Joe Cole/Liverpool, Martin Jol + Promoted Clubs...Round Up

Morning all. Watched a program where they cut up a massive whale last night. Brilliant.

Anyways onto the football and it's Joe Cole's move to Liverpool that is dominating the news, and why not? Liverpool are a big club and he's a big player (in England at least). Four year deal on a reported 90,000 pound a week seems all in order but there is, of course, a little more to this transfer than that.

Many are going to question why Cole chose Liverpool. It seems common knowledge that London was his preferred location - so why turn down the sycophantic love thrown towards him by Harry Redknapp and Spurs? Or even the lure of joining Arsenal's bulging ranks of Attacking midfielders? Going to England's most successful club do it? Or is it for the longest contract on the highest wage that he's braved it up north? I don't think either was the big thing for Joe, I think it is more about who needed him most. Lets start with the player he is...

Now this is not a criticism at all but Joe Cole is a player with a pretty big ego. No doubt when at the age of 18 he was being touted as the English Zidane and the like by the press and had his old mucka Harry telling him how good he was going to be everyday. Then at Chelsea he flourished as a regular under Mourinho - remember this day? - and was treasured by Sven and all England at the 2006 World Cup months after that 3-0 victory over United secured the League.

To really perform Cole is the kind of player who needs to be sheltered by a coach who treasures him, has him on the team sheet for every big game and has faith in his somewhat inconsistent abilities. Grant, Scolari, Hiddink and Ancelotti have all failed to be this manager for Joe - who's injuries haven't helped - and Wenger and Redknapp wouldn't have been offering guaranteed first team football either, so simply put: Joe needed Hodgson and Liverpool, who can guarantee him a place in the starting eleven because (and this is just poetry) Liverpool need Joe Cole just as badly.

Roy Hodgson can be that man for Joe because he understands that the club needed this signing. It is exciting, he is English and he has the kind of personality that fans love. Addressing Liverpool's situation as a whole I think they are beginning to shape up rather nicely after a terrible period in their recent history. A lot depends on whether Torres and Mascherano leave, but to be honest I think its is clear that their squad is going to lack depth once more this season regardless. The N'gogs, Rieras and Pachecos of this world just aren't at the level that Spurs, City and the other big three can boast from the bench. But this is where I believe Hodgson can be the right man for a tough job. He has fantastic man management skills and can get the best out of players who are perhaps low on confidence. Ryan Babel could seriously emerge this season under Hodgson, he is a similar personality to Cole and needs a bit of love. Woy (as he is affectionately known) took Konchesky and Paintsil, both made surplus to requirements at West Ham (fucking West Ham!), and made them into two of the most consistent (and sometimes dangerous) full backs in the league at Fulham, not to mention Zamora's turn around under him. It is a different challenge, but If he can get this from some of Liverpool's squad players it will be a good, stabilising season for them. If he can get the likes of Cole, Gerrard and Torres back on the form they've all been missing for the past six months then things could get very busy in the battle for fourth.

Moving from Liverpool to Woy's former club, Fulham had seemed to have stolen in under the radar to pinch Martin Jol from Ajax. However, this morning Jol is quoted as turning the job down in De Telegraaf:

"They (Fulham) were interested but in principle I will stay at Ajax."

So where do they go now?! Sven? Curbishley? It had seemed that Jol would've been perfect. An excellent Premier League record and a man with unfinished business after the way Spurs unceremoniously dumped him for Juande Ramos. Indeed, if I were a Fulham player this morning I would be truly gutted and I don't think Jol's turn around will have done any help in turning around the empty feeling that the club must have now Woy is off gallivanting with Joe Cole in the mountains. They need to hold on to Dempsey, Duff and Gera or they could be one of the clubs up for the drop this season. Which brings me nicely to the promoted teams...

All the excitement of promotion was centred on Ian Holloway's Blackpool, who came from nowhere to defeat Cardiff at Wembley. No surprise as having regulars Newcastle and yo-yo club West Brom back isn't all too exciting. When a team is promoted they are almost invariably in for a tough season. They tend to require one, or both, of two things; A serious strengthening of their squad or a first rate manager who is perfect for the task. Now currently Newcastle have added James Perch whilst Bobby di Matteo has added a few players, most notably Stephen Reid. Now I'm sorry to say it but when your most notable addition is Stephen Reid, or James Perch, then there is a bit of an issue. Blackpool have actually added nobody, although they are giving a trial to Franny "Fox in the box" Jeffers. That is even more of an issue. Although the singing of Daniel Keinan is close, they seem to have spent their transfer money on building a new stand to increase their capacity at Bloomfield Road and i don't blame them - this is a story which you don't often see in the Premier League.

However, we must remember that the other component is probably more important: having the right man for the job. Now on this basis I'm going to stick my neck on the line and say I think Blackpool comfortably have the best man to keep them up. Chris Hughton seems to be being given the chance to manage in the Premier League that winning the Championship with a vastly superior squad to EVERYONE else deserves. But I cannot see him lasting, he is an assistant manager at the top level. Gone by November and Newcastle should be OK if they can get somebody good in. West Brom I'm a little worried about. Bobby D Matt is a popular young coach but I'm just not sure if he is ready to move into the Premier League and I expect them to go down with a bit of a whimper. I hope he proves me wrong because as I say he, and the way his team play, are quite popular and I would rather see teams who can't fill their stadiums such as Blackburn, Wigan or Bolton bite the dust than West Brom again.

In Ian Holloway I think Blackpool have a fantastic man manager, somebody who is capable of taking a bunch of players who lack the quality of the Premier League and getting 100% out of them every single week. I hope he keeps them up, and with one or two acquisitions (stand completion allowing) then I really think Blackpool's spirit could surprise people and we could be seeing Tangerine in the Premier League for longer than just a token season. Hopefully not the new Burnley.

That's all I planned for today really. Quick round-up of some other stories flying around. Alex Ferguson is content with his current squad i.e. the yanks have got no monies for him:

"I cannot speak about other clubs. We are comfortable with the squad we have got.We bought players at the right time of the season and we are happy with what we have."

To be fair I think they've got some very strong young players - Hernandez looks excellent - but I'm pretty sure having lost the title Sir Al would've been gagging to bring in some extra quality.

The second wave of Fabregas stories have surfaced quickly after it seemed Barca had got the massage, Drogba isn't going to City (haha) and meanwhile Tottenham are the first club to ban vuvuzelas. Thank fucking God. I hope every single club does. The "culture" excuse in South Africa was fair enough but shit off if I'm going to have the League season all over England plagued with that stupid, shitty noise.

Leave comments, More tomorrow.