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He gets a ball scores a goal....andy andy cole
With the news of the
retirement of Manchester
United's prolific hitman
last week, MUFCINFO.COM decided to dissect
his glittering Manchester United career.
Article by Mark Graham, Editor, Record Keeper & Official
Reporter @ MUFCINFO.COM
 Born
15th October 1971 in Nottingham, England, Andrew Alexander Cole's
Manchester United career started after he was transferred from Newcastle
United on the twelfth day of January in the 1994/95 season for £6m pounds, the deal included
winger Keith Gillespie & was then a English transfer Record.
Cole
made his debut against Blackburn Rovers in a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford
on 22nd January 1995, the game was won by an Eric Cantona goal.
Netting his 1st goal for the Reds against Aston Villa in a home tie his goal was enough to take all three points for United, on fair reflection
Andy Cole's talent showed as he would eventually score another One Hundred
& Twenty in the famous shirt of Manchester United.
He scored five times against Ipswich Town on Saturday 4th March 1995,
when
United went on to crush the Tractor Boys 9-0 which to this day is still a
record Premiership victory.
The Reds ended up runners up to Blackburn Rovers in the League, lost the
FA Cup Final (which he was was Cup Tied) to Everton & finished third in
the table in the Champions League behind IFK Gothenburg & FC Barcelona.
In 1995/96 Season, Cole scored 13 goals as United lifted the
Premiership title, he also scored in 4 consecutive league games & lifted
the FA Cup after beating Liverpool.
He also played 1 game in the UEFA Cup before United crashed out to
Rotor
Voldegrad.
 The
1996/97 Season was blighted by injury & the form of Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer limiting his games for United to just 28 appearances, however
United won the League title & reached the semi final of the Champions
League where German side
Borussia Dortmund
managed by Omar Hitzfeld beat the the Reds home & away 1-0.
Scoring 25 goals, his best striking season came in 1997/98 when 15
League goals, 5 FA Cup & 5 in Europe (including a hat trick against Feyenoord) gave
Cole his best tally as a Red, ironically United won nothing that season
after the league was lost to Arsenal & AS Monaco dumped United out in the Quarter finals
with then youthful players such as Thierry Henry, Fabien Barthez & goal
scorer David Trezeguet.
Cole also did claim another hat trick that season against Barnsley when
United thumped the Yorkshire side 7-0.
 Monumental to the Reds success in the Treble season
of 1998/99 and scoring 24 goals
for the year, Cole also scored some vitally important ones, fans will
remember English Television broadcaster Clive Tylsley emphatically
stating "Full Speed ahead
Barcelona" as partner & best mate Dwight Yorke was brought down by Juve
keeper
Angelo
Peruzzi in the 1999 Champions League
Semi-Final, before seizing his chance Cole nipped in and sent the Reds into the final in the Nou
Camp after a expertly taken angled shot.
Another imperative goal that season was his expert control & dispatch at
Old Trafford on the final day of the season against Spurs, at 1-1 &
United needing a win to claim the title, Cole showed his composure under
immense pressure as he trapped a ball and neatly lobbed Iain Walker sending
Manchester United toward eventual Footballing History.
In the 1999/2000 season, a tally of 19 League goals from 28 games saw a
personal best for league goals as United & Cole again lifted the Premiership
Trophy, during the season and against his old club Newcastle United,
Cole fired four goals past his previous employers on route to a 5-1 win
at Old Trafford. In a top of the table clash in what was our
closest rivals for the title that year, that all important winning goal
came from Cole for United as Leeds United were beaten at Ellen Road.
2000/2001 saw limited appearances (30 in total) due to injury, but
he still
managed to score 13 including another European hat trick
against
RSC Anderlecht, picking up in the process
his fifth & final League Winners medal.
In 2001/2002 &
contributing to his
eventual departure, Ruud Van Nistlerooy was signed by Ferguson as his
primary choice of striker as United switched to a 4-5-1 formation
leaving Cole with limited time as a starter, Cole later said
"I left Manchester United too early. I was only 30 and could have played
on there and that is the only one that wrangles with me."
Whilst
with Manchester United Cole gathered an impressive haul of medals
including five
Premier League titles, two FA Cups & 1 Champions League,
ranking
currently second on the all time Premiership scorers list with 187, only
Alan Shearer (260) has managed scored more times than Cole.
Currently he sits in 16th place in the All Time Manchester United
scorers listing between
Brian McClair (126 goals) &
Cristiano Ronaldo (101 goals).
Despite the obvious talent possessed by Andy, his England career was
short making 15 appearances for
England scoring once.
Take a bow, & a big Thank you Mr Andrew Cole.
|
ANDREW COLE MANCHESTER UNITED
COMPETITIVE RECORD |
| 1994/1995 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
18 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
|
Goals |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
| 1995/1996 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
34 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
43 |
|
Goals |
11 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
|
1996/1997 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
20 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
28 |
|
Goals |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
|
1997/1998 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
33 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
44 |
|
Goals |
15 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
25 |
|
1998/1999 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
32 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
0 |
49 |
|
Goals |
17 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
24 |
|
1999/2000 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
28 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
41 |
|
Goals |
19 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
22 |
|
2000/2001 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
19 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
0 |
30 |
|
Goals |
9 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
13 |
|
2000/2001 |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
|
Appearances |
11 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
15 |
|
Goals |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
| |
League |
League
Cup |
FA Cup |
European Cup |
UEFA
Cup |
Totals |
| Apps
Grand Total |
195 |
0 |
21 |
49 |
1 |
268 |
|
Goals Grand Total |
93 |
0 |
9 |
19 |
0 |
121 |
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