Andrew Alexander Cole (born 15 October 1971 in
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) is a retired English footballer. He
is most well known by the name Andy Cole
(by which he was universally known in the 1990s), but in
2000, he asked to be known as Andrew Cole.[1]
A former England international, Cole is the second-highest
goals scorer in Premier League history; in his career, Cole has
scored a total of 187 Premier League goals, placing him behind
Alan Shearer who has 261 goals. Cole has the distinction of
being one of the few players in England to have swept all
possible honours in the English game, including the PFA Young
Player of the Year award, as well as the coveted UEFA Champions
League title. Cole was also capped fifteen times for England
between 1995 and 2001, scoring once, against Albania in a World
Cup Qualifier.[2]
He announced his retirement from football on 11 November 2008.
Club career
Early career
Cole started his career as a youth player for Arsenal on
leaving school in 1988, signing professional in 1989. He made
his only league appearance for Arsenal, aged 19, as a substitute
against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane during a First Division
game on December 29, 1990; Arsenal won 4-1 but Cole did not
score. He also made a substitute appearance against Tottenham
Hotspur in the Charity Shield in 1991 and almost made an
immediate impact, hitting the side netting from outside the
area.
The following season he was loaned to Fulham in the Third
Division, where he scored 3 goals in 13 games, before being sold
to Second Division Bristol City in a £500,000 deal - at the time
he was the Ashton Gate club's most expensively signed player.
Having proved himself as a competent young goalscorer with
Bristol City (who began the 1992-93 in the new Football League
Division One following the creation of the Premier League), Cole
was quickly one of the hottest prospects in England and his name
was regularly linked with Premiership clubs throughout the
1992-93 season.
Newcastle United
In February 1993, Division One leaders Newcastle United
splashed out a then club record £1.75 million for his services.
He then scored 12 goals in as many league games.
After David Kelly was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers,
manager Kevin Keegan brought in Peter Beardsley as Cole's
strike-partner for the 1993-94 Premiership campaign. Cole scored
34 goals in 40 games during Newcastle's first Premiership season
as they finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup. Cole
scored a total of 41 goals in all competitions - breaking the
club's goalscoring record which had been set by Hughie Gallacher
nearly 70 years earlier (Gallacher still holds the record for
the highest number of league goals in a season with 36).
22-year-old Cole was subsequently voted PFA Young Player of the
Year for that season.
Cole then scored nine Premiership goals in 18 games for
Newcastle after the start of the 1994-95 season, and also scored
a hat-trick against Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Cup.[3]
In all Cole hit 68 goals in 84 games for Newcastle giving him
a strike rate of 81%. In terms of goal potency per game for
Newcastle only Hughie Gallacher has a better record.
Manchester United
On 10 January 1995, Cole was suddenly sold in a shock deal to
Manchester United for a deal worth £7 million - £6 million cash
plus £1 million-rated Keith Gillespie going in the opposite
direction, setting a new record for most expensive British
transfer at the time. This record was broken five months later
by Arsenal's £7.5million acquisition of Dennis Bergkamp from
Inter Milan.
Despite joining halfway through the 1994/95 season Cole still
managed to score 12 goals in just first 18 Premiership games for
United. This included his first, the winner in a 1-0 victory
over Aston Villa on 4 February at Old Trafford and five in the
9-0 rout of Ipswich Town, a Premiership record. However, he
missed two simple chances against West Ham United on the final
day of the season as they could only manage a 1-1 draw and the
league title went to Blackburn Rovers instead. He was cup-tied
for the FA Cup final a week later. Without him, United lost to
Everton 1-0. United were also without the banned Eric Cantona
and the injured Andrei Kanchelskis, the club's next two highest
scorers that season after Cole.
His first full season with Manchester United proved to be
difficult, though Cole scored in four successive games during
the winter, including an important opening goal in United's 2-0
defeat of title rivals Newcastle United on 27 December. Cole
collected a Premiership title winners medal and scored the
second goal in United's 3-0 defeat of Middlesbrough on the final
day of the season which won United the Premiership title. He
also played in their FA Cup final victory to become part of
England's first ever side to win the double twice.
The arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjær - and being the victim of
two broken legs suffered after a tackle by Neil Ruddock in a
reserve game against Liverpool - restricted Cole's first-team
chances in 1996-97, but he still played in 20 Premiership games
(10 as a substitute). He ended the season with several goals to
complete his comeback, and qualified for another Premiership
title medal. Before the season began he had been offered to
Blackburn Rovers as part-exchange in a £12 million deal which
would have brought Alan Shearer to Old Trafford. But the offer
was turned down and Shearer opted for Newcastle instead.
For the 1997-98 season Cole found his best form ever for the
club, becoming the joint top goalscorer in the Premiership
during the course of the season with 18 goals, including a slew
of goals, including a chip against Everton that fans voted the
Manchester United goal of the season. Cole also developed a
strong partnership with Teddy Sheringham. However, United
finished trophyless for only the second time in 9 seasons. Cole
scored his first European hat-trick for the club in an away
match at Feyenoord. Cole ended the season runner up in the PFA
Players' Player of the Year award to Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp.
But despite this and being the leading goalscorer in all
competitions that season with 25, Cole was omitted from
England's 1998 World Cup squad by then-manager Glenn Hoddle.[3]
When asked about his new found success, Cole claimed that he had
found freedom in his life after the injuries of the previous
season, saying he had great joy with his newborn son, and lived
for him and in his faith as a Born again Christian.
He also claimed the friendship of Ryan Giggs, his room-mate on
away games, was a major motivating factor even though times were
hard and fans doubted him at United.
Cole faced competition from Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham
and Ole Gunnar Solskjær during the 1998-99 season but developed
a partnership with Yorke, which saw him play a key role in the
side's unique treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and UEFA
Champions League. Cole scored the winning goal in United's final
Premiership game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, a
result which meant United finished 1 point ahead of rivals
Arsenal to win the Premiership title. He also scored United's
third and winning goal in their Champions League semi-final
second leg against Juventus, sealing their place in the final
for the first time in over 30 years. The striking partnership
with Yorke contributed 53 goals between them. Also in this
season, Cole scored his 100th Premiership goal in a top of the
table clash against Arsenal at Old Trafford on February 17. The
match ended 1-1.
He was United's top scorer again in 1999-2000 with 19 goals
in 28 Premiership games. He collected his fourth Premiership
title medal in five seasons, and scored over 20 goals in all
competitions for the third successive season. Cole scored many
goals for United including the only goal of the game in their
top of the table clash against their closest rivals Leeds
United. He also joined an elite group during this season by
scoring his 100th goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against
Wimbledon. Injury just prior to Euro 2000 led to Cole missing
out on another major competition for his country.
Another title followed in 2000-01 when, despite suffering
from an injury that restricted his appearances, Cole scored 13
goals in all competitions, including four in the European Cup
allowing him at the time to become Manchester United's record
goal scorer in the competition.
He made one last appearance for Manchester United in the UEFA
Celebration Match on 13 March 2007, coming on at half time for a
friendly game between Manchester United and European XI in
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Community
and 50 years of Manchester United in the European Cup.
Blackburn Rovers
The arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastián Verón
counted against Cole's first-team chances in the 2001-02 season,
and on 29 December 2001 he was sold to Blackburn Rovers for
£8million.[2]
Within two months of arriving he had collected a League Cup
winners medal, scoring the winning goal for Blackburn in the
final against Tottenham Hotspur who were managed by the former
England manager and open critic of Cole, Glenn Hoddle. This
victory meant that, in the space of seven seasons, Cole had won
all three domestic trophies plus a European trophy. Cole ended
the season with a total of 18 goals in all competitions, 5 for
Manchester United and 13 for Blackburn.
Rovers finished sixth the following season and qualified for
the UEFA Cup. That campaign saw Cole reform the striker
partnership with Dwight Yorke, who had signed for Blackburn from
Manchester United for £2million in July 2002.
Cole had a frustrating season in 2003-04 as Rovers slid into
the bottom half of the Premiership. Cole scored 11 goals but his
relationship with his boss Graeme Souness hit rock bottom after
Cole reported him to the PFA accusing him of unfair treatment.
Fulham
13 years after spending one month on loan at Fulham, Cole
returned to Craven Cottage for the 2004-05 season joining them
on a one-year contract.[4]
He was the club's top scorer and scored one of the goals of the
season against Liverpool. Despite this successful period at
Fulham he decided to leave the club after only one season as his
family wanted to return to the north west.
Manchester City
Cole signed for Manchester City on a free transfer at the
beginning of the 2005-06 season.[5]
Cole enjoyed a good start to his career at Eastlands and Stuart
Pearce's side's spent most of the season in the top half of the
table. However Cole's season was ended by injury in March.
Portsmouth
Despite signing a new contract with Manchester City only
months earlier[6]
and leaving Fulham in 2005 to return to the north, Cole signed
for south coast club Portsmouth on transfer deadline day (31
August 2006) for an undisclosed fee expected to rise to
£1 million depending on appearances.[7]
He scored his first league goal for his new club in the 2-0 win
at home to West Ham on 14 October 2006.[8]
On March 21, 2007, he signed on loan for Birmingham City of
the Championship until the end of the season.[9]
Cole returned to Portsmouth after five appearances and one goal
for Birmingham. He was released on 3 August 2007.[10]
Sunderland
Cole signed a one year contract with Sunderland on a free
transfer, reuniting him with former Manchester United and
Blackburn Rovers strike partner Dwight Yorke, and under the
management of former United teammate Roy Keane. After seven
games for the club he was loaned out to Burnley and was released
at the end of the 2007–08 Premier League season.
Burnley
Cole joined Burnley in a loan deal on 29 January 2008 and
scored a hat-trick in their 4-2 win at QPR on 12 February, his
first hat-trick for seven and a half years.
Nottingham Forest
On 4 July 2008, Cole signed a 12-month deal with Nottingham
Forest, his 12th club. However, on 31 October 2008, Forest
confirmed that Cole's contract had been cancelled by mutual
consent, after eleven appearances and no goals.
On 11 November 2008, Cole announced his retirement from
football, bringing an end to a 19-year career.[11]
International career
Despite first being capped for England in 1995, he had earned
only 15 caps by the time he announced his retirement from
international football after failing to be selected for the 2002
FIFA World Cup squad. He scored one goal for England, in a World
Cup qualifying match against Albania in March 2001. He also
scored in his single appearance for the England B team.
Glenn Hoddle, in defence of his decision not to select Cole
for the World Cup in 1998, accused Cole of needing 6 or 7
chances to score one goal.[12]
Cole earned his first four caps under four managers for an
average of one manager per appearance. He made his debut against
Uruguay under Terry Venables in 1995, appeared next against
Italy under Glenn Hoddle at the Tournoi de France in 1997, made
his third appearance against France under caretaker Howard
Wilkinson in 1999 and finally earned his fourth cap against
Poland under new manager Kevin Keegan in his first starting
appearance a few weeks later.
Personal life
Cole married his wife Shirley in 2002.[13]
They have a son called Devante,[14]
and presently live in the northwest, neighbours of Rio
Ferdinand.
In 1999, Cole released the unsuccessful single "Outstanding",
a cover of the 1982 song of the same name, which peaked below
the UK Top 40.
Charity work
In 2000, Cole visited Zimbabwe and returned to set up his own
charity foundation called the "Andy Cole Children's Foundation"
which helped aid orphans in Zimbabwe.
The charity was registered with the Charity Commission in the
United Kingdom under number 1079911. The charity has since been
rebranded as All Star Kids, as Andy Cole is no longer involved.
Career honours
Playing honours
Newcastle United
- Football League First Division
Manchester United
- Premier League
- Winner (5):1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99,
1999-2000, 2000-01
- FA Cup
- Winner (2): 1995-96, 1998-99
- Runner-up (1): 1994-95
- FA Community Shield
- Winner (2): 1996, 1997
- Runner-up (3): 1998, 1999, 2000
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Super Cup
- Intercontinental Cup
Blackburn Rovers
Individual honours
- PFA Young Player of the Year (1994)
Popular Culture
Welsh band Catatonia name-checked Cole on their 1996 b-side
"Do You Believe In Me?". The lyrics include the line "I'm Andy
Cole's tortured soul, missed out again in front of goal."
![Manchester United - End Of Season Review 2008-2009 [DVD]](Manchester_United_Review_DVD.jpg)
