Andy Cole smashed goalscoring records at St James' Park - but feels he could have bagged even more
Andy Cole is mobbed by Newcastle fans after United win promotion, 1993
Andy Cole is mobbed by Newcastle fans after United win promotion in 1993
Only Erling Haaland has scored more goals in a single Premier League season than former Newcastle United star Andy Cole. But the man who smashed 34 in 1993-94 in black-and-white stripes saye he would have bagged even more if VAR had been around in his day.
Cole's feats were matched by another Newcastle icon, Alan Shearer, but eventually overtaken by City goal machine Haaland in the 2022/23 season, but Cole fees he would be even more prolific in the modern era.
He formed a lethal partnership with Peter Beardsley while at Newcastle, helping the launch the Entertainers era under manager Kevin Keegan and putting Newcastle back on the footballing map after years in the second tier.
Keegan's side took the Premier League by storm, finishing third in the first season back in the top flight and qualifying for the UEFA Cup in some memorable times on Tyneside.
But Cole, who went on to star for Manchester United, Fulham, Blackurn and Man City to name but a few, says the VAR rules now would have seen him add his name to scoresheet even more often.
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Confident I’d Score More Goals Now Despite VAR
“I would always turn around and say, I back myself to score more goals," he told esportsinsider.com. "The game now has just changed so much.
"But then you can factor and VAR, that would take goals away because if you're talking like you're going to be ruled offside because of your kneecap.
"Or If he’s a size six and you're a size 10, all these kinds of stupid things, you'll have more goals chalked off.”
Cole was delighted to see Newcastle end their long trophy drought at Wembley in March, when the beat Liverpool 2-1 to lift the Carabao Cup.
Watching Newcastle win the League Cup last season, I was very happy for them," he added. "If you speak to almost any football fan, they were delighted Newcastle finally won that cup.
"They were virtually everyone's second team. When I played there under Kevin Keegan, the way they used to play football saw us nicknamed the entertainers. We were always everyone's second team. The passion of the fans and in the North East is just phenomenal.”