Post by Macmoish on Aug 5, 2011 7:21:45 GMT
Plymouth Herald - Cole keen to help Argyle climb back up the league
Friday, August 05, 2011
GOALKEEPER Jake Cole has not come to Plymouth Argyle to sit on the substitutes' bench.
He spent six seasons doing that at his first club, Queens Park Rangers, making only eight first team appearances during that time.
For much of the time, Cole served as the understudy to 'keepers such as Lee Camp, Paul Jones and Simon Royce.
That all changed, however, when he signed for Barnet, initially on loan in March 2009 and then on a two-year contract that summer.
Cole played 97 times in all competitions for Barnet, and was voted their player-of-the-year in his first season at Underhill.
Now aged 25, he wants to continue playing first team football for Argyle, after being snapped up by manager Peter Reid following a trial period in July.
Cole said: "I joined QPR aged nine, so I was there for 14 years – a long time – and I sat on the bench about 140-odd times, mainly in the Championship.
"It was quite a long period for me without games, although I went out on loan a few times.
"I'm a QPR supporter, and my family are all local to there, so I really enjoyed being at the club, but I didn't play much.
"Getting games under my belt was what I really wanted because when you train hard every week you want something at the end of it."
Cole's debut for QPR came in December 2005, aged 20, as a substitute for Royce in a 1-0 home defeat by Coventry City.
He made a further two appearances that term, and followed that up with five starts in 2006/07, but did not play in either of the next two seasons.
Cole said: "You just have to keep your professionalism and train hard, ready for your chance.
"When I was called upon I felt I played well. It's a matter of being professional and doing things right – living right, eating right and training right. And that's what I did there."
QPR were beaten to the Division Two (now League One) title by Argyle in 2003/04.
The Pilgrims made sure of finishing top of the table with a 2-0 victory over Rangers at Home Park at the end of that April.
At the time, Cole was aged 18 and on loan to part-timers Hayes.
However, he did visit Home Park regularly with QPR when they and Argyle were in the Championship over subsequent seasons.
Cole said: "I sat on the bench quite a few times at Home Park when QPR came down. We had some good battles.
"I have seen crowds of 14,000 and 15,000 at Home Park so, hopefully, we can get back to those times and climb up the leagues."
Cole enjoyed his two-and-a-bit seasons at Barnet, even though they struggled against relegation from the Football League in both of them.
He said: "I went on loan there for 10 games at the end of the (2008/09) season, with Ian Hendon being the manager.
"I signed a permanent deal – a year with a year option – and Ian Hendon was excellent with me.
"They had Gary Breen (the former Republic of Ireland international defender) there, who was massively experienced, and I enjoyed it.
"I played 52 games out of 52 that season, and it was what I needed.
"I ended getting player-of-the-year and, for me, it was a lovely season. Although we didn't do well as a team, and we just avoided relegation, I had a busy season."
Cole made a further 35 appearances for Barnet last term as they again came close to demotion to the Conference.
He said: "I had a medial knee ligament injury towards the end of the season, which kept me out for a while.
"It was another struggle. It was hard at Barnet because I think they are a club that punch a little bit above their weight.
"They like staying in league football, and it has been three seasons in a row they have just avoided relegation.
"It's a tough place to go and be a goalkeeper or defender, but you get a lot of work to do.
"It was a great learning curve for me, and getting nearly 100 games under my belt in League Two was excellent."
Cole will be able to share his experience of life in League Two with his new Argyle team-mates, many of whom will be playing at that level for the first time in their careers.
He said: "There will be some rough grounds you have got to go to, where the pitches aren't too great and it will be a battle.
"But, obviously, at Home Park the pitch is lovely and the stadium is great. I'm sure the fans will get behind us and we will be able to play our football.
"It's a blend, I think. You get sides who try to play football, but you also get ones who try to bully you.
"It's a tough league, that's for sure, but with what I have seen here, the squad we are getting together and the way everyone is, it's very positive."
Argyle's well-documented off-the-pitch problems over recent times did not deter Cole from moving to them.
He said: "No way. Plymouth is a great club and, hopefully, we can do well this season. You can't turn down opportunities like this.
"It's a great club, the manager is vastly experienced and everyone in the squad is blending nicely."
Argyle have been on the slide ever since the departure of former boss Ian Holloway to Leicester City in November 2007.
Holloway is someone who Hammersmith-born Cole knows well.
"He was the manager at QPR when I made my debut in the Championship.
"He did really well here (at Argyle), along with a few other managers. Hopefully, it's a rebuilding process now, to get the club back to where it belongs."
www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Cole-keen-help-Argyle-climb-league/story-13075654-detail/story.html
Friday, August 05, 2011
GOALKEEPER Jake Cole has not come to Plymouth Argyle to sit on the substitutes' bench.
He spent six seasons doing that at his first club, Queens Park Rangers, making only eight first team appearances during that time.
For much of the time, Cole served as the understudy to 'keepers such as Lee Camp, Paul Jones and Simon Royce.
That all changed, however, when he signed for Barnet, initially on loan in March 2009 and then on a two-year contract that summer.
Cole played 97 times in all competitions for Barnet, and was voted their player-of-the-year in his first season at Underhill.
Now aged 25, he wants to continue playing first team football for Argyle, after being snapped up by manager Peter Reid following a trial period in July.
Cole said: "I joined QPR aged nine, so I was there for 14 years – a long time – and I sat on the bench about 140-odd times, mainly in the Championship.
"It was quite a long period for me without games, although I went out on loan a few times.
"I'm a QPR supporter, and my family are all local to there, so I really enjoyed being at the club, but I didn't play much.
"Getting games under my belt was what I really wanted because when you train hard every week you want something at the end of it."
Cole's debut for QPR came in December 2005, aged 20, as a substitute for Royce in a 1-0 home defeat by Coventry City.
He made a further two appearances that term, and followed that up with five starts in 2006/07, but did not play in either of the next two seasons.
Cole said: "You just have to keep your professionalism and train hard, ready for your chance.
"When I was called upon I felt I played well. It's a matter of being professional and doing things right – living right, eating right and training right. And that's what I did there."
QPR were beaten to the Division Two (now League One) title by Argyle in 2003/04.
The Pilgrims made sure of finishing top of the table with a 2-0 victory over Rangers at Home Park at the end of that April.
At the time, Cole was aged 18 and on loan to part-timers Hayes.
However, he did visit Home Park regularly with QPR when they and Argyle were in the Championship over subsequent seasons.
Cole said: "I sat on the bench quite a few times at Home Park when QPR came down. We had some good battles.
"I have seen crowds of 14,000 and 15,000 at Home Park so, hopefully, we can get back to those times and climb up the leagues."
Cole enjoyed his two-and-a-bit seasons at Barnet, even though they struggled against relegation from the Football League in both of them.
He said: "I went on loan there for 10 games at the end of the (2008/09) season, with Ian Hendon being the manager.
"I signed a permanent deal – a year with a year option – and Ian Hendon was excellent with me.
"They had Gary Breen (the former Republic of Ireland international defender) there, who was massively experienced, and I enjoyed it.
"I played 52 games out of 52 that season, and it was what I needed.
"I ended getting player-of-the-year and, for me, it was a lovely season. Although we didn't do well as a team, and we just avoided relegation, I had a busy season."
Cole made a further 35 appearances for Barnet last term as they again came close to demotion to the Conference.
He said: "I had a medial knee ligament injury towards the end of the season, which kept me out for a while.
"It was another struggle. It was hard at Barnet because I think they are a club that punch a little bit above their weight.
"They like staying in league football, and it has been three seasons in a row they have just avoided relegation.
"It's a tough place to go and be a goalkeeper or defender, but you get a lot of work to do.
"It was a great learning curve for me, and getting nearly 100 games under my belt in League Two was excellent."
Cole will be able to share his experience of life in League Two with his new Argyle team-mates, many of whom will be playing at that level for the first time in their careers.
He said: "There will be some rough grounds you have got to go to, where the pitches aren't too great and it will be a battle.
"But, obviously, at Home Park the pitch is lovely and the stadium is great. I'm sure the fans will get behind us and we will be able to play our football.
"It's a blend, I think. You get sides who try to play football, but you also get ones who try to bully you.
"It's a tough league, that's for sure, but with what I have seen here, the squad we are getting together and the way everyone is, it's very positive."
Argyle's well-documented off-the-pitch problems over recent times did not deter Cole from moving to them.
He said: "No way. Plymouth is a great club and, hopefully, we can do well this season. You can't turn down opportunities like this.
"It's a great club, the manager is vastly experienced and everyone in the squad is blending nicely."
Argyle have been on the slide ever since the departure of former boss Ian Holloway to Leicester City in November 2007.
Holloway is someone who Hammersmith-born Cole knows well.
"He was the manager at QPR when I made my debut in the Championship.
"He did really well here (at Argyle), along with a few other managers. Hopefully, it's a rebuilding process now, to get the club back to where it belongs."
www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Cole-keen-help-Argyle-climb-league/story-13075654-detail/story.html
