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Fullname: Carlton Michael George Cole Okorie
aka: Carlton Cole
Born: 12 Oct 1983
Birthplace: Croydon, London, England
Signed: 22 Oct 2015 (on free, previously West Ham)
Left: 31 May 2016 (free, moved onto Sacramento Republic in USA)
Position: Forward, Striker
Debut: Inverness 1-3 Celtic, SP, 29 Nov 2015
Squad No.: 24
Internationals: England
International Caps: 7
International Goals: 0
Biog![[Untitled]](https://wikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com/bf254ae831f62bcac5815c8266a36fa8 "[Untitled]")
After much dilly dallying, free agent Carlton Cole arrived at a much wearied Celtic. Strikers were not performing bar Leigh Griffiths, and the management were under the cosh. What exactly Carlton Cole was expected to bring, the support didn’t exactly know. Cynics were writing off his role as a pension payoff before his first game.
In his favour, Dion Dublin a decade ago had come in under the same cloud and performed admirably to be a minor cult favourite for that season, and so it can work. Carlton Cole on paper at least appeared to appreciate the opportunity:
“When Celtic called and said they wanted me, I just ran over. Being at Celtic is not about the money, it’s about wearing the shirt with pride. Celtic are in a great position to win trophies and I want to add that to my career”
A popular player at his past clubs, there were expectations he could contribute to the first team in various ways, in terms of additional goals and experience. The first team was needing a filip.
A big stocky forward with a shot, he could hopefully assist Leigh Griffiths, take the pressure off him and provide the pressure release the side needed.
His debut, an away league game v Inverness CT, was fun as he got himself involved in a bizarre goal which came from firstly Carlton Cole being hacked down in a goal scoring opportunity (but no penalty being given), then he handled the ball (the referee didn’t see this), and then an ICT player tapped it accidentally past his own keeper! It was an own goal but some attribute Carlton Cole the goal to spare the blushes of the ICT player. Most supporters thought he had seemed to believe it was his goal at the time. In that same debut he came close to scoring a spectacular overhead kick, and if that had converted then he’d have been lauded to the heavens. A humorous start.
Years later, he joked about his sole goal for Celtic on social media (via Twitter):
“One of the best goals I’ve ever scored. I meant every touch LOL”
That was as good as it got, and he played little thereafter. Questions asked about the transfer strategy & policies were becoming increasingly heated. Manager Ronny Deila was floundering, and signings like Carlton Cole were personifying his failings. When Carlton Cole disappeared down south for a period for family reasons few were bothered and the rest were not displeased.
It was another failed gap-filler transfer but cheap and cheerful with no lasting damage. Ronny Deila’s reign may have wound up at the end of the season with a lot to resolve, but Carlton Cole was amongst the least of the problems.
Carlton Cole in a later interview admitted to a bust-up with manager Ronny Deila, which in part explains for his lack of opportunities with the first team.
We wished him good fortune for the future, but really it was time to hang up those playing boots.
If only that overhead shot had gone into the net we might have had a far more positive retrospect on his Celtic career to have written about.
Post-Celtic
After Celtic, he played in the US for Sacremento Republic for a few matches then played in Indonesia for Persib Bandung for two games, and retired in March 2018 from play. However, the same year he was declared bankrupt, sadly not an uncommon tale amongst footballers once they leave the playing field.
“I hope my story will help young footballers to take responsibility for who they listen to and take advice from. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise what was going on until my career was in the latter years and too late for me to turn things around.”
He moved on to become the U16 Academy Coach for West Ham, and a pundit with TalkRadio.
We wished him the best.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2015-16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
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Articles
Carlton Cole reveals Celtic ‘disagreement’ with ‘disorganised’ Ronny Deila
4th July
By David Irvine
https://www.celticway.co.uk/news/20255234.carlton-cole-reveals-celtic-disagreement-disorganised-ronny-deila/
CARLTON COLE has opened up on a disagreement with Ronny Deila which impacted his Celtic career.
The former striker, now 38, joined Celtic under Deila in 2015 but only played five times for the Parkhead club.
Now, Cole has explained a playing-style clash with Deila played a role in his disappointing spell as he branded his time at Celtic as “disorganised”.
Cole had joined Celtic after leaving West Ham but was released by the Parkhead club just eight months later after an unsuccessful stint in Glasgow.
The former England international would go on to play for Sacramento Republic FC and Persib Bandung before retiring from professional football.
But Cole reckons his time at Celtic could’ve been different if not for the fall-out with Deila over how he was asked to play.
He told The Sportsman: “The manager at the time was Ronny Deila. He wanted me to play a certain way. He wanted me to run the channels more.
“You know what, I can’t play like that now, I’m a target man. All you need to get is Leigh Griffiths off of me. You won’t see the best of me on the wings. You’ll only see the best of me in the 18-yard box.
“So we had a bit of a disagreement and that didn’t bode well. He didn’t want to play me as much.
“He was saying I wasn’t fit enough. How am I supposed to get fit If I don’t play matches?
“I played about five reserve games and he still thought I wasn’t fit. Reserve games are not the same as first team games. It’s a different level.
“I need to play more first team games, give me 25 minutes here and there. I’ll get back up to speed but he just didn’t want to do this. He’s finding excuses.
“So I’ve got no bitterness towards him or his staff or anything like that. But at the time, it was a bit disorganised.”