Talk about stirring up a hornet's nest.
And if Joe Cole was not aware of the repercussions of
his explanations for choosing to join Liverpool, he must know
now.
Cole's insistence that Liverpool
remain the biggest club in the country, despite a
20-year wait for their next title, will certainly strike a chord
with the Anfield fans and wind up his former supporters at Chelsea
as well as those at Manchester United.
Maybe it was justification of his decision to snub offers from
north London, perhaps the England man simply sensed his chance to
have a pop back at the Chelsea hierarchy he believes left him with
no option other than to quit the club.
Whatever the motivation, Cole has succeeded in polarising views,
and while the recent record of the respective clubs suggests
otherwise, it is hard to argue he does not have a case.
In terms of recent domestic success, of course, Liverpool do not
compare.
Even in this decade, while the Liverpool fans will always have
Istanbul, and indeed two FA Cup and League Cup triumphs as well as
the UEFA Cup victory in 2001, the club's feats are paltry in
comparison with their biggest rivals.
United can boast six titles since the turn of the century, the
World Club crown and Champions League and match Liverpool's four
domestic cup triumphs, while Chelsea have three Premier League
successes and six domestic knock-out wins.
And Arsenal, without a trophy since 2005, can still point to two
titles, including the "Invincibles" season and three FA Cup
successes.
All of that makes Cole's claim seem ridiculous.
But of course there is more to a football club than the moment.
History is greater than the day to day and in that regard Liverpool
are bigger than Chelsea, certainly, if not United.
For proof, look at the two clubs' respective plans for the
future.
Once Liverpool get proper owners - and it is surely a matter of
time before Gillett and Hicks clear off and leave the club in the
hands of people who actually want to run it the right way - the
plans for a new home for the club in Stanley Park will be
progressed.
That will see a 60,000 home for the club, not as big as Old
Trafford but the same size as The Emirates, guaranteeing a bigger
income stream.
Liverpool can make such plans because they know they can fill
the ground, as can Spurs expect to sell out at their proposed new
55,000 home to be built adjacent to White Hart Lane.
But Chelsea have scrapped all plans to relocate from Stamford
Bridge - finding a suitable site in the area was an onerous and in
the end impossible task - and have also decided against upgrading
their home since the club was formed in 1905.
The reason is simple. The Bridge might have a capacity of only
just over 41,000 but there simply are not enough Chelsea fans to
justify anything bigger.
For all the successes brought to the club since the advent of
the Roman Abramovich era, their financial growth cannot change the
underlying fact that Chelsea are only the third-biggest club in
London, behind both Arsenal and Spurs.
By those standards, they are dwarfed by United and Liverpool -
whose worldwide fan base is huge, despite their two decades of top
flight under-achievement which should be a badge of shame for all
those involved in the stewardship of the club since 1990 - probably
Newcastle too, while they are certainly no bigger than Aston
Villa.
Of course, Cole's comments will inflame the Chelsea supporters
who were regretting his departure, although by opting to move to
Liverpool he has already burned some of his Stamford Bridges.
Many Chelsea supporters feel more antagonism to the Anfield club
than towards their other more obvious rivals, in much the same way
as the vestigial hatred between the Blues and Leeds in the 70s
lives on to this day.
Cole, surely, knew what he was saying, will have recognised he
has risked becoming the target for the vitriol of the Chelsea fans
when the Blues visit Anfield in November, and even more so when the
reverse fixture comes around and he returns to SW6 in a red shirt
at the start of February.
But having shown bravery in leaving the comfort zone of London -
after having, it seemed, made Harry Redknapp believe he was
destined for N17 - Cole has now demonstrated a different sort of
courage, the willingness to nail his colours to a new mast.
Now, of course, he has to prove he made the right decision and
that Liverpool is the right place for him to flower. But, without
question, he does have history on his side.
