Carlton Cole

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Carlton Cole
Personal information
Full name Carlton Michael Cole
Date of birth November 12, 1983 (1983-11-12) (age 24)[1]
Place of birth    Surrey, England
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club West Ham United
Number 12
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2001–2006
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004–2005
2006–		 Chelsea
→ Wolves (loan)
→ Charlton Athletic (loan)
→ Aston Villa (loan)
West Ham United		 25 (4)
07 (1)
21 (4)
27 (3)
48 (6)   
National team2
2003–2005 England U21 19 (6)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 11:51, 11 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 07:50, 15 July 2007.
* Appearances (Goals)

Carlton Michael Cole (born November 12, 1983,[1] in Croydon, London, England) is an English football player who plays for West Ham United.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Chelsea

Cole began his career as a trainee with Chelsea in 2001 and made his debut in April 2002 as a substitute for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in a 3-0 victory against Everton.[2] He made his first senior start three weeks later, scoring a goal as Chelsea beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside.[3] He made one more appearance for Chelsea in the 2001/02 season, in a 3-1 home defeat against Aston Villa in May 2002.[4] Cole started the 2002/03 season in the Chelsea first team squad, scoring a goal and making another in the opening game of the season in a 3-1 win over Charlton after coming on as a substitute for Zola.[5] He suffered a hairline fracture in his leg in August but returned to action in a Worthington Cup tie against Gillingham in November, scoring two goals.[6] Claudio Ranieri, the then manager of Chelsea, described Cole as being the best young player that he had ever coached, saying, "I've never coached a young player like Carlton. He's fantastic even though he hasn't really started his career yet. He has a very long contract, and, in my opinion, a very big future at Chelsea."[7] However, with Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink and Zola available for selection, Cole's first team opportunities were limited and he was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 2002 for one month,[8] later extended to two months.[9] Having made seven appearances for Wolves, scoring one goal,[4] his loan spell was cut short as Chelsea, needing cover, recalled him early in January 2003.[10] Cole made a further twelve league and cup appearances for Chelsea in the 2002/03 season, in addition to the four that he made before going on loan to Wolves.[4] He scored six goals in all for Chelsea that season,[4] including a spectacular, left-footed volley against Sunderland,[11] and the winner against Bolton Wanderers in April 2003 as Chelsea pressed for a place in the Champions League.[12]

Cole before a match in 2008
Cole before a match in 2008

Cole signed a new six-year contract with Chelsea in the summer of 2003,[13] but with Mutu, Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink and Forssell also battling for a place in the starting lineup for Chelsea, he joined Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan in August 2003,[14] where he scored five goals in 22 league and cup appearances,[4] helping Charlton to finish the 2003/04 season in seventh place in the Premier League. Despite Charlton being keen to retain Cole's services for the 2004/05 season,[15] Cole joined Aston Villa on another season-long loan.[16] This move sparked off a dispute as Charlton were expecting Cole to return to the club as part of the deal that took Scott Parker from Charlton to Chelsea.[17] The dispute was later resolved when the two clubs reached a settlement.[18] Cole scored three goals in 30 league and cup appearances for Aston Villa,[4] including a goal on his debut in a 2-0 win over Southampton in August 2004,[19] in a season which was interrupted by a knee injury picked up in an England U21 match against Holland U21 in February 2005.[20]

He returned to Chelsea in summer 2005 where he appeared in pre-season friendlies.[21] However, first team opportunities were limited by the presence of Drogba and Crespo,[22] and Cole made only 12 league and cup appearances for Chelsea in the 2005/06 season, scoring one goal in the FA Cup win over Huddersfield.[4] He joined West Ham United in July 2006,[23] having made a total of 31 league and cup appearances for Chelsea, scoring eight goals.[4]

[edit] West Ham

Cole joined West Ham United in July 2006 for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year deal.[23] He scored seconds into his competitive debut for West Ham after coming on as a substitute in injury time to seal a 3–1 home win against Charlton Athletic in August 2006.[24] However, in a season of turmoil at West Ham in which the club only secured their place in the Premier League on the final day of the season, Cole was unable to establish himself in the first team, making 23 league and cup appearances, 15 of which were as substitute, and scoring three goals.[4]

[edit] International career

Cole is of Nigerian and Sierra Leonean descent via his parents but rejected the chance to play for either of the national sides of these countries.[25][26] He was a regular member of the England Under 21 side, scoring six goals in 19 appearances,[27] including two goals in the 3-1 win over Ukraine U21 in August 2004.[28] Peter Taylor, the then England U21 manager, felt that Cole had "...the potential to break into the full England squad...".[29]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Player Profiles: Carlton Cole. West Ham United Official Site. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  2. ^ "Hasselbaink sees off Everton", BBC Sport, 2002-04-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  3. ^ "Blues boss hails Cole", BBC Sport, 2002-04-27. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Carlton Cole. Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
  5. ^ "Chelsea comeback thwarts Charlton", BBC Sport, 2002-08-17. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  6. ^ "Cole ends Gills hopes", BBC Sport, 2002-11-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  7. ^ "Ranieri hails Cole as best yet", BBC Sport, 2002-11-09. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  8. ^ "Cole joins Wolves on loan", BBC Sport, 2002-11-28. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  9. ^ "Cole extends Wolves deal", BBC Sport, 2002-12-29. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  10. ^ "Cole returns to Chelsea", BBC Sport, 2003-01-02. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  11. ^ "Chelsea boost Euro bid", BBC Sport, 2003-04-05. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  12. ^ "Cole punishes Bolton", BBC Sport, 2003-04-12. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  13. ^ "Chelsea duo sign new contracts", BBC Sport, 2003-07-03. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  14. ^ "Cole joins Charlton", BBC Sport, 2003-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  15. ^ "Charlton want Cole to stay", BBC Sport, 2004-06-16. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  16. ^ "Cole joins Villa on loan", BBC Sport, 2004-07-12. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  17. ^ "Charlton contest Cole move", BBC Sport, 2004-07-15. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  18. ^ "Charlton reach Cole deal", BBC Sport, 2004-08-12. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  19. ^ "Aston Villa 2-0 Southampton", BBC Sport, 2004-08-14. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  20. ^ "Cole faces lengthy injury lay-off", BBC Sport, 2005-02-25. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  21. ^ "Chelsea 1-0 AC Milan", BBC Sport, 2005-07-25. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  22. ^ "Cole sights Chelsea starting spot", BBC Sport, 2005-11-13. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  23. ^ a b "Hammers sign Chelsea striker Cole", BBC Sport, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  24. ^ "West Ham 3-1 Charlton", BBC Sport, 2006-08-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  25. ^ "Nigeria chase Cole", BBC Sport, 2004-05-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  26. ^ "Cole happy to spurn Nigeria", BBC Sport, 2004-09-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  27. ^ "Squad Profiles: Carlton Cole", BBC Sport, 2004-08-17. Retrieved on 2007-07-15. 
  28. ^ "England U21 3-1 Ukraine U21", BBC Sport, 2004-08-17. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  29. ^ "Taylor backs Cole", BBC Sport, 2004-09-03. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 

[edit] External links

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