Carlton Cole signed a Celtic deal that will run until 2017 yesterday afternoon and immediately set about establishing a regime of mental and physical support that he believes will ensure the Parkhead side get the best from him.
The 32-year-old forward, who signed as a free agent after a career spent entirely in the English Premiership, will utilise the services of a sports psychologist and a private fitness instructor as he looks to adopt the kind of winning mentality he believes is integral to players performing at the top level.
Citing the example of Premiership players at Manchester City and Chelsea, Cole revealed that he will use Celtic as an opportunity to challenge himself as he looks to make an impression on Ronny Deila’s side. There is a scepticism afforded to players who wash up in Scotland in the latter stages of their career, but Cole has maintained that there is no reason why Celtic cannot be the most illustrious chapter in what has been a chequered career for the England internationalist who has won seven senior caps.
“My mentality has got to change to someone who is at Manchester City or Chelsea’s mentality,” said the striker. “That is the way I look at it. I am not at a mid-table team where I can go and play a big team and it is alright if you play well but don’t win. It can’t be like that anymore. You have got to win every game. That is why I need the sports psychologist. It is a massive step up. I want to be the main guy, going out there and winning the game. I have got the quality but it is getting the mindset that I have got to win every game now.
“I love the fact that I am here and I have got people in my ear telling me that I need to go and do the business. I thrive upon that. That is what I am here for. Even the manager asked me if I know what I am getting myself into.
”I turned 32 last week but why can’t my best years be as a Celtic player? As long as I keep myself in good condition, that could be the case. As well as a psychologist, I’ve also employed a personal fitness coach who will keep my nutrition and everything else up to speed because I know I’ve got to be on point every time I go out there.”
There were other options for Cole, some of which are believed to have been more lucrative for the player, both in England and abroad but he has maintained that it is the opportunity to play at the highest level that encouraged him to sign with Celtic.
“It is not until you get up here that you realise it is not going to be easy at all,” he said. “You have to come up here and have a look at it, get a feel for it and then you can judge if you want to judge. The Premiership is a massive league and I have played there all my life. But to come here with the attitude that it is going to be easy is the wrong attitude. I am going to be working with a sports psychologist up here that the club have supplied to make sure I am always on top and not thinking that anything is going to come easily. I want to think that every game is going to be a hard game and that is the most important thing – that you respect the league and the players you are playing against.
“Sam Allardyce would use me in certain games that he needed to get something from because he knew that I would battle and always give 100% for the team.That’s why I’ve come to Celtic. I’ll give my all for the fans
and the team and, if you do that, then not only will you win the game
but you’ll win the people’s respect. That’s what football is about.”
A driving ban has given Cole the opportunity to witness a little more of the Glasgow scene than he may otherwise have experienced over the last month. The dependency on taxi companies to ferry him to and from Celtic’s training base in Lennoxtown has meant that he has been on the receiving end of plenty of local wisdom, something he has insisted he has absorbed.
“It’s a fishbowl up here, everyone knows your business so you’ve got to be able to go out there and come off the field knowing that people are going to praise you and not question your commitment,” he said.
“So while this month has been frustrating waiting to get signed it’s actually a blessing in disguise. I’ve not just come up here and put pen to paper and signed straight away.Sometimes you need to know what you are getting into and now I know exactly what it’s about and I still want it, so that’s a great thing.”
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