By James Dall Last updated: 12th October 2008
Cole: Victim of boos
It leaves a sour taste in your mouth. I am sure the people who booed him [Ashley Cole] will probably go home and, on reflection, maybe feel a little bit ashamed of themselves.
Rio Ferdinand
Quotes of the week
England's stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand believes the supporters that booed Ashley Cole at Wembley on Saturday should feel 'ashamed' by their actions.
Cole was victim of a chorus of boos from sections of the home fans during the 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan after his error allowed the visitors to pull a goal back in the Group 6 World Cup qualifier.
The Chelsea full-back's sloppy pass was pounced upon by Zhambyl Kukeyev on 68 minutes, before England regained their focus and made sure of the three points in the latter stages.
Ferdinand, who skippered the side in the absence of John Terry and opened the scoring, was disappointed by the verbal criticism directed at Cole, and hopes that it will not happen again in the future.
The Manchester United centre-back told Sky Sports News: "It leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but I would like to think the majority of fans were the ones applauding him and trying to boost his confidence.
"I am sure the people who booed him will probably go home and, on reflection, maybe feel a little bit ashamed of themselves and hopefully won't do it again."
Frank Lampard, meanwhile, strongly defended his Chelsea team-mate, adding: "It is a negative because, if I am honest, at the moment I think Ashley Cole is the best left-back in the world."
Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe, who came off the bench to score England's fifth, also leapt to the defence of Cole.
He said: "I was very surprised. Ashley for me is one of the best full-backs in the world. He has been so consistent for a number of years. It was a little bit harsh."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 10th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Aston Villa vs West Brom |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Man City |
| 17:30 | Stoke vs Liverpool |
| Sunday 11th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Wigan vs Tottenham |
| 16:00 | Man Utd vs Chelsea |
| Wednesday 14th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Man Utd vs Wigan |
| Saturday 17th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Newcastle |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Man Utd |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Aston Villa |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Middlesbrough |
| 17:30 | Hull vs Arsenal |
| Sunday 18th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | West Ham vs Fulham |
| 16:00 | Tottenham vs Portsmouth |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 30th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Monday 29th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Sunday 28th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Blackburn 2 - 2 Man City | |
| Fulham 2 - 2 Chelsea | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Stoke | |
| Everton 3 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Arsenal 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| West Brom 2 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Bolton 0 - 1 Wigan | |
| Newcastle 1 - 5 Liverpool | |
| Friday 26th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 2 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Liverpool 3 - 0 Bolton | |
| Wigan 2 - 1 Newcastle | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Everton | |
| Man City 5 - 1 Hull | |
| Sunderland 0 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Portsmouth 1 - 4 West Ham | |
| Tottenham 0 - 0 Fulham | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 West Brom | |
| Stoke 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
Ed Chamberlin sees United and Chelsea cancelling each other out on Sunday, while racing feels the freeze.
Paul Merson expects strugglers West Brom and Spurs to lose to Aston Villa and Wigan this weekend.
Nigel Clough's appointment as Derby manager sees him follow in the footsteps of his legendary father Brian.
Ashley Young is 'delighted' to be playing for Aston Villa after being linked with Real Madrid.
Paul Ince insists he is ready to return to football management should a suitable opportunity arise.
Stoke City have completed the signing of Matthew Etherington, while Charles N'Zogbia claims Aston Villa and Spurs want him.
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate insists Stewart Downing should be aiming higher than Tottenham.
Mark Hughes has revealed that Manchester City have seen a 'substantial' bid for Roque Santa Cruz knocked back.