as he is rich and not that talented, but there is no one better at present. In addition he is arrogant and has treated his wife badly. Have you seen photos of her, she is like a stick. The boo boys were not Chelsea fans I will bet, they were supporters of other PL Clubs because that is the way it is here now in Britain, Club before Country. The team is more relaxed playing away as the genuine fans support them and travel, only with a few mindless exceptions.
From colin.howell on Mon Oct 13 10:56AMjay8my:
1. Ljungberg isn't captain for Sweden.2. Sweden is 2nd in their group ahead of Portugal
3. We are Sweden! We plyed a @#$% 0-0 game against Portugal but we are satisfied anyway cos we are a small, small country. England should be top three in europe but at the moment I'd say they're nowhere close to that. You are right. We have one world class player but you claim to have eleven on your side. We are aware of the fact that we only have one.
From richard.ekman on Mon Oct 13 11:00AMJay you're very defensive about England but thats a good thing. Its good to see a bit of realism from an England fan too. Yes England have good players but not many with the real technical skills of a Spain or an Argentina. The flowing football from Man Utd and Arsenal is not dominated by English players.
I'm surprised that a lot of people don't rate Ashley Cole as a player. I know he is a @#$% and he doesn't have much productivity when he goes forward but he is still one of the best leftbacks in the world.
From kgh_r on Mon Oct 13 11:00AMTotally agree, we SHOULD all boo Ashley Cole, if not for his abominable performance for his country, diving and finger waggling - then for playing away when he has possibly one of the hottest chicks around, some people have nor morals, sense or dignity. BOO ASHLEY COLE!!!!
From emma_roid80 on Mon Oct 13 11:03AMCarrick together with Gerrard in central midfield. Anyone agree?
From richard.ekman on Mon Oct 13 11:03AMSorry littletissue but Fergie would give Cole the full "hairdryer" treatment for such a sloppy performance and no doubt drop him too!Sadly there are not enough good left backs who can play for England. By the way if Cole had "bothered" to train to pass and shoot with his RIGHT FOOT then he might be considered to be "a fantastic player" - remeber Bobby Charlton, George Best, Dennis Law and even Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov are all 2 footed footballers. Is Ashley Cole so arrogant that he cannot be bothered to practice to become a two - footed footballer??
From jonathangrosskopf on Mon Oct 13 11:04AMrichard.ekman - england isn't that huge a country aswell u know, it just happens we invented football and have the best league in the world. Whose sweden captain now?? England played rubbish against borats boys but for once at least we got the result, dont people say 'the sign of a good team is one that plays badly but still gets the result'. Top of our group with the best goal difference says it all about our situation at the moment. The only thing i agree with is the lampard debate, i would drop him and bring him and becks on for the last half hour.
From jay8my on Mon Oct 13 11:05AMCriastiano Ronaldo was booed in Sweden btw. He also acused Petter Hansson of diving.
From richard.ekman on Mon Oct 13 11:05AMTerrible performance all round. Maybe we should get players from the Championship, who will give their all.
From motiurrahman0786 on Mon Oct 13 11:06AMNEGATIVITY !!!.Thats what kills a teams performance,fans, always be positive that our England team will do well and they will,a TV pundit said after the game on Saturday when it was remarked that the crowd had gone Quiet "the team should inspire the crowd" NO NO its a two way street a cheering crowd inspires the team ( did anyone hear the noise at Wembley in 1966 cos I did,DEAFENING, and we all know the result then.
England were mildly complacent on Saturday, the goal that resulted from Coles back pass gave them a wake up call. something to cheer about Kazakhstan would have scored if they
had played till Sunday teatime otherwiseP C R 63 Leeds
From p.rose70 on Mon Oct 13 11:09AMkgh_r im glad u agree, ashley cole is a @#$%, but he is a very decent and capable left back. He would walk into alot of other national sides. Its just the english metality, alot of them aren't real football fans they're just glory hunters and expect us to win 8-0 every game, realism is not a quality most england fans and the media have when it comes to our national team!!
From jay8my on Mon Oct 13 11:09AMIts easy to come here and say cole is a money chasing @#$%, but you all cant relate to where he is coming from, he was brought up in the projects of london, and he never imagined he was going to make it this far in life, and any smart footballer knows that ur career never lasts forever, how many of us wouldnt jump at the chance to change our current jobs for better pay,even if it meant moving to a rival company??? THERE CAN NEVER BE ANY JUSTIFICATION FOR BOOING YOUR NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER...
From doyekan on Mon Oct 13 11:09AMAshley Cole was only booed by Arsenal, and other London clubs' fans because he's a Chelsea player, He is quality for Chelsea week in week out, and is appreciated by fans, same with Lampard, England fans need to wisen up and show their team some support, because England are not as good as you all seem to think!!!
From rossmcmillan62 on Mon Oct 13 11:10AMrichard.ekman, if all the centre mids were fit, id partner hargreaves and gerrard, both are very commited players with good enough engines to run a game at international level, between them they have 3 european cups. They are both good on the ball and the two of them have a good balance between them when they play.
From jay8my on Mon Oct 13 11:12AMjay8my: But your league position doesn't really say it all about your situation does it? I still claim you were lucky in Croatia. They were wrongly redused to ten men early on and they still could very well have won. And I think we all agree that the game against borat boys didn't exactly look promising and I would be a bit worried when you play them away.
Henrik Larsson is captain but he got injured last week and his career might actually be over (I really really hope it isn't) and vice captain is Ibrahimovic.
England has like 45 million mor inhabbitants than Sweden and a bigger football culture so I'd say you should be performing slightly better.
From richard.ekman on Mon Oct 13 11:13AMjay8my you've hit the nail on the head "both Gerrard and Hargreaves are very commited players" my question is - Is Ashley Cole?
From jonathangrosskopf on Mon Oct 13 11:16AMrichrard.ekman - so what ur saying is england are under-performers...crikey mate tell me something i dont know. England are under-performers and have been since 66. Yet when we do finally win games and go top of a group we are not good enough..thats a load of b0ll0cks. Im not worried i think there is alot more to come and we will improve under capello. U dont just become a good team overnight no matter how big our county is.
From jay8my on Mon Oct 13 11:17AMthe best article about the england team in ages ...... ED am behind you ..... well said beautifully structured .... made my morning ...... keep it up !
From banerji624 on Mon Oct 13 11:17AMthe best article about the england team in ages ...... ED am behind you ..... well said beautifully structured .... made my morning ...... keep it up !
From banerji624 on Mon Oct 13 11:17AMHas anyone involved in Early Doors ever played football?
Pathetic. I'd rather be listening to Jason McAteer on Setanta.
From thebronsonite on Mon Oct 13 11:17AMAt last somebody has spoke the truth about these overpaid footballers.
They have no commitment to there club or country as they are only interested in money .Bring back the days when we stood on the terraces and
watch real men play football not a load of women and they were loyal to there club
Pam Palace fan now living in SpainFrom catsinspain on Mon Oct 13 11:17AMIt's the same with Gerrard at Liverpool, their best performer every time he pulls on a Liverpool shirt, absolutely dire in an England one, individually England are arguably in the top 5 squads in the world (as much as i hate to say it), they just show no passion or commitment!!!
From rossmcmillan62 on Mon Oct 13 11:18AMBoooooooo!
From jowitherden on Mon Oct 13 11:18AMjay8my: Yes I like Gerrard-Hargreaves aswell but I think Carrick has that special abillity to dictate the pace of a game with his passing from a defensive midfielder position. An ability you can see in Xavi for Spain and Andrea Pirlo for Italy. He would be a perfect match for Gerrard who would be given a more free role in midfield. I think Carrick is under-rated and it's time people give him the cred he deserves.
Hargreaves is an alternative for carrick and Lampard/Barry an alternative for Gerrard.
From richard.ekman on Mon Oct 13 11:19AMcole's @#$% anyway so we might as well boo him
From doctordre_uk on Mon Oct 13 11:19AMjonathan, yeah i do think a.cole is a commited player look at euro 2004 when he marked ronaldo out of the game. One mistake doesn't automatically make him a dosser. Judge him for his 7 years service not for cheating on his very very fit wife, and a mistake, which humans do make from time to time. The only player that i would question commitment wise would be frank lampard.
From jay8my on Mon Oct 13 11:20AMReuters: Newcastle have been bought by the Nigerian Investment Group and Nigerian Oil Group consortium. The shirts will have shirts will have N.I.G.N.O.G and the fans are to be known as the coon army henceforth.
From geelte on Mon Oct 13 11:21AMPlaying against Kazakhstan for 52 minutes without scoring sucks!
No shots on target in the 1st half sucks!
5-1 giving no justice to actual game sucks!
Ashley Cole sucks!
Chris Iwelumo sucks!
Northern Ireland sucks!
X-Factor song choices sucked bar 'With or Without You' & 'Imagine'
Not drinking for the whole weekend sucks!Winning £100 in Texas Hold'em rocks!
Morning all!
From kevin1985kane on Mon Oct 13 11:22AMI am fed up with this nosense about the so called english fan who seemigly do not even know themself. A. cole is a better player for england and has always been for years... do not forget ROONEY left his boyhood club and has shown no respect to referees some times back and even been behaving bad in pubs and night clubs for years so this is normal just because he is english but no A.cole?? stop your racism now
From benisoning2 on Mon Oct 13 11:22AM
Comment on this article
Please sign in to add your comments.
Early Doors – Your morning briefing
Sport Newsletter
Catch up with all the latest news
Sign up to our free daily newsletter to recieve the latest news straight to your inbox. Make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Sign up now
This site is Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
- Terms of Service
- Updated Privacy Policy
- Copyright/IP Policy
- Remarks and Suggestions
- Corporate info
- Jobs at Eurosport
Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy.