Andy Cole: I Quit Rovers Because of Souness

By Matthew Jones
November 27 2004

Andy Cole left Blackburn Rovers in the summer because of then-manager, Graeme Souness. If Souness had left Blackburn just a couple of month earlier, Cole claims that he would probably still be playing his football at Ewood.

Andy Cole was speaking to the Evening Telegraph when he revealed how his move to Fulham on a free transfer was all his own doing.

While at Blackburn together, Cole and Souness were involved in several heated arguments and Souness was even reported to the Professional Footballers' Association for 'victimisation'.

Andy Cole told the Telegraph:

"I was sad to leave but I think everyone knows the reasons why I left in the end.

"I had no relationship with the manager and I didn't want a relationship with him so I thought the time was right to move on.

"Regardless of what he says or anyone else, it was my decision to move on.

"When you're doing your job you want to be enjoying your work but when he was the manager at Blackburn Rovers that wasn't the case, so the best solution was for me to go elsewhere."

Would he still be at Rovers now if Souness has left in the summer? 

"Everyone knows (the answer to) that. If Graeme hadn't stayed on in the summer then I probably would have stayed.

"But it wasn't looking possible that he would move on in the summer because the board - or anyone else - weren't prepared to do it.

"So I had to make a decision and that decision is made now."