🎤 Andy Cole Interview

Speaking exclusively to OLBG, Andy Cole says Alexander Isak is the best striker in the Premier League.

The former Manchester United legend says every manager since Alex Ferguson's retirement has found it hard and Reuben Amorim just needs more time.

The ex-Newcastle player says I believe Newcastle can qualify for next season's Champions League if they can keep ‘Alexander Isak fit from now till the end of the season’.

He goes on to say, it’s been really tough for Rasmus Højlund but he works really hard and just needs a little bit of luck.

OLBG Interviews

Andy Cole

Andrew Cole: ex-striker, Manchester United icon.

It’s been a difficult start to life for Ruben Amorim at Man Utd. Do you think he’s the right man to bring the glory days back to the club?

Ruben Amorim

Perseverance is the key, it's been a tough start for him.

I think every manager that's come to Manchester since Alex Ferguson's retirement has found it difficult, but I think with Ruben Amorim, just give him time.

Just like anything in life, it takes a little bit of time.

Manchester United have unfortunately had a difficult season.

I don't think anyone could have expected this season to be as difficult as it has been, but you've appointed him, so give him as much time as possible to get things right.

Wayne Rooney has called Ruben Amorim ‘naive’ for saying Man Utd’s goal is to win the Premier League - do you agree with Wayne?

I think a club like Manchester United, that's got to be an objective, to try and win the league.

Of course, that's going to take time to win the league, but any big club's objective is to win the league.

Don't forget, Manchester United used to be the biggest force when it came to winning the Premier League.

It's been difficult over the past few years, since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, but it's a process.

Giving the manager that opportunity and time to get Manchester United back to where they are, that's going to take a little bit of time, and it’s going to take time to be able to win the Premier League as well.

Marcus Rashford has made a promising start to his Aston Villa career. Do you think it was a mistake to let him leave in January and do you think he has a future at Old Trafford?

Marcus Rasford 

I think on the first question, only time will tell, he's gone there, he looks revitalised, he looks like he's out there enjoying his football, which is the most important thing (to go and enjoy your football).

What happens with Marcus and Manchester United in the summer? That's going to be down to Marcus Rashford and Manchester United.

I think it's always tough to speculate about players' futures and what's going on from what's not going on, especially when you don't know what the background of it is.

Ultimately, I just wish both parties all the best, if they do go separate ways, or work it out (whatever it may be), I just want whatever is best for both parties.

Is Rasmus Højlund good enough for Man United at the moment?

I think with Rasmus Højlund, it’s been really tough for him, maybe even tougher due to the fact that he's a young man going into Manchester United.

Manchester United are not creating many chances, not scoring many goals, and really being thrust on the deep end, especially when you’ve got no experts to be able to play with and guide you through it.

I’d also find it tough in that position and I think the positive with Rasmus is he works his socks off.

He works extremely hard, never gives up and sometimes when you're in that position you just need that little bit of luck.

Fingers crossed he'll be able to get that soon.

Is Joshua Zirkzee good enough for Man United and what are your thoughts on him?

Similar to Rasmus Højlund.

I was fortunate, when I went to Manchester United, I had a hell of a lot of experience there, that could help me through my difficult times, not scoring goals or lacking a bit of confidence or whatever.

The two boys you've mentioned there, it's been very difficult because they've gone into a team that's finding form hard to come by.

Scoring goals is hard to come by and they’re trying to gather momentum in a team that's finding it a little bit tougher than most at the moment.

So fingers crossed they’ll be able to turn it around.

What did you make of your old teammate Roy Keane saying that ‘talent is not enough’ about Bruno Fernandes, and that he is ‘not a fighter’? Do you agree with him?

Bruno Fernandes

In my generation, we were such a good team, such a positive team that was winning week in, week out.

That makes things a little bit easier, but they're two different personalities as well (Roy Keane and Bruno Fernandes).

I think we all know what Roy is, Roy is an unbelievable fighter and that’s the way he led the team, everyone could see his persona.

I'm not going to make that judgment because I think Bruno's a fantastic player and I think the way he leads the team is totally different to the way Roy led the team.

Two different individuals, two different generations.

I think they’re two fantastic players, but ultimately how you used to lead the team back in the 90’s when we played, to how you lead a team now is different.

The way people are, they are totally different generations.

Man Utd play Real Sociedad on Thursday night - what are your thoughts and score predictions for the game?

Tough game. Away leg first, I think gives Manchester United an opportunity to bounce back as well, especially after going out in the FA Cup against Fulham on penalties.

It's a great opportunity as well for them to get back into Europe now.

If they can go there and get a positive result on the first leg, bring it home to Old Trafford and go from there.

It won't be an easy game, I think Real Sociedad should be saying the same thing as well, having the first leg at home.

I think if Manchester go to get a positive result, you never know what will happen.

Man Utd play Arsenal on Sunday - what are your thoughts and score predictions for the game?

Well, I think that all sets it up if you have a good result on Thursday (against Real Sociedad).

If you have a good result on Thursday, it makes things a little bit better. You can go to the game against Arsenal with more confidence.

They’re two very tough games, I can't even make a score prediction.

Manchester United’s native form is a little bit unpredictable, so I'm just hoping that they can go into both games with confidence and pull out a couple of good results.

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Newcastle are battling for European places in the Premier League this season - do you think they can qualify for next season’s Champions League?

I believe so, yeah!

I think if they can keep Alexander Isak fit from now till the end of the season, that's an even bigger boost for them, because of the way he's playing and the way he scores goals.

I think that the form they've shown, they're a little bit inconsistent at the moment, but I think if they get themselves winning a few more matches, they'll be okay.

They'll be good to go.

Do you think Newcastle can finish in the top four?

Newcastle fans are dreaming of European nights

Yeah, I think they've got more than enough.

For Newcastle, they can get a little bit inconsistent at times.

If you look at the weekend's result for them, being the home team, I don't think people would’ve expected them to have lost the game there, but they did.

If you look at the game when they played against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final, to get themselves to the final.

If you look at the form in the last few games, they've been a little bit up and down, but you just don't know.

How do you rate Newcastle’s chances against Liverpool in the upcoming Carabao Cup final?

It’s a cup final, anything's possible and that's why we love cup competitions, due to the fact that you get to a final and you never know what could happen.

That little bit of luck can make you win the cup.

That little bit of unluckiness makes you lose the cup final, you know?

I think Newcastle will give them a good game.

I really think Newcastle have been in that position where they've been getting to quite a few cup finals recently and I think they just need a little bit of luck to try and win them a cup that they've been yearning for, for so long.

What did you make of Anthony Gordon’s red card last night (Sunday 2nd)? Do you think Newcastle’s appeal will be successful?

I'd be surprised, I didn't think it was a red card in the first place, but then when you raise your hands, that's the letter of the law nowadays.

It will be very disappointing if he’s not able to play in the cup final, but I mean, the crazy thing is just a bit of stupidity is possibly costing him a chance of playing in the cup final.

Is Alexander Isak the best striker in the Premier League right now?

Andy Cole thinks Isak is the best EPL striker right now

At this present moment in time yeah!

When he stays fit, with the amount he gives to his team, not just in the goalscoring department, but his creativity as well, in terms of what he creates for his teammates.

So, I’d say so, yeah, definitely!

Newcastle travel to West Ham on Monday night - what are your thoughts and score predictions for the game?

It's a bit like Man United, Newcastle are a little bit inconsistent.

It kind of depends on what Newcastle turn up, because they go on a good run and then they lose again when you don't expect them to lose, and then they'll have a little bit of indifferent form before getting themselves back in form.

It's a hard one to call. Hard one to call.

What do you make of new Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael?

Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael

Hopefully, he'll be able to keep them in a close position.

My son worked with him at Barnsley briefly when he was a manager there.

I think fingers crossed for Blackburn that they've made the right appointment to try and get them in the position they need to be in.

Do you think Blackburn will be promoted?

I'm not sure.

It's another team to be afraid of.

Their form is so-so. They went on a good run, got themselves into position, but surprisingly, for whatever reason, the manager decided to move on to a team that is fighting relegation.

I think that surprised me a lot, but then you can look into that and say, well, there's something telling in that.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Blackburn travel to Derby County to face old manager John Eustace on Saturday - what sort of reaction do you think he’ll get?

John Eustace

From the Blackburn fans, no doubt it'll be a little bit of a hostile one because they were disappointed he left, especially when they were in such a good position.

Whatever the Derby County offer was, it must have been something to turn his head and take on a club that is fighting relegation.

You finished your career at your hometown club, Nottingham Forest. They’re currently favourites to finish in the top four this season - Do you think they will be playing Champions League football next season?

The craziest thing is that I really hope they do.

I mean, that's why we love football, ultimately that's why we love the Premier League.

To know that they stayed up last season, virtually by the skin of their teeth, and a season later, they've got possibly a chance of finishing in a Champions League spot.

Fair play to them, it’s a fairy tale.

I hope it can happen for them.

How did your move to Man Utd come about? What happened between you and Kevin Keegan at Newcastle?

Totally out of the blue to be fair, the way that came about.

I remember playing for Newcastle in the Cup game against Blackburn on a Sunday, played in the FA Cup, went home, went for a warm-down Monday morning, went home, nothing really changed there.

Then, just after I watched Man United on TV, they played Sheffield United, I got a call saying that the chance for me to move to Manchester United from Newcastle was on – and that was that.

So that's how random, how quickly it was done, and especially not knowing. If I'd known naturally I was going to move on, I wouldn't have played in the cup on the Sunday because that meant I was cup-tied for that season.

So yeah, it was very, very random.

What were your initial thoughts when you got that call?

I didn't believe it, I've got to be very honest.

I didn't believe it due to the fact that I played on the Sunday and they won on the Monday, and the manager never said a word to me. I never spoke to Kevin until basically I was driving down to Manchester from Newcastle, and that was later on that Monday evening after the game.

So that might have been about 10, 11 o'clock that evening, which was very, very strange.

What are your memories of Man Utd’s treble-winning season back in 1998/99? What was your highlight during that incredible campaign?

Cole and Fergie

All of it. Just all of it.

It's such a special memory to be able to live with, something that you never forget.

I think for me personally, it's just the enjoyment of the whole season, how we got into the Champions League, going through the qualifiers first—I think people forget that. Qualifying and getting in the group of death.

Ourselves, Barcelona, Munich, and Brondby—getting through that, and then, I mean, we had a tough quarter against Inter and a tough semi against Juventus.

We definitely did it the hard way in the Champions League. And then, in the league, we got pushed all the way by Arsenal, and obviously in the FA Cup, we had to go to a replay.

So yeah, it's a very, very special memory.

You’re the fourth all-time top goalscorer in Premier League history despite not taking penalties. Why did you not take penalties for your respective clubs, and do you regret that decision at all?

I don't think it was a refusal—I think I was more of the mindset that I'd like to be able to believe that I could score goals in open play.

None of the clubs that I played for tried to force penalties on me.

They said, ‘OK, it's your decision, if you change your mind, you're more than welcome to take penalties.’

That was then. I think that's what makes me even more proud of my record—the fact that I didn’t need to take them.

We've got the number that I got to in the end. I think during that time, there's been a natural lack of respect for what I achieved and not being given the credit I deserve. The fact that, with one penalty in there, I scored 186 goals in open play, and everyone seems to forget that.

It is what it is.

You only made 15 appearances for England despite constantly being one of the best strikers each season in the Premier League - do you feel you deserved more caps?

Yeah, I could sit here and say that I should have won more caps, but the good thing is, you know, I don't sit at home rocking myself to sleep worrying about it.

So I think that tells you, in the end, I wasn't really fussed about it, to be fair.

What was it like playing alongside Eric Cantona and what was he like in the dressing room?

Cantona

Eric, he was a maverick, he was totally different.

You don't see that in the modern game—a maverick, an individual who played the way he played and voiced his opinion about things the way he wanted to.

He just did what he wanted to do. I enjoyed that, I totally enjoyed it.

It's something that you can gain experience from.

When you have someone like Højlund who hasn't had the opportunity to learn off someone like a Cantona or something like that, it's totally different—definitely.

Your strike partnership with Dwight Yorke is still considered one of the best in Premier League history. What made your partnership so effective?

Just being what we were as people. We were totally opposite, but always got on as people.

We always used to have a laugh and joke, and I think just the respect we had for each other.

You know, we were going out on the football pitch just to enjoy it. Yorkie used to put a smile on his face, and ultimately, that used to make me laugh in the end.

It's all about enjoyment, which is the most positive thing.

Are there any current striker partnerships that remind you of you and Dwight Yorke?

Dwight Yorke

No, because if you look at the current game, nothing's really played in partnerships anymore. No doubt within time that will come back.

Everyone usually plays now with three up front—two wide men and a central figure being able to go wherever he likes as well, very much interchanging.

So the game's not really based on partnerships anymore.

Why do you think we’re seeing less and less teams set up with two strikers, and should teams think about going back in that direction?

Just football, and I think football's forever changing, ever evolving.

I mean, football's a little bit like fashion. Flares go in, and flares come out.

Tight pants come in, tight pants go out.

So I think that's a bit like football. I think it's a bit of the same. I think within time, you'll see teams line up with a 4-4-2 or something similar, and then all of a sudden, the world will turn again.

What was your favourite goal that you ever scored in your career?

Most probably the one at Nou Camp, in the Champions League.

Yeah, just the team play and the play between me and Dwight Yorke. Yeah, it's very special.

What trophy win meant the most to you in your career?

Oh, I think winning my first Premier League title was very special, and then being able to win the Champions League was special.

You grow up as a kid watching that tournament, it's something that you want to play in, and being able to win it was, yeah, really, really special.

Who was the best manager you ever played under and why?

Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson—not just as a manager, but as an individual who could get into your head and find out what you were as a person, not just a footballer, but as a person as well.

Yeah, really, really good.

Who was the hardest player you played with?

I think you go, you train, you have a laugh and joke, you respect each other for what you are because you're at that level, you're playing on the same team and you're making each other better.

The best players I played with were Scholes and Keane—fantastic footballers. But saying that, I played in a team with many of them.

Which English ground had the best atmosphere you played at?

St James Park Newcastle // yellow book ltd, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

I think playing at St James' Park was always very special. The atmosphere was always electric. Playing at Anfield and Elland Road was great also.

Yeah, I think those are the ones that get the juices flowing, you know. When you go there with certain teams, the passion of the fans is better, it makes the atmosphere even more electric.

Which European ground had the best atmosphere you played at?

The Bernabeu, The Nou Camp, The San Siro.

The list is endless when it comes to Champions League games.

You see so many of them when you're a kid growing up.

You think, ‘I’d love to play at certain grounds’.

I think European football has an endless supply of great stadiums, especially with all the history of all the clubs as well.