(Part 1) 1995 - 1998.
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In January 1995 Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson shocked Tyneside
by signing Andy Cole from Newcastle United for a British record
transfer fee of £6.25 million. The previous season Cole had netted 34
goals for Newcastle, which won him the European Golden Boot, and also
saw him receive the PFA Young Player of the Year award. During his first
season with United he bagged 12 goals in just 17 games, five of which
came in a 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town at Old Trafford.
Despite this
excellent return, Cole was heavily criticised for missing chances in
several crucial games towards the end of his first season, most notably
in the final game of the campaign against West Ham where Man United
failed to clinch the title - they ended the season with nothing for the
first time in 5 years. Inevitably the following season it was back to
business as usual at Old Trafford, Cole's 11 Premiership goals helping
United to end the campaign as champions. They also went on to beat
Liverpool 1-0 in the FA Cup Final, therefore completing an incredible
second double in the space of only 3 years.
Cole began the 96/97 season
with pneumonia and things then went from bad to worse as just a month
later he had the misfortune of breaking both legs in a reserve team
match. This unsurprisingly left him out for the majority of the campaign
and he managed only six goals all season. If it was any consolation
though, United still went on to clinch the title once again! The
following season saw Andy back on the goal trail, netting 25 times to
finish as United's leading scorer, but ultimately the season was to
finish in disappointment with United winning nothing.
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Andy Cole playing football for Manchester United on 1st. March 2000. Photo Nigel French. ©
(Part 2) 1998 - 2001.
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What was beginning to emerge in previous campaigns, was confirmed during
the 98/99 season - Andy Cole was no longer just an out-and-out goal
scorer. Throughout his career he had always been regarded in this way,
but after several seasons at Old Trafford, his skill, vision, and
overall work ethic had improved to such an extent that he was beginning
to create as many goals as he scored. When United signed Dwight Yorke
from Aston Villa at the start of the 98/99 season, he and Cole instantly
gelled and formed an attacking partnership that was considered by many
to be the best in Europe.
Cole netted 24 goals in a season that saw
Manchester United complete an unprecedented Treble. Yet again he scored
vital goals in important matches at critical stages of the campaign. He
kept his nerve and produced a sublime lob on the final day of the season
to give United a 2-1 victory over Spurs - this goal effectively
clinched the Premiership title. A few days earlier Andy had scored the
winner in an amazing 3-2 away victory at Juventus in the Champions
League semi-final. The following season saw Cole continue to score in
abundance. He totaled 22 goals and passed the 100 mark for United in a
season which saw the club lift their sixth premiership trophy in eight
years. Cole's relationship with teammate Teddy Sheringham has been well
documented in recent years.
It is true to say that they simply don't
like each other. However, during the 2000/01 season, they formed a
positively friendly on-field partnership. Sheringham helped Cole to a
total of 10 goals, and their partnership helped United to a third
successive premiership trophy. In September 2000 Cole had also managed
to break Dennis Law's European goalscoring record of 14 with a hat-trick
against Anderlecht. The following season, the arrival of £19million
Dutchman Ruud Van Nistelrooy meant that Cole was no longer viewed as the
first choice striker at Old Trafford. He subsequently played only 15
times, scoring just 5 goals in the 2001/02 season before joining
Blackburn on 29th December 2001 for a transfer fee believed to be in the
region of £8million.
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