Selamat datang Joe Cole

Selamat datang Joe Cole

Joe Cole kini telah menyelesaikan semua pendaftaran, pemeriksaan perubatan dan juga telah pun mula berlatih di Bad Ragaz bersama pemain Liverpool yang lain. Ikuti temu bual pertamanya bersama LiverpoolFC.tv di bawah yang menyatakan kegembiraannya menyertai lebih-lebih lagi pernah berdepan Liverpool sewaktu European Night di Anfield. Cole juga amat berbangga apabila dianugerahkan nombor 10 yang pernah dipakai oleh lagenda Liverpool. Walaupun pada awalnya diberitakan Milan Jovanovic yang akan memakai nombor 10 namun gambar-gambar di bawah membuktikan sebaliknya.

First of all Joe, on behalf of our fans all over the world welcome to Liverpool Football Club...

Thank you very much. I'm glad to be here.

What have the past 48 hours been like?

They have been crazy. I set myself a deadline to make a decision and when I made it I sent a text to Christian Purslow and Steven Gerrard and then turned my phone off. I know I have made the right decision and I am looking forward to the challenge. This is a challenge for me. I have played in London all my life. I could have stayed at Chelsea because the fans loved me and I won things, but I wanted to challenge myself and when I knew Liverpool were interested it was a no-brainer because they are the biggest club in the country.

This is a massive club. I tried to take everything out of the equation, take the financial and location side out and just thought in football terms. I thought about the semi-final of the Champions League in 2005 when I ran onto the field and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was thinking about playing in that atmosphere every week and that swung it for me.

How will you feel to have the fans who made so much noise in that semi-final on your side now?

That's the thing I am looking forward to. You talk to Liverpool players and talk about the European nights. I experienced it as an opponent and it was immense. To go out there and play in that atmosphere every week will be phenomenal.

Did Roy Hodgson have to sell the club to you - or does the club sell itself?

I had a chat with the gaffer about football and was impressed with him. The club has had Spanish and French managers over the years and I think it's a breath of fresh air to get an Englishman in. The club finished seventh last year, which wasn't good enough, and he explained where the club wants to go. I jumped on board because with the players we have here and the players we are looking to bring in, it's definitely going in the right direction.

With the amount of experience Roy has as a manager, how do you think he can help you move on to another level?

We have talked about positions in the team and types of formations he wants to play and I just want to be part of the team. I want to go out there and to run and fight for the lads and the fans. That's what I'll always do and Roy is the man who can make sure we are a nice unit as a team. It's all about us and being together as a team and having the spirit which can take you a long way. If you add that to the quality players we've got here we can go a long way.



Does it excite you when you look through the names in the Liverpool squad?

Yes, definitely. I am used to playing with world class players. I am excited about playing with Fernando and obviously I know Stevie, Carra and Jonno from the England set-up. Pepe Reina, Aquilani - there are a lot of big name players here but I will need time to settle down and relax into the club. I can guarantee the fans I will be giving 100 per cent every game. I am proud to be playing for this club and will give my all in every training session and every game to help the club be successful and put some pots in the trophy cabinet.

The day after you signed, Steven Gerrard committed his future to Liverpool - how much did that mean to you?

That was the best bit of news I could have had. I know Stevie, he is Liverpool through and through and I know from playing with and against him for the last 10 years what a quality player he is. I know how much this club means to him. I think players can play for other clubs but with Liverpool you have to live and breathe it. It's that kind of a place. I am excited by the challenge. I am moving my family and everyone is excited and booking their weekends up here. I am going to make it work.

How big a move is it for you to move up north?

It's a massive deal. We've just had a young baby girl, but I'm 28 now and I have a good family around me. I know people will make me feel welcome and the response I have had has been amazing. I just want to get involved. When you move to a new club it's important to immerse yourself into everything about it and that's what I'll be looking to do. I know the fans are great with the players and I will fight to try and win trophies for this club.



You have been in Switzerland for a couple of days - how impressed have you been with your new manager in just a short space of time?

Obviously I'm not playing tonight but I have sat in on the first-team meeting and he is very thorough. He's very much about a team effort and he told the lads it's about effort and desire. We have to put that in to get results and we have to be together as a team. I think Roy is the man to bring us together tactically. It's going to be a very long season and there will be spells when things go wrong, but it's about how quickly you get out of them. If you start separating or relying too much on Stevie or Fernando then we can be in trouble, so we have to stay together, fight for each other and we can have a good season.

You have been given the No.10 shirt - what does that mean to you?

I'm proud to wear the No.10 shirt. I'd have been proud to wear any Liverpool shirt, to be honest. When I was growing up we were just coming out of the era when Liverpool were winning titles on a regular basis, so I know all about it and I'll be proud to wear the shirt. It'll be strange to pull on the red shirt for a change but I'm looking forward to it and looking forward to being given time to settle in. I just want to help the team to do things.

What do you think you can bring to the team and how much can you improve here?

I'd like to make a lot of chances for Fernando and the front boys. I don't want to say I'll do this and that, I'll just say the fans will have a player who is going to give his all. From what I hear, that's all the people want. I want to be a success here and I'll do everything I can for the team to make it work.

Do you think you are entering the peak stages of your career?

Yes, definitely. I've had a tough two seasons with injury and one of the factors in my decision was coming to a club where I'd be able to string 90 minutes together. Your body needs to get used to the sharpness of doing it week in, week out. I've had a difficult couple of years but I'm coming here as an experienced player who is still fresh and excited about it.



Do you set yourself targets?

I do but I'll keep them to myself. In football you can have a bad game or a great game, but for myself I want to be part of a team that's going to win things. It's important this team is challenging and that we're right there at the end. That's my target - to play as many games as I can in this team and achieve something great.

Jamie Carragher was saying yesterday that you're alright for a Cockney...

That's as good as it gets, isn't it? I've always got on well with Scousers. I actually roomed with a Scouser for a year at Lilleshall - Ian Armstrong who went on to move to Liverpool. I know I'll have to take a few weeks to understand the accents. I don't know how the Spaniards have coped with it. I have always enjoyed good banter with them. I remember on an England trip when I walked into the players' bar after a game and Carra's family were there singing the Minder song because my dad's name is George Cole. I do like the Scouse wit.

Have you always enjoyed the banter with the fans at Anfield?

You do get some stick. Over the last couple of years I've been warming up a lot down the touchline and the stick does make me chuckle. I love it and hopefully they will be saying nice things about me now.

Are you prepared to become an honorary Scouser now?

Yeah. I'll be there eating a bit of Scouse. I like the Beatles as well, so I can't go too far wrong.

How excited are you as you prepare to start your Liverpool career?

It's a dream come true. I've only been here for 48 hours and my head is still in the clouds. It has all happened so quickly. I always knew this was a massive club but until you sign you don't realise. I have people on my phone who I didn't even know were Liverpool fans. It seems everyone I bump into is a Liverpool fan - it's a huge club.

What's your message to Liverpool supporters?

I know what they want and know they want a team to be proud of. I'll go out there every day and live and breathe the club and give my all. I just want to get myself fit. I'm a bit behind in my training work but I want to get fit and help the team to achieve something. I want to be part of a team that's capable of doing great things.

Thanks Joe - we wish you the very best in your Liverpool career...

Thanks very much.