I remember a while back we were talking about new Liverpool players bigging up their new club in a suspicious way, saying they are the biggest club in the country, blah blah blah. (Sturridge was last time we talked about this I think). Cole did the same.

I remember saying that it's almost like they are forced to say all this nonsense to appease the fans to feel better about themselves from the club's PR department.

Well, Joe Cole has just proved this theory correct with this gem of a statement.

Joe Cole admits his decision to join Liverpool in 2010 was a mistake, claiming his only other option was an unthinkable move to Tottenham.

Cole, 31, spent two-and-a-half years as a player at Anfield but failed to become a regular in the first team, being sent out on loan to Lille last season before rejoining his boyhood club West Ham in January.

The England international says he never felt comfortable at Livepool but was forced to take up the only offer that appealed to him.

"I can only play for teams that I'm passionate about and I think that's what went wrong for me at Liverpool," Cole said. "I didn't feel a connection with the club or the place that I had at Chelsea and West Ham.

"I had seven great years at Chelsea but the club wanted to go in a certain direction and I wasn't involved. So I was left with two real options - Liverpool or Spurs.

"Spurs was probably the best option because they were offering me a five-year deal and it meant I could stay in familiar surroundings.

"But I just couldn't do it, I just couldn't see myself pulling that Spurs shirt over my head. With the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham and Chelsea, it felt a bit mercenary."

Cole believes the mentality at Liverpool made it difficult for him to settle in, with their insistence on being known as the "biggest club in the country" catching him off guard.

"When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd won," he said. "I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right' and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview.

"I didn't want to upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the biggest club in the country any more. How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea."

Although issues with match time plagued Cole at Chelsea, he seemed more motivated to break into the Blues' line-up than he did at Liverpool.

"I rolled in at Chelsea on my first day thinking 'I'm going to be a big part of this club'," he added. "Then Sebastian Veron walks through the door with about five agents. Same position as me, costing three or four times as much.

"As soon as I signed, (former owner Ken) Bates said to me: 'Congratulations, son, you've joined to sit on our bench'. I just thought 'I'll show you' and a year later I was playing regularly and Veron was off."

And his decision to return to Upton Park was not only buoyed by an unhappy stint with the Reds.

"I was missing London and my family and I had a personal tragedy in December when my brother-in-law died. I got an opportunity to go back to West Ham and I don't want to move any more."

Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/196227.html#zaxtwKWCysoqgAbH.99

Hats off to you Joe!

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by Zola

Didn't like his statement when he left, we adored him and he spouted that trash upon his arrival. Glad it's been cleared up (and a theory proved) and he's actually recognised us... It's about time.

Aww, Joe stuck the boot into Liverpool and Spurs nicely there.

 

Now I like him again.

Joe Cole was a brilliant player for Chelsea, and I believe he did exceptionally well with us because Jose Mourinho pushed him to the limit. We all knew he was talented, but Mourinho made him a superstar. 

 

Liverpool are a weak-minded club who live off history. They haven't even won an EPL Title 

Cracking stuff, Joe! Very revealing.

Shows him to be the top bloke we always knew he was.

I thought we offered Joe a 4 year deal but he opted to leave? Am I wrong about this?

 

 

 

Very open and honest stuff from Joe in that interview, quite refreshing as well.

 

Also nice to see his reasons for picking Loserpool over the Spuds.

Thought it was obvious that every new signing at Liverpool was obliged to spout all that garbage about best fans, best atmosphere, best club, best history, blah blah blah. Glad Joe's confirmed it.

Nice on Joey – I never doubted you.

 

Pretty much confirms what I suspected at the time. He was gutted to leave us and the Dippers wouldn’t have been his choice but out of respect to the fans there is no way he would ever join Sp*ds. Those who slagged him off when he left should feel shame!!

 

Quite insightful in what he says about joining and just typical of Chelsea in recent times. We have a talented player who cost us peanuts but then go and splash out a huge fee on a has-been and pay him loads more a week than players who are more deserving of a place in the team. Seems we haven’t learnt from that lesson!

Excellent read.

Love it, also my respect for him has only gone up after he took up a worse offer for the sake of not rubbing Chelsea fans the wrong way.

I defended him then when the headlines went up and I never had many significant bad feelings for him.

 

I'm happy he's in a comfortable place right now and I wish him all the best. He remains a big part of our successful history.

I always liked Joe, and always take any comments players make on joining a new club, with a large pinch of salt...Especially so where Liverpool are concerned, everyone in Football knows how deluded the Scouse faithful are, and no player wants a Merseyside fatwa on their heads when moving up there...

Well said joey, about time someone came out and told the truth.

Good lad, i've always liked him. Such a talented footballer too! Remember that screamer against Sweden during the 2006 World Cup?

 

I'd take him back here in a heartbeat if he wasn't so injury-prone.

Well now, dont I feel sheepish. Fair play Joey, sorry for ever doubting you.

Joe Cole turns pundit for the Chelsea- Liverpool match.

lol.

 

Thanks Joe

Good man

Course Liverpool aren't a big club, that's we talk about them daily......

Course Liverpool aren't a big club, that's we talk about them daily......

Why does this bother you so much? Whats so wrong about talking about football things on a football forum. Every time someone mentions liverpool you do this, its very odd.

I've just read the Daily Heil report on Joe's interview. You'll never guess which bit they cut from it. To save you looking, it was this bit:

 

Cole believes the mentality at Liverpool made it difficult for him to settle in, with their insistence on being known as the "biggest club in the country" catching him off guard.

"When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd won," he said. "I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right' and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview.

"I didn't want to upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the biggest club in the country any more. How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea."

Those Dippers are so sensitive, you can't risk upsetting them.

at last he has cleared his name and his Chelsea critics can get a grip and appreciate the talent he was for us without mouthing off about Liverpool etc...he is actually one of the few who has ever put the boot in to them, makes him an even bigger hero in my eyes!

liverpool are big club

Norwich are a big club too.

liverpool won more cups then chelsea only because chelsea had money  their won league if liverpool had same money