Cole enjoys Hoddle revenge

Cole grabbed the 69th minute match-winner against Tottenham at The Millennium Stadium as the underdogs defied the odds, and a late penalty scare, to lift the trophy.

For former Manchester United marksman Cole, his decisive strike made Hoddle's infamous words come back to haunt him.

As England manager Hoddle had claimed Cole required five chances to score and dropped him from the 1998 World Cup squad, although the Rovers ace insists he holds no grudges.

"To have beaten one of Hoddle's teams makes this feel really good," said Cole.

"I am too old to hold grudges but I was not happy with the way he went about things. The fact that he made those criticisms to the press before telling the players, and that's his style."

Cole's boss Graeme Souness is adamant that his big money signing's proven track record makes a mockery of Hoddle's comments.

"All that stuff somebody once said about Andy needing four or five chances was nonsense," added Souness.

"He is a goal getter like Ian Rush. He often plays on the fringes of a game but if he gets half a chance, he'll cut your throat.

"But I don't believe Andy would have been motivated by Glenn's comments. He's above all that."

Deflated Spurs chief Hoddle was not backtracking in his belief of Cole's goalscoring prowess but reaffirmed that his comments were not a criticism of the 30-year-old's talent.

Hoddle said: "What I said about Andy was an observation, not a criticism. I've always said that he is a good player and I knew he'd do well for Blackburn."