Former Chelsea star Joe Cole will have some fond memories of his time in West London, however it seems as if his early training days are not part of that.
Cole joined Chelsea in 2003, and was part of three Premier League-winning sides alongside the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry.
This was around the time when Roman Abramovich invested his millions into the Blues, and the club were soon recognised as a global force in the game.
Before this though, the high-end feel around the club was not there, and this included the training ground at the time at Chadwell Heath.
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Joe Cole shares how bad Chelsea’s training ground used to be
Cole told TalkSPORT Daily that he remembered that he did not receive the luxury welcome he expected after his move from West Ham.
He said: “For a Premier League standard, I remember going there, Chadwell Heath wasn’t great, but going there I thought I would get something luxury now.
“Going there, we were slung out of the training ground at 2PM because the local hockey team were using our dressing room.
“I was thinking ‘Marcel Desailly and Emmanuel Petit are getting moved on for some accountant to play hockey.’ It was mental.”
Cole was still present at the club when they completed their move to Cobham in 2007, which has no doubt been helpful for the young talents coming through now.
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Cole was on the end of Mourinho barrage
Despite being a regular in the golden ages of Chelsea sides, the England international was frequently on the end of public barrages from his manager, Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho called out Cole’s defensive work-rate in a game where he had actually been one of the star players, scoring against Liverpool.
‘The Special One’s’ unique managerial methods are clearly not for everyone, however Cole has been full of praise for the Portugal man during their time working together at Stamford Bridge.