Hiddink rage! He reads the riot act to Terry and Cole
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Hiddink rage! Chelsea manager reads the riot act to Terry and Cole
Pointing the finger: Hiddink admits he was bemused by the Cole's antics - and has told the 28-year-old that his behaviour was unacceptable
Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has laid down the law to England captain John Terry as well as fining Ashley Cole over his late-night brush with the law.
The Dutchman had both players in his office yesterday — along with youngster Michael Mancienne — to leave them in no doubt about the standards he expects from his players.
Cole has been fined two weeks’ wages — about £164,000 — for the behaviour at a nightclub which led to his arrest in the early hours of Thursday. Hiddink admits he was astonished to find himself forced to confront the issue of discipline with two such experienced players.
He said: ‘They are human but it is curious that it is these players. ‘If you drink too much it will set back your physical condition. We work hard, we try to improve every aspect of the game but physically you can harm yourself and then you are harming your team as well. Of course, we talked about that.
‘I don’t come from an innocent country and this is not my first year in the business. If you fall once into a trap, then you try to avoid it the second time.’ Cole, 28, was arrested outside a London nightclub in the early hours of Thursday. He was led away to the cells and handed an £80 fixed penalty charge for being drunk and disorderly before he was released at 5.30am.
Mancienne’s inexperience is a mitigating factor but Hiddink clearly expected better from the other pair. The manager said: ‘I don’t approve of what happened. They went to dinner, and to a certain extent they can do that because it was three days before a game.
‘But you have to know what time to leave and don’t get involved in what happened. That’s what I’ve emphasised. We ask everyone to live a proper life. That’s not to say they don’t have the right to go out, but you must have your own discipline. They’re in a fantastic job and have this responsibility to themselves, to the club and to the team.’
Cole issued an apology, claiming he had been ‘harassed by the paparazzi’. He trained yesterday and is in the squad for today’s FA Cup quarter-final at Coventry.
Chelsea players are each given a handbook which includes guidelines on behaviour. Hiddink asks them not to drink alcohol two days before a game, so the trio were not breaking rules but the manager told Cole he never wants to see it happen again.
Hiddink said: ‘I’m disappointed and that’s why I spoke to him. It’s simple — you must not repeat that kind of behaviour. ‘I cannot and will not control their private lives. They must be intelligent to have success at a big club and in football.
‘I’m not a police officer or a father figure. I want to have a very open relationship where I can speak to them directly, sometimes to hug them a little bit but other times I must be tough. I am firm with them. I don’t like to cover up.’
Out of order: Hiddink has made it clear that Cole must not overstep the mark again
Any thoughts Hiddink may have had about dropping Cole were effectively ended by a serious knee injury to Paulo Ferreira which rules him out for the rest of the season. With Wayne Bridge sold to Manchester City in January, Chelsea need Cole, their only specialist left back, fully focused as they chase the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Barclays Premier League.
But Chelsea are boosted by the return of Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho to the squad.