The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 313 The £700 million challenge

"If I was given a reason to leave Newcastle, it would be that I had to leave. If I was asked to play for the Red Devils, for Ferguson, I certainly wouldn't refuse the opportunity."

--Andy Cole

Before January 1995, rumors began to circulate in English football that the Red Devils were preparing to bring in a new striker.

The list compiled by the media is very long, from Ferdinand to Clough, from Duncan Ferguson to Collymore, from Shelingham to Wright, almost all the forwards in their prime years in English football have been mentioned.

The Red Devils did not respond to the rumors of signings, and Ferguson would not directly answer the media's questions about signings, but the media became more and more certain that Ferguson would definitely bring in attackers. Although the Red Devils claimed to have three strikers in Mark Hughes, McClair and Cantona, and youth players Simon Davis and Scholes were also beginning to emerge, scoring in the Premier League and the Champions League, the two wingers Giggs and Kanchelskis could also score goals, and even Ince, Lee Sharpe and Keane were also good in attack, it seemed that the Red Devils did not need to bring in new strikers?

The answer is no, the Red Devils not only need a new striker, but also very urgently need a strong striker.

Ferguson's Red Devils actually only had one striker, and that was Mark Hughes. McClair and Cantona were not conventional strikers. McClair had been transformed by Ferguson into a central midfielder, and his goals had been greatly reduced; Cantona's greater responsibility was to support the offensive structure in the frontcourt and coordinate the entire offensive system, and he could no longer be considered a pure striker. Cantona certainly often shot and scored, and was once the top scorer of the Red Devils, but his role was not really a striker. The Red Devils only had Hughes as a true center forward, but he was already 1994 years old in 31 and had begun to decline. His physical confrontation ability, physical condition, technical ability, etc. were no longer at their peak. Davis, Scholes, Thornley and other youth training players were still too immature to play in this position, let alone other positions.

But even so, the media and fans were shocked when the Red Devils announced in January 1995 that they had signed Newcastle United striker Andy Cole for a club-record fee of £1 million.

700 million, this is 700 million. You know, Ferguson was a little disdainful of Sutton's 500 million before the season. Why is he so generous now?

Even Shelingham and even Collymore did not require such a huge transfer fee, so why did Ferguson spend so much money on him? Andy Cole is indeed a supernova. He scored an amazing 34 goals last season and won the league golden boot over Shearer, but even the most imaginative media would not spend 700 million.

Ferguson explained it this way: "We have been keeping an eye on Andy Cole since 1993, and our scouting system is paying close attention to this emerging player. He has proven himself at Newcastle, and I believe he will perform better when he comes to the Red Devils. The transfer fee we offered was not shocking, and I think it was appropriate."

"Overall, I am very happy with this transfer," Ferguson concluded.

As Ferguson said, the Red Devils' scouts noticed Cole in 1993 and recommended this new star to Ferguson. But the Red Devils went all out to sign Keane this summer and had no spare energy. One season later, Andy Cole played the best performance of his career and was always under the observation of the Red Devils' scout network. Ferguson said: "We have been keeping an eye on Andy. The first scouting report was more than 100 pages long. In addition to data, it was full of praise from professional scouts. Later, I continued to ask scouts to keep a close eye on him. I asked Newcastle for the price at the end of 1993, but was rejected outright."

In the summer of 1994, the Red Devils were also linked with Andy Cole. Blackburn and Liverpool were also rumored to want to buy Cole, but the ambitious Keegan claimed that Cole was not for sale and the team would never sell the main striker who won the Premier League Golden Boot.

Andy Cole was born on October 1971, 10 in Nottinghamshire, England. He is 15 cm tall and weighs 178 kg. He has always been a forward. Andy Cole's football journey was very bumpy. He first received football training in the Arsenal youth team, but he was thin and bullied by his peers in the team. His ability was not outstanding. Cole got a formal professional contract in the summer of 78, but he was not appreciated by the coach. Arsenal coach Graham is a very traditional and very "British" coach. When selecting players, he tends to look at physical fitness and confrontation ability. He hopes that players are tall and strong and can rush and collide. Andy Cole is known for his agility, so it is naturally difficult for him to stand out. He only played as a substitute for Arsenal once in an away game against Sheffield United in December 1988, and was immediately put into the cold palace. In 1990, Cole was loaned to Fulham, which was still in the C group at the time.

After joining Fulham, Andy Cole got the long-awaited chance to play, where he played 13 games, scored 3 goals, and performed averagely, but gained valuable playing experience.

Cole later said, "When I was loaned to Fulham, I knew that my hope of coming back was dashed. I encountered a lot of difficulties when I played for Fulham. My physical confrontation was very weak and I couldn't play in the front. I was still growing at the time, and the coach asked me to do less strength training to avoid not being able to grow taller and stay flexible. I played very hard and was knocked over by the opponent every time I attacked. I had to find the best opportunity to score a goal."

In the summer of 1992, Cole was sold to Bristol City by Arsenal for £50. Although £50 was the most expensive signing for Bristol City, a second-tier team, it would not attract attention in England.

Bristol City's manager was very impressed with Cole and began to build an attacking line around him. Cole performed well and became the sharpest knife in the team and the first choice for his teammates to deliver bullets. In the 1992-1993 season, Cole played 29 games for Bristol City and scored 12 goals, becoming a rising star in English League Two. In February 1993, English League One leader Newcastle United offered 2 million pounds to buy Cole.

This was a good deal for Bristol City, who bought him for 50 pounds and sold him for 175 million pounds in half a season, and Cole also helped the team score 12 goals. This was also a good deal for Newcastle, who played 12 games and scored 12 goals after joining, helping the team win the First Division championship and be promoted to the Premier League.

After Newcastle was promoted to the Premier League, Andy Cole showed no fear even in the top Premier League and performed very well. Compared with other English forwards, Cole is more flexible, more agile, and has better coordination and flexibility. If other English center forwards are more like a fierce general, Cole is more like an assassin. In Newcastle, thanks to Keegan's emphasis on offensive tactics and the high-quality delivery and assists from his teammates, Cole's goals continued. In the 1993-1994 season, Cole played 40 league games and scored 34 goals, helping Newcastle United win the third place in the league and qualify for the European War. 40 goals in 34 games not only exceeded the number of all Premier League shooters, but also the highest goal efficiency in England. Cole won the league's Golden Boot and was selected into the league's best team. Including other games, Andy Cole scored a total of 41 goals, breaking the legendary shooter Hughie Gallagher's goal record that had been held for nearly 70 years.

Scoring 34 goals in the league in one season, even the famous talented forwards such as Lineker, Rush, and Le Tissier have not achieved such an achievement. The previous figure in the English top league was Ron Davis in the 1966-67 season, when he scored 34 goals for Southampton. With so many goals, Cole's brilliance is not even inferior to Alan Shearer. Although Shearer has better physical conditions and is more in line with the expectations of English fans for strikers, he still couldn't score 34 goals this season. Of course, Shearer is gifted and strong. In the following season, he completed a record that was enough to match Cole, won the Golden Boot, and also won the honor of the Premier League championship, but that's a story for later.

Andy Cole is not only a powerful attacker, he can also provide help to his partner, and his adaptability is very strong. In the 1993-94 season, he and Beardsley complemented each other. The two players assisted each other, making the team's attack more powerful, and Beardsley also scored 24 goals. After the season, the English Professional Footballers Association selected Cole as the best young player of the year in recognition of his potential and achievements. In the summer of 1994, Newcastle rejected the offers from giants such as the Red Devils and Liverpool, and regarded Cole as a treasure that would not be sold. After the start of the new season, Cole continued his excellent performance, scoring 18 goals in 9 league games, and the data was still excellent.

In the middle of the season, Cole suffered a serious injury and had to miss several games. The injury affected Cole greatly. After returning to the team, he performed poorly in several consecutive games. His speed became slower and his strength decreased. Because of the injury, he also avoided confrontation and was not active in scoring. The power of his shot was greatly reduced. The first person to lose patience was coach Keegan. His love for Cole quickly disappeared, and he even disliked him a little. He was ready to look for a new shooter to take over.

Many media outlets believed that Andy Cole's time at Newcastle was numbered. Cole was considered too fragile and too fragile, and a serious injury could destroy his health and prevent him from recovering. No matter how many goals Cole had scored at Newcastle United before, no matter how agile he was, how sharp his awareness was, and how good his ball handling skills were, he had now lost Keegan's trust.

Andy Cole is now going through the most difficult period of his career. He needs trust and encouragement the most at this time, but Keegan will not give him either of them. All he gets from the coaching staff is cold eyes.

This is why Ferguson proposed the deal, as he expected Newcastle to give up on Cole. Although some calm media reporters stressed that Cole might just be in a short-term slump, Keegan and Newcastle management no longer had that kind of patience. Now that the Red Devils came to buy him and offered a high price, Keegan agreed without even pretending to be polite.

Andy Cole said many years later: "I remember what Keegan said. He personally said publicly in the locker room that he was disappointed with my state. He wanted to build a team similar to Clough's Forest team and needed an English center forward. I knew what he meant. I gave everything when I played for Newcastle and was seriously injured for the team. I didn't expect Keegan to think of me like this, although I got support from many teammates, but that didn't include Keegan."

Cole said: "When the team was discussing my transfer with the Red Devils, Keegan didn't even come out to talk to me. He just informed me through a staff member and asked me to go to the club officials to handle it. I am very grateful for the freedom he gave me, because in this way I can be free from worries and guilt."

Andy Cole made the most important decision in his career, leaving Newcastle on January 1995, 1 and joining the Red Devils without hesitation. Cole said at the press conference: "This is my luck. I am very excited to have the opportunity to play for the Red Devils. To be honest, I even couldn't sleep a little, because it is not an easy thing to play under Ferguson. Playing for the Red Devils has been my dream since I was a child. I have always been a fan of the Red Devils. I love the Red Devils!"

"I believe this is a rare opportunity, even a chance to change my destiny. I agreed without hesitation, and I can't wait to wear the Red Devils jersey."

Cole loves the Red Devils and is eager to play for Ferguson. This power made him, who has always been silent and introverted, say so much in front of the media and express himself so directly.