Is everybody buying into the optimism generated by the Joe Cole signing?

[LFC Ultra]

At risk of alienating myself from the rest of the forum, I just cannot buy into this wave of optimism that has hit Anfield like a Tsunami. Our last 3 signings have been on a free. Rodriguez is well passed his sell buy date, Jovanovic potentially up there with the Voronin’s and Sean Dundee’s of the footballing world and now 28 year old enigma, Joe Cole. If your paying a footballer a colossal 90k a week, to be deemed a success you would expect him to play 30+ games a season. Given Cole’s appalling injury record, I just cannot see this happening. Injuries get worse as you get older, that’s a fact and I think Joe playing in 20 games is a more realistic target and at 90k a week that is not good enough. I am no soothsayer and haven’t got the benefit of hindsight, it’s just my humble opinion based on his past injury record.

 

The spin doctors have been at work all week and Joe Cole has obviously been well versed on what makes the fans tick, hence his pro ‘Liverpool history’ press release. He appears to be a decent lad who is making all the right noises.

 

Personally, I think Joe Cole has been over hyped for years, in fact right from the very start. I distinctly remember hearing that West Ham had a breaking out of the youth team player who was going to rate with Best and Gazza as the UKs greatest ever talent.

 

He has never been up there with them nor dozens of the overseas superstars. He is symptomatic of our talent drought since 1991 when Gazza wrecked himself. That we produce one player who relies on something other than ' a great engine' and hes the new Best. What toss.

 

He’s a better than average premiership player and not without talent, that’s for sure, but in my opinion he has never realised his full potential and at 28, I doubt he is about to. He can’t take a game by scruff of its neck and change a result a la Gazza. He’s not got Stevie G's dynamism and lung busting capacity ( when arsed), he doesn’t score like Scholes or Lampard and he is way off Hoddle or Le Tissier in terms of craft. Hes not a patch talent wise on 70s piss artists like Hudson, Worthington, Marsh, Currie, Bowles in fact Id say hes a very poor mans version of those guys, a bit of flair and guile but thats it .. a bit not an abundance.

 

More alarmingly, Chelsea, the current league champions didn’t want him. Don’t give me that nonsense about contracts. If they wanted him, they would have signed him, that’s for sure. The truth is, the manager didn’t fancy him, even when fit. Arsenal and Spurs wouldn’t pay him, Man City couldn’t guarantee him first team footie and West Ham was a backward step at this point in his career. Capello wouldn’t even pick him for the worst performing England team for many years. What is everybody else seeing that we are not, that is the million dollar question? We will find out this forthcoming season that is for sure.

 

Given our current status and the events of the past 12 months, optimism is long overdue at our club. But let’s not get carried away and make the same mistake of raising expectation levels as we have in the past. We have to get behind the manager and the players but don’t think Joe Cole is going to be the saviour or the missing piece of the jig-saw.

 

Liverpool can be top 4 but need the whole squad to operate for a full season completely unscathed, especially the elite player’s. We need a damn site more than Joe to challenge for the holy grail, though thus far MU haven’t improved last seasons side ( poor by their recent vintage) , CFC i don’t think are great either and Arsenal are the poor mans Spain all tasty touches but lacking the ruthless streak.

 

All in all I predict a pretty mediocre up coming season. Man City are maybe the side that could shake up the tedium and hopefully Liverpool can better 7th place and maybe, just maybe, challenge for top four. Fingers crossed and Yanks out!

[Wor Horse]

Pretty much bollocks from start to finish that post apart from the last 5 words. Congratulations.

[Joe Le Taxi]

Suicide: Read This First

 

If you are feeling suicidal now, please stop long enough to read this. It will only take about five minutes. I do not want to talk you out of your bad feelings. I am not a therapist or other mental health professional - only someone who knows what it is like to be in pain.

 

I don't know who you are, or why you are reading this page. I only know that for the moment, you're reading it, and that is good. I can assume that you are here because you are troubled and considering ending your life. If it were possible, I would prefer to be there with you at this moment, to sit with you and talk, face to face and heart to heart. But since that is not possible, we will have to make do with this.

 

I have known a lot of people who have wanted to kill themselves, so I have some small idea of what you might be feeling. I know that you might not be up to reading a long book, so I am going to keep this short. While we are together here for the next five minutes, I have five simple, practical things I would like to share with you. I won't argue with you about whether you should kill yourself. But I assume that if you are thinking about it, you feel pretty bad.

 

Well, you're still reading, and that's very good. I'd like to ask you to stay with me for the rest of this page. I hope it means that you're at least a tiny bit unsure, somewhere deep inside, about whether or not you really will end your life. Often people feel that, even in the deepest darkness of despair. Being unsure about dying is okay and normal. The fact that you are still alive at this minute means you are still a little bit unsure. It means that even while you want to die, at the same time some part of you still wants to live. So let's hang on to that, and keep going for a few more minutes.

 

Start by considering this statement:

 

"Suicide is not chosen; it happens

when pain exceeds

resources for coping with pain."

 

That's all it's about. You are not a bad person, or crazy, or weak, or flawed, because you feel suicidal. It doesn't even mean that you really want to die - it only means that you have more pain than you can cope with right now. If I start piling weights on your shoulders, you will eventually collapse if I add enough weights... no matter how much you want to remain standing. Willpower has nothing to do with it. Of course you would cheer yourself up, if you could.

 

Don't accept it if someone tells you, "that's not enough to be suicidal about." There are many kinds of pain that may lead to suicide. Whether or not the pain is bearable may differ from person to person. What might be bearable to someone else, may not be bearable to you. The point at which the pain becomes unbearable depends on what kinds of coping resources you have. Individuals vary greatly in their capacity to withstand pain.

 

When pain exceeds pain-coping resources, suicidal feelings are the result. Suicide is neither wrong nor right; it is not a defect of character; it is morally neutral. It is simply an imbalance of pain versus coping resources.

 

You can survive suicidal feelings if you do either of two things: (1) find a way to reduce your pain, or (2) find a way to increase your coping resources. Both are possible.

 

Now I want to tell you five things to think about.

 

1

 

You need to hear that people do get through this -- even people who feel as badly as you are feeling now. Statistically, there is a very good chance that you are going to live. I hope that this information gives you some sense of hope.

2

 

Give yourself some distance. Say to yourself, "I will wait 24 hours before I do anything." Or a week. Remember that feelings and actions are two different things - just because you feel like killing yourself, doesn't mean that you have to actually do it right this minute. Put some distance between your suicidal feelings and suicidal action. Even if it's just 24 hours. You have already done it for 5 minutes, just by reading this page. You can do it for another 5 minutes by continuing to read this page. Keep going, and realize that while you still feel suicidal, you are not, at this moment, acting on it. That is very encouraging to me, and I hope it is to you.

3

 

People often turn to suicide because they are seeking relief from pain. Remember that relief is a feeling. And you have to be alive to feel it. You will not feel the relief you so desperately seek, if you are dead.

4

 

Some people will react badly to your suicidal feelings, either because they are frightened, or angry; they may actually increase your pain instead of helping you, despite their intentions, by saying or doing thoughtless things. You have to understand that their bad reactions are about their fears, not about you.

 

But there are people out there who can be with you in this horrible time, and will not judge you, or argue with you, or send you to a hospital, or try to talk you out of how badly you feel. They will simply care for you. Find one of them. Now. Use your 24 hours, or your week, and tell someone what's going on with you. It is okay to ask for help. Try:

 

* Send an anonymous e-mail to The Samaritans

* Call 1-800-SUICIDE in the U.S.

* Teenagers, call Covenant House NineLine, 1-800-999-9999

* Look in the front of your phone book for a crisis line

* Call a psychotherapist

* Carefully choose a friend or a minister or rabbi, someone who is likely to listen

 

But don't give yourself the additional burden of trying to deal with this alone. Just talking about how you got to where you are, releases an awful lot of the pressure, and it might be just the additional coping resource you need to regain your balance.

5

 

Suicidal feelings are, in and of themselves, traumatic. After they subside, you need to continue caring for yourself. Therapy is a really good idea. So are the various self-help groups available both in your community and on the Internet.

 

Well, it's been a few minutes and you're still with me. I'm really glad.

 

Since you have made it this far, you deserve a reward. I think you should reward yourself by giving yourself a gift. The gift you will give yourself is a coping resource. Remember, back up near the top of the page, I said that the idea is to make sure you have more coping resources than you have pain. So let’s give you another coping resource, or two, or ten...! until they outnumber your sources of pain.

 

Now, while this page may have given you some small relief, the best coping resource we can give you is another human being to talk with. If you find someone who wants to listen, and tell them how you are feeling and how you got to this point, you will have increased your coping resources by one. Hopefully the first person you choose won't be the last. There are a lot of people out there who really want to hear from you. It's time to start looking around for one of them.

 

Now: I'd like you to call someone.

[LFC Ultra]

Pretty much bollocks from start to finish that post apart from the last 5 words. Congratulations.

It's bollocks because you don't agree with it? That's cool!

[The Dude Abides]

I'll just reply to the question the thread title because i can't be arsed to read your post.

 

No, I'm not buying into it. I think we've acquired a decent player, an upgrade on Yossi, albeit a minor upgrade, but an upgrade all the same...and that's it. Which is fine, but I'm a bit confused by the cartwheeling and that by a lot of people on here. Reminiscent of the Robbie Keane signing for me really. Although i thought Keane was just shit whereas Cole is a good player at least.

[RedKnight]

I'm drinking the kool aid.

[jamespp]

'maybe, just maybe challenge for the top 4' ??? with the players we have we should be challenging for the top 4, 7th last year was a disaster and the manager got sacked, dont try and make out 7th is our true position

[Red Phoenix]

At risk of alienating myself from the rest of the forum, I just cannot buy into this wave of optimism that has hit Anfield like a Tsunami.

 

Same, but I'm not the complete opposite so had to skip the rest of the post after scanning.

[Irishlad]

Not reading the first post cause i can tell it's negative shit.

 

I'm just happy to feel positive about LFC for the 1st time in ages.

[ngogswilly]

I think your not entirely wrong. Joe Cole probably isnt the missing piece of the jigsaw. But he will definently improve us. As someone said, hes an upgrade on Yossi.

 

IMO for us to put the Jigsaw together we'd need alot of money.

[LFC Ultra]

I'll just reply to the question the thread title because i can't be arsed to read your post.

 

No, I'm not buying into it. I think we've acquired a decent player, an upgrade on Yossi, albeit a minor upgrade, but an upgrade all the same...and that's it. Which is fine, but I'm a bit confused by the cartwheeling and that by a lot of people on here. Reminiscent of the Robbie Keane signing for me really. Although i thought Keane was just shit whereas Cole is a good player at least.

At last common sense prevails and somebody actually posts a reply with substance.

[Gav]

Fatty Kewell Mark II in my view

 

 

2 years ago this forum was ripping cole apart for being a diving chav bastard who's only ability was doing 300 keepie uppies with a golf ball and hitting the full back with a cross...now apparently he's the messiah that'll save our season

[Walton Park]

I seen him walking into the Hilton after work before. Taller than I thought.

[The Big Step]

Some people are just fucking miserable, never happy with anything. We're not fuckin stupid, we all know the problems facing the club with the ownership but if you can't be happy when some good news comes along, what's the fucking point in being arsed about LFC, or anything...how do you live your life?

It's all part of this "we are more clever than you...or more of a red than you' bollox that infects our support...

[Dougie Do'ins]

I started buying into the optimism the day Rafa went.

[BolshieBastard]

At risk of alienating myself from the rest of the forum, I just cannot buy into this wave of optimism that has hit ...........

 

I stopped reading right there. Some of you twats need a change of attitude. You think the glass is half empty and life has just dealt you a bum fucking deal.

 

No wonder some of you live your miserable lives without jobs. You always look on the gloomy side of life.

 

Get off your fucking knees or stay there until you die, a poor downtrodden sap no one gives a fuck about.

[Moo]

Ability wise I don't think Cole is as good as has been made out, so from that point of view he's not an amazing signing. However, I am still pleasantly surprised at the signing as it signals that perhaps things are due for a change at LFC.

I don't believe Cole would have signed for us if, in the immediate future, our chance of keeping our top players was slim, and in the mid term if there was no prospect of new ownership.

Nor do I believe we were his only realistic choice, as I don't doubt for one minute that Arsenal and Spurs (particularly the latter) would have paid him as much, if not more, than us. Also, the Mancs were sniffing about for months, though I don't know if they ever made him an offer.

[stringvest]

I started buying into the optimism the day Rafa went.

 

That's been the biggest cause for optimism this close season, without a doubt.

[Redder Lurtz]

"Ultra" Heheh. You're ubercoolhard.

[Gav]

Some people are just fucking miserable, never happy with anything. We're not fuckin stupid, we all know the problems facing the club with the ownership but if you can't be happy when some good news comes along, what's the fucking point in being arsed about LFC, or anything...how do you live your life?

It's all part of this "we are more clever than you...or more of a red than you' bollox that infects our support...

 

 

Oh goody,another blow in Uber fan to tell us whats what.If this over the hill golf-ball keepie uppie is good news then next season will be a right blast altogether

 

 

“Joe 'cheating little shithead' Cole is a window licking jamook”,one of the better quotes from on here ,and that doesn't change just because the little fucker deemed us worthy enough to take 90K a week off us

[Irishlad]

I'm sure we've all called ladyboy ronaldo all the names under the sun. Does it mean he isn't a great player? Does it fuck

[The Big Step]

Oh goody,another blow in Uber fan to tell us whats what.If this over the hill golf-ball keepie uppie is good news then next season will be a right blast altogether

 

 

“Joe 'cheating little shithead' Cole is a window licking jamook”,one of the better quotes from on here ,and that doesn't change just because the little fucker deemed us worthy enough to take 90K a week off us

 

 

Errr yeah.....In English would be good next time...

[Il Fenomeno]

Joe Cole is a talented player.

 

Just because the Yanks are still here doesn't mean we have to be negative about everything.

[alonso14]

Some people are just fucking miserable, never happy with anything. We're not fuckin stupid, we all know the problems facing the club with the ownership but if you can't be happy when some good news comes along, what's the fucking point in being arsed about LFC, or anything...how do you live your life?

It's all part of this "we are more clever than you...or more of a red than you' bollox that infects our support...

 

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

Have some rep.

[Sandman]

Don't get the hostility in some of the responses.

 

For what it's worth I agree with your views on Cole. Never understood the hype, all I can remember is one goal in the World Cup. The injury record is shocking as well. With Torres, Aquilani, Cole and Gerrard's recent injury records, we're very fragile up front again.

 

Jovanovic, everytime I've seen him play has been just about average. Hopefully he'll raise his game with us, but I'm not excited about his signing.

 

So for me it's been about what I expected in terms of transfers. I'm a little bummed that we've let Insua go as well, as I feel he would have improved a lot after his travails last season.

 

Hopefully we'll get one top class player with the Mascherano money.

 

So no, I'm not sipping the kool aid at the moment either.