"I made a mistake"

[T.T. 1,534]

I really.....REALLY want him to score an own goal at some point.

Or even better, get a red card and 3 game suspension. Oh... hang on a minute .....

[Kez 2,727]

In the paper today 'Joe Cole aims to end seven years of Chelsea heartbreak by winning a 'great tournament' like the Europa League' LMAO he has special needs

LMFAO that is absolute quality. Joe you might as well retire now.

[Kostas 1,468]

Here's a good article on him http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=833681&sec=England&root=England&cc=5739

''Is it Cheryl Cole or Joe Cole playing for Liverpool?'' came a tweet from a well-known Welsh pundit at the weekend as Liverpool's joy at finally getting rid of Messrs Hicks and Gillett lasted until around 1520 (BST) on Sunday.

A 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby left Liverpool fans with a familiar sinking feeling, but the performance of their star summer acquisition would have been more worrying still.

Cole is a rare breed of English footballer. A player once described by the legendary Pele as the only Englishman who would get into the Brazil side, he is a midfielder whose game is based primarily on technique. Indeed, as the cries went up around the country for more youth development after the World Cup, Cole was often cited as the one English player who has made the technical leap - with perhaps only Jack Wilshere now joining him for company.

The wave of anticipation that arrived with the midfielder at Anfield during the summer was off the chart. He was the player that was going to lead the club to the next level (to claim that elusive Premier League title?), he was the missing link in the attacking third and a shining light that would bring the kind of creativity that Liverpool sorely needed. All available on a free transfer too.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, skipper Steven Gerrard failed to dull expectations surrounding the new arrival by saying: ''[Lionel] Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe can do as well, if not better. He used to shock us in training by doing footy tricks with a golf ball that most players can't even do with a football. I really fancy Joe for the [Player of the Year] award this season."

Jamie Carragher was equally over-enthusiastic to create a new Kop idol. "Joe has lifted the whole city,'' he said. ''It is not just on the pitch or in the dressing room, it is the entire place& He is like a god in the city already and he has only played a game and a half. He is going to be a major asset for us.''

But while his first few games showed glimpses of his talent, a flick here and a trick there, his skills were drowned out by a red card and a missed penalty that immediately sent the midfielder stumbling up an incline. Suffering from the deification imposed upon him by his team-mates, Cole could have only reached the heights of the fans' expectations if he had hammered in a glut of goals in his five league matches - to date, he has none [incidentally, Messi has three from his five].

In truth, it has not been a quick decline for a player who has constantly failed to live up to his billing since he graduated from the West Ham academy in 1998. English football creates idols quickly, but following Cole's career trajectory (especially at international level) suggests that the one-time child prodigy is not quite at the level that many have suggested over the years.

Perhaps a clue to his inability to peak comes from Carlo Ancelotti's decision to swap him for Yossi Benayoun at Chelsea this summer. The Italian asserted that "Joe Cole is quicker than Benayoun but Yossi is better tactically. He understands what I tell him.'' The key piece of information here is what is not said. Cole evidently struggles when asked to follow orders; his creativity and individualism are admirable qualities but they fly in the face of the team ethic.

Ancelotti is not alone in failing to give Cole his trust. Jose Mourinho and Fabio Capello have also kept him sidelined in the past, with the likes of Luiz Felipe Scolari following suit. For these greats of world football, Cole was an option, while players like Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka, James Milner and Theo Walcott were preferred.

Injury has played its part, but Cole has only managed to pass the 30-game-a-season mark once during his career thus far: at West Ham in 2002-03. His best seasons came under Mourinho where he scored eight goals in two successive campaigns as Chelsea ran away with back-to-back titles in 2004-05 and 2005-06, but all too often he has slipped off the radar when the most is expected of him. The following year, he managed just three starts after being injured in pre-season.

Marginalised at Chelsea during his last two years - when he made just 14 starts in each season - Cole's desire to seek a larger wage packet saw him run his contract down and his interest in a sealing a £90,000-a-week deal saw the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal tellingly pull out of the race.

Now, he is in "the worst period" of his career as Liverpool sit in the relegation zone; overshadowed by the takeover saga and played out of position on the left wing. An honest appraisal of his early season form came from the player himself after the Everton defeat: "I need to find my form somehow. I need to do a lot better, but I'm only looking at myself, no one else.''

Cole needs support, but he also needs time. The expectation level surrounding him has lessened with his failure to hit the ground running, but the club would do well to keep it that way when he begins to string together some form.

He certainly has the talent at his feet to turn his career around at Anfield. His honesty has won him friends off the pitch, but he will only ever silence his detractors if he starts to produce the goods, consistently, on it. The hopes of his club may lie heavy on his shoulders, but both the Kop and England will hope that he is able to realise his potential and silence the jokes at his expense for good.