Joe Cole signs for villa .

Chris Harte wrote:Not sure what to make of this signing, to be honest.

If he stays fit he'll be an asset, trouble is how big an "if" is that? Looks like he played in about a third of West Ham's games last season, if that's any guide.

holtehero wrote:Oh dear god, definitely past it

official site wrote:
Joe Cole insists "the fire is still burning" in him and that he feels "as excited now as I was as a 16-year-old lad going into my first season with West Ham" after agreeing a two-year deal to June 2016.

The 32-year-old attacking midfield player, capped 56 times for England in a career in which he has won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups in addition to reaching the final of the Champions League in 2008 with Chelsea, is Villa manager Paul Lambert's second summer signing following the arrival of defender Philippe Senderos last week.

That experience over a 16-year career in top-flight football is something Cole is determined to pass on to some of his younger team-mates and he admitted that he was sold on the move to Villa in an instant.

Cole said to AVTV: "I'm really excited. It all happened really quickly, I got a call maybe a week or 10 days ago and it just felt like it was a really exciting place to come at this moment.

"This is a massive club and there's a massive opportunity for the club to push on. That was the main factor. I spoke to the gaffer and we have similar views on football. He didn't need to sell the club but he explained what the view is for the future and, like I said, that was the main thing. When I spoke to the manager I knew I'd be signing.

"I'll be coming here and I'll be learning too. Obviously I'll bring my experience to the squad but you still learn every day and I want to learn. I know I'll learn from the manager, I'll learn from other players here and going forward together we want to get the best results for Aston Villa.

"So far I've been lucky enough to have a really good career but there's still a lot more I want to achieve. The fire is still burning in me. I want to do well. I want to play at the highest level and win things still and this club fits. With the young squad we've got here, we've had two seasons consolidating and now we're going to want to push on, which I'm very excited about. When I signed for Chelsea, that felt right, when I went to Lille, that felt 100% right and now this feeling is on a par to when I went to those clubs.

"Playing against Villa over the last two seasons and watching them, when you've got young players at that age, first of all to get them all playing at their best at the same time is very tricky. They're going to be inconsistent and the manager has got to take credit for what he's done there.

"I think quality players like Andi Weimann, Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph, amongst all of the others I could name, have come in and what will happen is when they've played 50 games they'll get better. Then when they've played 100 games they'll get better again. Then when they've played 150, and so on. That's just normal, every player in the world is like that because you improve as you play.

"There is just so much potential at the club to kick on and I think we're only going to get better. That's another thing, when I talked to the manager he said I would be playing in a more central position and, having those fast players in attack and around me, I feel like I can supply them with the bullets and get them the ball in the final third. They're good players to play with because speed is a must now in the game, particularly in the Premier League. I've watched the development of Fabian over the past two years and he's a terrific player. He finished the season just gone so strongly. There's pace and power all over the team and I really think we can kick on.

"Villa Park has actually been a very difficult place for me to come and play as an away player. I remember at Chelsea we had a particularly bad record there and I don't think West Ham's was much better either. I know how difficult it can be for opposition players and we need to get back to making it that fortress. If we get a good start we know the fans will get right behind us and it's a good place to play. I think I've only scored one goal at Villa Park, in the quarter final of the cup, so it's a tough place to play. I'm glad I'm on the home side now.

"The best bit of advice you get is that if you're a young man in any walk of life you try and look at the people who've done it before. All of the ex-players, all of the professionals that I've ever spoken to in my career say, 'Enjoy it while it lasts because it goes quick, take everything you can out of it.' That's one thing I have done and one thing I'm proud to say is that I've enjoyed every day of my career, every moment of it and I want to squeeze as much out of it as I can. I'm as excited now as I was as a 16-year-old lad going into my first season with West Ham."

Cole was born in Paddington before moving to Somers Town in central London. He came through the youth system at West Ham United, playing in the same team as future fellow England international Michael Carrick. He made his first team debut for the Hammers aged 17 in an FA Cup third round game against Swansea City.

Cole made 150 appearances in all competitions in his first stint at Upton Park, scoring 13 goals. He was made club captain in 2002-03 at the age of 21 and was awarded the Club's player of the season.

He joined Chelsea for £6.6m in 2003. Following the arrival of Jose Mourinho as manager in 2004, he became a key part of the squad that won the Barclays Premier League twice in a row. In his time at Chelsea, he won the Premier League three times, the FA Cup three times, the League Cup twice and the Community Shield twice, as well as being voted Chelsea's player of the season in 2008. He turned out 280 times for the Blues in all competitions, scoring 39 goals.

He moved to Liverpool as a free agent in 2010 and made 32 appearances in all competitions for the Reds. He moved to Lille on loan in 2011 and helped the defending champions finish third, qualifying for the Champions League. He made 43 appearances for the French team and scored nine goals.

Following his return to Liverpool, Cole played 10 games before leaving to re-join his first club, West Ham. He made 30 more appearances in two seasons at Upton Park before leaving for the second time.

Cole has won 56 England caps and has played at three World Cups. He has scored 10 times for England, including a memorable volley against Sweden in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

TheTechniqueSMC wrote:Joe Cole & Senderos will turn out to be very shrewd signings both vastly experienced and will strengthen the team, The best thing Paul Lambert could do now would be to go out and sign Gareth Barry and then I would be quite happy with the squad going forward.

Eastie wrote:

TheTechniqueSMC wrote:Joe Cole & Senderos will turn out to be very shrewd signings both vastly experienced and will strengthen the team, The best thing Paul Lambert could do now would be to go out and sign Gareth Barry and then I would be quite happy with the squad going forward.

I agree, I have worries over Coles injury record but if fit he will be an asset.
From his comments on sky he will be used as the attacking midfielder so good luck to him .
Barry would be a superb signing.

official site wrote:

Paul Lambert believes Joe Cole will "thrive on the responsibility" after the 32-year-old attacking midfield player vowed to play a central, leading role for his new club on and off the pitch.

Cole, capped 56 times for England and a three-time Barclays Premier League, three-time FA Cup and twice a League Cup winner with Chelsea during his 16-year top-flight career, resisted lucrative offers to move to clubs overseas, opting instead to bring his vast experience to Villa to help the team "push on" and to encourage some of the younger players to realise their potential.

The Villa manager revealed that "money was never a factor" in his discussions with the player and he is excited by the prospect of Cole, still hungry and with a point to prove, supplying the forward line and providing some mature know-how in the upcoming campaign.

"Joe's not in it for the money, he simply wants to play and prove that he's still a top professional in the Barclays Premier League, which he's always been," Lambert said.

"He'll thrive on the responsibility here. He's someone who has always stepped up to the plate. That's inherent in his character and he's the type of character we need.

"I'm delighted we've been able to bring him in to join the group. He'll enhance the group and he'll bring out a lot from players around him because he'll demand that.

"He's a humble lad in spite of everything he's achieved in the game and he's hungry as well. Money was never a factor in him coming here. He simply wants to achieve and try to win things, that's what drives him.

"For us, he's got a lot to offer - he's an intelligent footballer and his attitude is first-class.

"When we sat down and talked I was very impressed by him. He's a guy who has played at the top for many years, been capped 56 times for England which is incredible but he still has an awful lot to offer and he wants to prove himself still.

"This is a really good signing for us. If the fire wasn't still burning in him, which is the phrase he's used himself, he would have gone overseas and been content with what he's achieved.

"But that's not him. Players will learn from Joe Cole, as they will from Philippe Senderos who joined us last week. I'm looking forward to both of them being part of the group and the other players will be excited by them joining, too."

Cole revealed to AVTV that, as a young player coming through the Academy at Lilleshall, he often came to Villa Park to watch games - and that youthful enthusiasm remains.

"I came here to play football and to compete and off the field I feel I can contribute something too" Cole said.

"I've been in the position all of the guys are in now. I've been fortunate to have enjoyed a great career, playing in the biggest games, competing at three World Cups, experiencing the whole shooting match of a football career. You get to an age when you've had all that experience and I'll be looking to use it to help the team.

"Physically, I feel fresh even though the last few years have been difficult because I haven't played as much. I've been fit and I look after myself. I've got a massive passion to play football still.

"I had options elsewhere and I could have gone and earned millions but it's not about the money for me, it's about playing and competing. That's what I want to do, it's that passion for playing that's driving me on and I want to help the team kick on.

"I can't really say how excited I am for this because Villa is a massive club.

"When I was younger at Lilleshall, the national football school, I used to come and watch them. We used to go to either Villa Park, Coventry or Wolves to watch a game, whoever was at home that weekend, and we always preferred going to watch Villa because it's such a massive club.

"There were good players here at the time and it was a good time for the club, the mid-nineties. I know what it's about and I'll be committed. I live the life, I train hard and I'll give everything I can for what we want to achieve here."