Speaking on The Overlap in December, Cole made no secret of his desire to make the jump into management. "I definitely want to give it a go [being a manager]. It’s quite hard when you’re a number two to be measured if I’m good or not. You only know by people and what they think of you. I worked with Wayne at Birmingham, I don’t know what he thinks of me as a coach. Am I good or am I bad? I can only get that through feedback, so it’s quite hard to know if I’m half decent or not," he admitted.
"I’m definitely feeling I’m nearly ready and I’m getting there. I am different. I don’t speak as well as certain managers. I have to find my way in the game. I have to find my own personality. Be authentic. As a player, maybe I didn’t lead in the dressing room, but going back to the start of my journey as a coach I’ve found a way to lead, push people, and bring people on a journey with me," Cole added.