#Tampa bay mutiny jerseys pro
#Tampa bay mutiny jerseys professional

It would be a theme which continued throughout his career. While he made 50 appearances in all competitions, exactly half of those were from the bench, and he did not score in the league until April as he struggled to find a suitable role in the team. However, handed the No.10 shirt, his debut season with the Blues was somewhat underwhelming. The unrelenting expectation continued to increase. West Ham may have been unable to avoid relegation, but Cole’s valiant displays in midfield earned him the club’s Player of the Year award and a £6.6million move to Chelsea, where he was labelled the “new Gianfranco Zola” by Claudio Ranieri.

“He was also the most modest.”Ĭome 2002-03, and still at the tender age of 21, Cole was made West Ham captain by Glenn Roeder and flourished with the added responsibility. “I’ve been coaching for 20 years and have never seen such a combination of flair, pace and commitment,” Howard said of his first impressions of the youngster in an interview with The Independent in 1999. Rather than be overawed by the seriousness of top-flight football, Cole carried the same attitude against his senior pros, with the advice of his coach at Camden and Islington Boys, Terry Howard, ringing in his ears: “Do what you like from now on, son.” Those sort of players are few and far between in England, and Cole was a welcome breath of fresh air a footballer seemingly born to entertain.Īs a child he had paid particularly close attention to Italian and African football, making a note of the latest piece of skill and honing it himself at the next available opportunity. He went on to make 150 appearances for the Hammers and became renowned for his flair and trickery. The boy from Camden only ever had one thing on his mind: football. One of the things which always made Cole so alluring is that he was so obviously mad about football. He always seemed most at home on the pitch, with the ball at his feet and a defender stood in his way, primed to be embarrassed.īy the time he had broken into West Ham’s first team, Cole was already asking Harry Redknapp if he could avoid giving interviews. That alone makes him worthy of celebration. If not necessarily ever the best English footballer, for a period between 2004-09, Cole was undoubtedly one of the most fun.

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When Cole was paraded at Upton Park during half-time of a league match against Chelsea to sign his first pro contract, the stadium announcer declared: “You can tell your grandchildren you were here when Joe Cole signed.”Ĭole’s career since the end of the noughties created the perception that he failed to live up to his immense potential, but that’s unfair.

#Tampa bay mutiny jerseys professional

The country is constantly looking for a new hero.Įven in the digital age of constant hyperbole, however, few players have had to handle the intense fever which surrounded Joe Cole’s embryonic days as a burgeoning professional footballer.Īt the age of 15, Cole was earning rave reviews in the national press thanks to his performances for England schoolboys, attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.īy 17, he was being invited by Kevin Keegan to train with the senior England squad after inspiring West Ham to a 9-0 thrashing of Coventry City over two legs in the final of the FA Youth Cup.Īnd just to temper expectations, he was one of the first teenagers to be dubbed ‘ The Next Gazza‘. No matter how many people warn against heaping too much pressure on young players’ shoulders, in England we just can’t help it.

Once upon a time, he was the nation’s greatest hope. Every English football fan of a certain age should have a special place in their hearts for Joe Cole.