I Like Shannon Cole
I’m jumping on the bandwagon. FC newcomer Shannon Cole is a gun. Much has been made of the 24 year old who was plucked from obscurity at the start of the season by Kozzie, but after watching him live for the past couple of home games, I’m definitely agreeing with what everyone are saying.
He first caught the eye thanks to his dead ball abilities, and they are all justified. Firstly, he’s truly ambidextrous, which is such a limited commodity in modern football. Secondly, he strikes the ball cleanly (you’d be surprised how many professional footballers don’t have the correct technique in striking a football), and his deliveries combines whip, dip and pace – three elements which drive defenders insane. If he can improve on his accuracy, then he could be the best dead ball specialist in Australia. Lastly, he’s ambidextrous.
But while his free kicks and corners have made the headlines, he also has several other elements to his game which pleasantly surprised me. The guy shows an impressive burst of speed up and down the flank, he defends fairly well considering he’s only played seven A-League games, he displays a good football brain with his movement off the ball, and most importantly he’s got a bit of flair, willing to back his dribbling and take on defenders (the guy has a double step over!!). And did I mention he was ambidextrous?! This trait alone allows him to play in four positions (on the wing, and wing back on both sides of the pitch), giving Sydney more versatility.
And has anyone seen him in post match interviews? He’s fantastic. While definitely not charismatic, he’s laid back and seems really genuine in everything he says, and he seems very likeable. FC has not had anyone like him since Dave Carney left, and Sydney could do a lot worse than to keep unearthing youngsters like Cole.
Cole was this week selected in the preliminary 35 man Socceroos squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Qatar. I think it’s a smart move from Pim Verbeek. Even if he doesn’t play Cole, having him in the squad will give him a shot of confidence, and will hopefully encourage Cole to put more efforts into improving his game. If we take the aging Scott Chipperfield out of the equation, Cole’s main rivals in the national team will be Brett Emerton and Carney for the wingback roles, and given a few more years of experience, I think he has the potential to definitely challenge them for their positions.
Cole just signed an improved contract with Sydney this week, and hopefully he will see it out before he sets off overseas. A few years in the A-League establishing himself would be beneficial, after all, his professional football career is currently still just at seven games. Rushing off to Europe too early might have a negative impact on his game.
So far, all things are pointing up for him, hopefully it continues this way. Shannon Cole, go you good thing.
