‘Kevin told me to “do one”. And I said “alright, no problem!”‘: Andy Cole lifts the lid on hotel row with Keegan that led to Manchester United move… and admits Newcastle fans have ‘always annoyed’ him since he left Tyneside
- Newcastle broke the transfer record to sign Cole from Bristol City for £1.75m
- However, a hotel argument with Kevin Keegan saw him leave for Man United
- Cole was frustrated with how the manager spoke to his team-mate Lee Clark
- Following their loss to Wimbledon and Keegan telling him to ‘do one’ Cole left
- He said Newcastle offered him a new contract but he couldn’t get over the row
Former Newcastle United striker Andy Cole has revealed how a hotel argument with boss Kevin Keegan convinced him to leave the club in 1995.
Newcastle broke the British transfer record to sign Cole from Bristol City for £1.75million in February 1993, but the relationship between the then-manager and player went sour later in the year.
Cole became frustrated with Keegan after the way in which he spoke to his team-mate Lee Clark, but the straw that broke the camels back was when the Magpies manager told Cole to ‘do one’ after their loss to Wimbledon in 1993.
Andy Cole left Newcastle for Manchester United due to an argument with Kevin Keegan
Speaking of the argument with Keegan, Cole told the UTD Podcast: ‘I know me and Kevin and I had a fallout, he cheesed me off with the way he treated Clarky (Lee Clark) one day.
‘Then we lost a game and I was cheesed off because we lost, so when we came to the hotel Kevin told me to “do one”. And I said “alright, no problem”, I packed my bags and walked out. The relationship was never the same.’
‘I wasn’t looking to leave Newcastle, I was very happy there. When that episode happened at the hotel I basically said “nah, I’m not going to have you talking to me like that.”
‘So when I went walking for five days, we had a meeting, settled it and he handed me a new contract but I don’t think he let go of that situation.’
Cole was frustrated with how the then-Magpies manager spoke to his team-mate Lee Clark
Following their loss to Wimbledon and Keegan (above) telling him to ‘do one’ Cole left
Subsequently, Cole signed for Premier League rivals Manchester United in January 1995 – much to the disappointment of the Newcastle supporters.
Fans were frustrated with Cole’s decision after he scored 12 goals in 12 games to help the Magpies achieve promotion to the Premier League and became a mainstay in th squad.
Cole had established himself as a fan favourite at the club and has never lived his departure from St. James’s Park down.
Cole made the decision to join Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in January 1995
Speaking of the Newcastle fans’ reaction to his departure, he said: ‘It’s always annoyed me.
‘I remember a few years ago I went up with Les (Ferdinand) to do interviews. People came up and heckled me and I said “you might as well go home or I’ll get up and walk out. I’m not really fussed by it.”
‘Previously, people have understood what’s going on. The club made the decision that they wanted to sell me.’
