Ashley Cole - Friend or Foe

"I want those who get to know me, to become admirers or my enemies." So sang Adam Ant in the early 1980's, and to me it always seemed that line would be perfect for most defenders. Strikers crave the adulation and get to do the glamorous things but the nature of defending doesn't allow for that. You only have to look down any list of Player of the Year awards to see the majority of the winners are not defenders.

So why do I mention this (rather obvious I'll admit) concept? Well, over the last week in Amsterdam a few people asked me how I felt about Cole signing a new contract. One person (knowing I was the writer of the now rather infamous 'Open Letter') simply said, "Cole – friend or foe?" and so here we are.

Cole is the type of player who really does encapsulate that old song line. The majority of Arsenal fans were admirers and the majority of opposition fans saw him as an enemy. Various instances (some unfairly) have led to him becoming a bit of a bete noir to opposition fans. But over the summer a lot of Arsenal fans have moved from being admirers to enemies, myself included.

Cole did wrong. Very, very wrong. He then compounded it, not least by telling more untruths than your average politician! We all know that. We also know that he chose to side with his agent over the club he professed to love. We also know that he ended up signing for what had been on offer, far less than the £200,000 a week that he said at one point wouldn't suffice.

But none of that's important now. What's most important (as always in football) is what comes next, and what is coming next is another season with Cole at left back, so we as fans have to deal with that. But how?

Well I can only speak personally, but here goes...

For a start 'Ash' has become 'Cole'. He no longer feels like one of us, a fellow Gooner, he's just another player who plays for us. A good one, but just another journeyman (albeit one who hasn't been able to make much of a journey yet!). If I saw him in the street he wouldn't get the cheery 'Alright Ash' he would have got six months ago. I'm not the kind of person to abuse others in the street, but if he caught my eye it wouldn't be a smile or adulation he saw staring back at him. More like utter contempt. If I see a critical piece in the press about him I won't automatically spring to his defence, more likely I'll probably be prepared to believe the worst. And if I'm sat in a pub up here chatting with some Barcodes and they start slagging him off, they'll get no argument from me. He's still an Arsenal player so I won't join in slagging him off, but silently I'll find it far easier to agree than before.

All of that's away from the stadium though, and that's where everything matters most. So how will I react to seeing him in an Arsenal shirt?

First and foremost I'm an Arsenal fan. Have been since the start of the 70's and will still be in my 70's (which is a lot further away than some would have you believe). I often buy shirts, but I don't get players names on them because, quite simply, my support is for the team as a whole and never for any individual. I deliberately didn't say never get names because I have one shirt with a player's name and number on it. A few years ago the club were selling off some discounted long sleeved 'Dreamcast' shirts. I decided I was going to get one. When I tell you that I had to pull my car over on the way to pick up a mate for the match because I'd just heard Wrighty breaking down whilst announcing the untimely death of the much loved (and 100% true Gooner) David Rocastle I think you'll understand why one of my shirts has 'Rocky' 7 on the back.

I won't boo him, but when opposition fans are suggesting he's an onanist I won't be among the first voices defending him as I have in the past. In fact it's going to take a long time before I can even consider cheering for him. I've seen him play pre-season (and to be honest I'd rather have been seeing Clichy after the last few months) and was surprised by my ambivalence towards him. In a strange way it was like watching one of the trialists, where although they're wearing the shirt you know the badge probably means nothing to them.

Ambivalence. That's a good word to describe how I feel about him now. If (as I suspect) he leaves next summer, with Clichy a year older, then I won't be sorry to see him go. In all honesty if my feelings towards him don't change then I'll offer him the same lift to Turkey that I offered Kanu!

BUT, and it is a big but (although not quite of Sol proportions) he will be wearing our shirt next season because Arsène decided that is what is best for Arsenal. I know I've previously expressed strong opinions about Cole and whilst I stand by those opinions my love of Arsenal will always be stronger than my disdain for any particular player. I also know there are some fans out there that intend to make their feelings known during matches.

Don't. Don't boo him. Don't sing negative songs about him. Think what you want about him and away from the ground say what you think but for those 90 minutes each week he's trying to make our team win. Despite everything that I've said I honestly believe that Cole is a winner and isn't the sort of player who can give anything but 100% effort in a game. Every time he goes on that pitch (for whatever reasons) I believe he will have no thoughts other than winning. And making Arsenal win – which is what we're all after.

And if Zara happens to read this, it's never too late for a comment...

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