Joe Cole made unflattering comments about Hull City after being asked to cover a game
Joe Cole is a regular pundit on TNT Sports(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Joe Cole has landed a high-profile punditry gig after turning down a trip to Hull City and tipping the Tigers for relegation. Prior to the opening weekend of the season, the former England star revealed he received a late call-up to cover City’s home clash with Manchester United.
However, in comments many fans found disparaging, Cole said he declined the opportunity to work at MKM Stadium. Speaking on the Dressing Room podcast, he confessed: “I want to make a confession here today, right. TNT Sports have contacted me for the new season. They’ve tried to slip in the Hull one on the first day of the season. I put my phone on do not disturb!”
The comments were met with laughter from fellow pundit Carlton Cole, although Tigers fans were understandably not amused, with many mocking Joe Cole. One said: “Poor Joe Cole, having to put up with the inconvenience of been asked to go to Hull.”
Another added: “Joe Cole was raised in a Camden council flat and Carlton Cole in Croydon. Both locations make Hull look like the Maldives. Clearly, they forgot that, banter or not, this hideous sequence will surely come back and bite ’em in the bum.”
Cole was left with egg on his face as he missed a richly deserved 2-0 win for the Tigers over Michael Carrick’s side, with fans hitting back with chants of “Are you watching us, Joe Cole?”
While his pre-match remarks angered City supporters, the decision doesn’t appear to have landed him in trouble with TNT Sports, which has assigned him to this week’s Champions League fixture between Napoli and Arsenal.
He will be alongside presenter Reshmin Chowdhury and ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown for the broadcaster’s coverage of the match. Cole has been among numerous pundits to tip the Tigers for instant relegation, declaring they were “gone” before a ball had even been kicked.
He said: “Hull are gone, man. They’ve spent 70 mil, I’ll be stunned if they stay up. They’ve come here through the back door, they’ve slipped in.”
However, City have defied the odds so far, sitting third in the Premier League table after three matches, with only last season’s top two sides, Arsenal and Manchester City, ahead of them.
Following a victory over fellow promoted side Coventry City, the impressive start continued with Saturday’s goalless draw against Aston Villa. Mohamed Belloumi struck the crossbar as the Tigers pushed for a winning goal against the Europa League holders.
Tigers manager Sergej Jakirovic said: “I would sign immediately if you’d offered me [seven points from three games]. Immediately.
“But also it’s great for us that we show that we can compete on this level, that we can be dangerous, that we can maybe play some situations better in possession because you need confidence. But, still, we are growing here. In every game we will grow and we will be better.”