Carlton Cole

[Dieter Eckstein]

Keep if we stay up. Probably not really in the club's hands if we go down. For a 27 year old player on the fringes of the England squad, there's surely going to be an agent telling him that the Championship is no place for him. Even the most loyal club-man can justify avoiding a season in the second division in a transfer request that explains how devestated they were to get relegated.

[MaxHammer]

I'd sell him whatever division we are in next season. Just my opinion - before everyone slags me off.

Keane and Obinna are better, although they are very different types of centre forward to Cole.

However Piq and Ba are pretty much the same type of forward as Cole and they are also better - in my opinion.

Sell.

Couldn't agree more. Think he is utter sh*t. Far too wasteful both in open play and in front of goal. Can't think how many times this season he has been in a goalscoring position and I have thought "if that was any of our other strikers that would be a goal". Please tell me why we are not starting Ba in the CF role. He came in at CF, scored 3goals in 3games and has been pushed to the left wing ever since! What is going on behind the scenes, are these people stupid! Piquionne isn't a great finisher at the best of times, however he is better than Cole, has a better touch, and despite being shorter and less stocky, he is better in the air and harder to knock off the ball. for me Piq aint great, but is just an improvement all over of Cole.So overall we need to just get rid of Cole no matter what, I'd take 4mill for him anyday. With that said, just because of his ridiculous reputation that he seems to have formed I think we could probably get more.

[PrinceH]

Sell him! How anyone can say he works hard its beyond me. Doesent make any decent runs, cant head the ball, doesnt track back and generally only scores from mis hits, shall I go on?

This is not true at all. One of the hardest working men in Our team during the last games without à doubt. Runs, the only one who does when The rest of the team hump their long balls, tracks back and saves à couple of the oppositions opportunities at setpieces and well, maybe scores a few to few... I guess you rely to some games 2-3 yrs ago, but today we all could see that he actually is one (besides Parker of course) who really cares for the team!

I'd try to keep him and Ba, sell Piq, and let Keane andObinna leave. But I guess it's too much to ask...

[simon hammer]

Never a big fan. IF we stay up...sell. When we go down...he could probably do a job in the Championship but he's such a frustrating player that I'd probably still sell him tbh.

[Monkey Spanner]

If we stay up, sell him
If we go down, sell him

[Knitted West Ham Man]

Sell.

Without going into his many, many deficiencies anyone who rates Cole as a forward anywhere near good enough for us clearly doesn't know their football.

I'd sell him whatever division we are in next season. Just my opinion - before everyone slags me off.

Keane and Obinna are better, although they are very different types of centre forward to Cole.

However Piq and Ba are pretty much the same type of forward as Cole and they are also better - in my opinion.

Sell.

[MaxHammer]

[/quote]This is not true at all. One of the hardest working men in Our team during the last games without à doubt. Runs, the only one who does when The rest of the team hump their long balls, tracks back and saves à couple of the oppositions opportunities at setpieces and well, maybe scores a few to few... I guess you rely to some games 2-3 yrs ago, but today we all could see that he actually is one (besides Parker of course) who really cares for the team!

I'd try to keep him and Ba, sell Piq, and let Keane andObinna leave. But I guess it's too much to ask...[/quote]


This isn't necessarily a dig at you, not least because you clearly have the same opinion as quite a few people on here. I must say, however, I just don't get it. I don't see what Cole offers? He is probably the laziest player at the club, so much so, that having been to every home game for the last 5years or so, I would say at least once a game the crowd get on HIS back for not chasing down balls and just generally being lazy. I also think that many people have ignored the point that he is like Bambi on Ice! He spends half the game on the floor, falling over looking for fouls which never are fouls, and his acceleration especially when changing directions is just non-existent, he just doesn't anticipate anything, and I think it boils down to him being brainless. I genuinely think he is stupid, no football brain, no normal brain. I can count many times this season he has gone up for a header only to flick it on to their keeper, and I just think WHY! There's no point jumping for it if your going to give it to their keeper who in turn will only boot it upfield and put our defence under pressure! That's obviously a minor thing, but there are other things like that he does which are just brainless. I can't understand anyone thinking he is worth playing - are you watching the same game as those of us who do see what a waste of space he is?

[Knitted West Ham Man]

You get what you pay for. He was bought as a fourth choice forward and we've been relying on him as our favoured striker ever since Ashton (a striker worthy of the name) was crocked.

That he made the England squad says more about the England squad than it does about Cole.

And people wonder why we are in the relegation zone.

Sell the £2m Carlton Cole who has done pretty well for us ?

Where would we get better value ?

And before the usual list of fantasy targets trips off of anybodys keyboard have a look at the last 2 years transfer activity on the stats page of this board ( I'm really trying to get people to look UtJ) .

[Larry]

if we go down then I think we should keep him as I recon he's better suited to the champonship, and also because we are not going to have much money to spend and what we will have I can't see us getting in any one much better than cole.

[riksdodgydeals]

I thought he was decent against Villa, took a few better touches than I normally see from him and won most stuff in the air, he normally just gets his head on them and thats it but he seem to actually knock a few on, in a 442 that would be good with someone like Sears with pace

If someone offered anything like the rumoured 10m last summer then I'd take it, he cant play 90 minutes for me...i can see Newcastle coming in...I dont think he would have any interest in staying the way our support treats him, he cost less than 2m I think we've had our moneys worth out of him

[Hammer Sandwich]

Sell, sell, sell !

[PrinceH]

Max Hammer: I watch every game. I'd rather sell (or give no contract to) Upson, LBM, kovac, Faubert, Spector, Noble, Jacobsen, Keane, ilunga, Hines, Sears (even if I want both in CC), Piq, Grant, Barrera, Reid...
I'd rather keep Ba, Hitz, Da Costa, Parker, Tomka.
So it must be stay Cole - or we won't have a team or just new faces next season.

[rottiel]

I think Cole offers more to the team than many seem to admit.

You need to look at the whole picture and not just the Cole part, he falls into the "you don't know what you have untill you haven't got it" category for me. Just remember last season when many people were saying, "if Cole gets injured we have had it". Well, he did, and we were lucky to survive.

So many times this year he has been given crap by, mainly, the home support, undeserved in my opinion. But look at the games he has been either on the bench to start with, or taken off in the second half, and I believe we have become a lesser team. He is used at the moment as a battering ram, hoof the ball to Cole and see what happens. When does he actually get quality service ? Very rarely in my opinion.

Give the man quality service and support and he will provide both goals and assists.

Got to keep him, won't do better unless we spend lots of £££££'s.

[Smonnie]

Keep. He's not perfect, but he scores, assists, holds up, works hard, seems to care about the club and is a decent enough role model compared to some of the pr*cks to play for the club, and in the PL in general.

[Jackanakanory]

Ba and Cole would be a cracking front line in the championship

[E13madness]

Get rid of him, as cole has done eff all this season!

[matty.h]

bye bye

[GJH]

Was fantastic for a brief spell under Zola. Was poor prior to this and has been poor since in my opinion. Think he will be a vastly improved player for the right team and right manager.

[WHUTerry]

Ba and Cole would be a cracking front line in the championship

Agree. Keep Cole if we go down but take what we can get if we stay up. Ba has to play up front for the remainder of the season.

[Yea Why Not]

People who think Carlton Cole is not good enough for West Ham need to get real