bluemoonmatt
Well-Known Member
I can't be alone in being completed astonished by the sheer volume of press generated by Joe Cole's transfer to Liverpool. For the last three days the transfer has commanded the main story on both major Uk tabloids. Now I know they are both rubbish papers but nevertheless they still command the majority readership among the newspaper buying public. Clearly they believe this is THE major story of the moment, and it may well be, I certainly aren't saying it isn't but, does even the most deluded dipper seriously believe that this signing is the answer to all their prayers, that having Joe Cole will turn around their fortunes dramatically.
Carragher claims it proves Liverpool are still a major force, Cole's signing has single handedly convinved one of Englands best midfielders to stay and could well do the same for Torres. Oliver Holt claims he is a football genius and 'hopes' Hodgson will know how to bring the best out of him. I could go on with story after story and they arent just limited to the sun and mirror.
So I ask, is it really a big deal, a cursory look at some stats could easily suggest otherwise. In the last four years JC played 82 league games out of 152 at an appearance % of just under 54%. Even with CFC's minor rotation policy this is extremely low when compared with Lampards 134 games at 88%. Even Essien whose last two seasons have been virtually wiped out has managed 3 more games in the same period. Cole is 28 now, many will say that is the peak for a midfielder, but surely not one whose recent injury record leaves a lot to be desired. Yossi Benayoun went the other way, last year he proved very useful to Liverpool, in fact it could be argued that at the height of the red dippers injury crisis allied to Gerrards loss of form, his performances helped Liverpool finish in a place of relative respectability, without Benayouns input, they could easily have finished outside a Euro place, a humiliation for 'The best team in the land' (copyright JC himself).
He is a fine player but I just don't get all this media attention surrounding his transfer, he could go on o prove me a right idiot but similarly he could spend the majority of the next four seasons on the treatment table. What IS the big deal.
Carragher claims it proves Liverpool are still a major force, Cole's signing has single handedly convinved one of Englands best midfielders to stay and could well do the same for Torres. Oliver Holt claims he is a football genius and 'hopes' Hodgson will know how to bring the best out of him. I could go on with story after story and they arent just limited to the sun and mirror.
So I ask, is it really a big deal, a cursory look at some stats could easily suggest otherwise. In the last four years JC played 82 league games out of 152 at an appearance % of just under 54%. Even with CFC's minor rotation policy this is extremely low when compared with Lampards 134 games at 88%. Even Essien whose last two seasons have been virtually wiped out has managed 3 more games in the same period. Cole is 28 now, many will say that is the peak for a midfielder, but surely not one whose recent injury record leaves a lot to be desired. Yossi Benayoun went the other way, last year he proved very useful to Liverpool, in fact it could be argued that at the height of the red dippers injury crisis allied to Gerrards loss of form, his performances helped Liverpool finish in a place of relative respectability, without Benayouns input, they could easily have finished outside a Euro place, a humiliation for 'The best team in the land' (copyright JC himself).
He is a fine player but I just don't get all this media attention surrounding his transfer, he could go on o prove me a right idiot but similarly he could spend the majority of the next four seasons on the treatment table. What IS the big deal.