Chelsea defender Ashley Cole says
The Blues' Carling Cup win over Arsenal was proof enough that his
decision to move to Stamford Bridge was the right one.
Cole, who joined Chelsea from Arsenal in August last year, was part
of the winning squad that beat The Gunners 2-1 in a dramatic
Carling Cup final at The Millennium Stadium.
The on-pitch brawl may have been a strong talking point of the
game, but Cole insists the win only underlined his decision to
leave The Gunners for a move to Stamford Bridge.
"I feel a part of it at Chelsea now," Cole told Chelsea TV. "The
fans seem to like me and I love the fans.
"I'm enjoying life, the manager's good and after six or seven
months here I've already won a medal. That's why I came
here."
Both clubs were handed misconduct charges in the aftermath of the
final, which also saw Gunners pair Emmanuel Adebayor and Emmanuel
Eboue both hit by three-match bans for their part in the
incident.
Cole also admitted that it was a hard decision for him to leave
Highbury, the club where he had spent his whole career, but he felt
it was time to move on.
"Life moves on," he added. "I loved Highbury, I loved the fans but
I've moved on.
"I've seen myself in a red shirt all my life and then I'm in a blue
one. But it happens, players move from team to team and it doesn't
mean I'm a traitor.
"For me it's been a move for the better."
Cole was also keen to heap praise on manager Jose Mourinho, adding:
"He's a great manager.
"I didn't think he'd be so intense with the players and so focused
on the welfare of players. He seems to be a very good manager and
gets to know players on and off the pitch.
"If you're playing badly he'll tell you and you know if you don't
improve you'll be off. He should keep on doing it because it seems
to work."
