No player that has played in the claret and blue of West Ham has perhaps divided opinion as much as Carlton Cole. He may not exactly be the greatest player we’ve ever had but for many people, myself included, he will always be a major part of my West Ham memories. The match against Everton appears to be Cole’s last ever home game for us and he was rightly given a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 70th minute. He might not give you an abundance of goals but his passion, work rate and loyalty for the club is unquestionable. It is for that reason you can always believe in Carlton Cole.
Cole joined the club in 2006 from Chelsea but never made too much of an impact in his first season at the club. This was our great escape season and there happened to be a certain Carlos Tevez leading the line.
The following year Cole started to become a more important player for the club. With the club’s main marksman, Dean Ashton, out of action Cole was afforded more game time and finished with six goals in all competitions. He was also able to register nine assists, underlying his importance to the team as a key target man.
The beginning of the 2008/09 season saw Alan Curbishley resign and Gianfranco Zola come in as manager. As a former teammate of Cole the Italian was able to get the very best out of him. In the two seasons Zola was at the helm Cole registered his best goal tallies in the premier league with 10 in each. With this increase in his performance level came his England call-ups. In total the big man made seven appearances for England under Fabio Capello’s stewardship.
Of course all us West Ham fans know what happened when a certain Avram Grant replaced Zola for the start of the 2010/11 season. The less said about that year the better. However, it is arguably this period that has led to the prolonged admiration of Cole from the West Ham faithful. Following our relegation Cole stayed to help the club win instant promotion and, in doing so, took a 50% wage cut for that to happen. The club was in a poor financial state following our joyous Icelandic ownership period and Cole earned a huge amount of respect for this move. Loyalty in this manner is never forgotten. He also more than played his part in our promotion season scoring 15 goals, including the opener in the playoff final.
Our return to the Premier league brought with it a new striker in Andy Carroll. Cole was demoted to back up but ended up playing frequently in the first half of the season as Carroll suffered from the first of a long list of injuries. He was only able to grab two goals and was subsequently released at the end of the campaign.
After the club failed to land other striking targets, and Andy Carroll became injured again, Cole was approached about a return to the club. Once more he showed his loyalty by agreeing to come back, on a short-term deal, to the club that had deemed him surplus to requirements a few months before. His form earned him an 18-month contract in January 2014. He finished the season with six goals in a campaign where the team struggled throughout.
This year, with the arrivals of Valencia and Sakho, Cole’s role became more limited. Even though he was on the sidelines most of the time, there was no public moaning or signs of discontent from him. When he was given an opportunity on the pitch he continued to give his all. In the January transfer window, when he was very nearly sold to West Brom but ordered to stay after the club failed to land Emmanuel Adebayor, he showed the first signs of discontent. However, after that fiery phone call with Sam Allardyce he once again knuckled down and got to work with a club that he feels very strongly for. Plenty would continue to throw their toys out of the pram, so to speak, after an event like this.
The point of this glorified Wikipedia article is to highlight one thing, the journey Carlton Cole has had with our club. He may not have been the most prolific, the most skilful, or at any point our best player but he has displayed great professionalism, will to work and loyalty above all else. Such displays are rare these days and the man will always be welcomed back. It is for this reason that I wish to thank Carlton Cole for being a truly loyal servant to our club and wish him well in whatever he does in the future.
I’ll leave the final words of this piece to Carlton Cole himself.
“West Ham have and always will be a major part of me. Wherever my future may lie West Ham will be right there with me. I am so glad to have grown from a boy to a man at this club & I have enjoyed every minute of it.
I’ve learnt so much about life here. I’ve had ups and downs, highs and lows on and off the pitch, trust me it’s not been as rosy as you may think it would be for a prem footballer. It has been an emotional roller coaster, but one thing is for sure, your support has been invaluable to me and the team.
Respect to you for always sticking by us even when it seems hard to do that. Wherever my future may lie I will not forget the experience I gained by being a part of the West Ham family. Thanks for everything. COYI”
