Former Sky Blue-Cobi Jones (2 Viewers)

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Yank

Yank

Well-Known Member
Hey all and mods feel free to move this if it needs to go somewhere else but just wanted to tell ya'll a story about former player Cobi Jones. I actually met Cobi a couple months ago at a US National Team alumni signing/fan event and got to talk to him for a few minutes. Of course, talk eventually got around to his time here at the Sky Blues when I told him I was a fan haha, and he went on and on how great of a time he had here, how great the fans were to him, and he wished he had been here longer but the manager decided to release him.Is that accurate? Just curious. Also, he said he remembered one time right before a game, Dion Dublin took a massive number two and he almost passed out from the smell haha.

He,along with Tim Howard and Damarcus Beasley, are my 3 favorite US players of all time so was cool too meet and talk with him. He even gave me twenty bucks when I was short on this signed ball I wanted to buy haha.

Any stories about him from those who saw him play in person here?Would have liked him to stay longer? Know he was only here for one season, but just curious.

Hopefully we get some more American internationals to don the Sky Blue in the future.:D:cool: And I need to find this shirt somewhere:

1678919952063.png
 
Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
I quite liked him, even though he didn't have the impact we'd have liked. An ex of mine REALLY loved him! Her favourite city player of all time, though I feel pretty certain thats not due to what he achieved on the pitch!

Is he still the U.S. record cap holder?
 
Yank

Yank

Well-Known Member
Sky_Blue_Dreamer said:
I quite liked him, even though he didn't have the impact we'd have liked. An ex of mine REALLY loved him! Her favourite city player of all time, though I feel pretty certain thats not due to what he achieved on the pitch!

Is he still the U.S. record cap holder?
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Haha and yeah he still is. Will be hard for anyone to catch him.
 
Calista

Calista

Well-Known Member
Sky_Blue_Dreamer said:
I quite liked him, even though he didn't have the impact we'd have liked. An ex of mine REALLY loved him! Her favourite city player of all time, though I feel pretty certain thats not due to what he achieved on the pitch!

Is he still the U.S. record cap holder?
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Somewhat charismatic, but probably not physically up to the demands of the top flight in England. Seem to recall him scoring an absolutely crucial winning goal in one of our relegation-haunted seasons. Away at Wimbledon?
 
Yank

Yank

Well-Known Member
Calista said:
Somewhat charismatic, but probably not physically up to the demands of the top flight in England. Seem to recall him scoring an absolutely crucial winning goal in one of our relegation-haunted seasons. Away at Wimbledon?
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He mentioned scoring at home against Norwich, and against Palace, but not sure who else he scored against.
 
lordsummerisle

lordsummerisle

Well-Known Member
Saw him and Wegerle walking round Stratford upon Avon one summers day eating ice creams, which is particularly uninteresting as a story!

Had a great game away at Spurs, penultimate game of the season, won 3-1, think he scored, Strachan had a blinder!

Best I remember of him is years after he left us and he was involved in the draw for the World Cup, think 2010 South Africa, and announced on stage:

" Now let's welcome three legends of World Football.

" Pele!"

" Franz Beckenbauer!"

" Cobi Jones!"

Pissed myself laughing there, Pele was rubbish!
 
Sick Boy

Sick Boy

Super Moderator
Calista said:
Somewhat charismatic, but probably not physically up to the demands of the top flight in England. Seem to recall him scoring an absolutely crucial winning goal in one of our relegation-haunted seasons. Away at Wimbledon?
Click to expand...
Pretty sure it was against Palace.
 
slowpoke

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
Cobi Jones was the star and bit of a pin up boy of the then USA national team in the 1994 World Cup along with their guitar playing bit of a rock band star centre-half Alexi Lalas who we nearly signed at the same time, might have been the USA captain, bit of an escape there. In all honesty Jones wasn’t quite good enough for the tough top division of those days but popular with the fans. He did score a vital goal at Palace in a vital bottom of the table win but manager Phil Neal got the boot the next week and big fat Ron took over and that was Cobi’s Coventry career over.
 
H

Happy_Martian

Well-Known Member
Liked Cobi as a player, exciting left winger if I remember correctly.

Always felt he was let down by our club as he never appeared to be their first choice to sign. As @slowpoke mentions, we went in for Alexei Lalas after his success in the World Cup. I seem to recall he even came over to see the facilities. But for some reason (maybe Italian clubs were also interested... Cov or a club sited between Milan and Venice ??? :unsure: ) , Lalas didn't sign. So to avoid egg on our face, we went back to the US squad and signed Cobi instead. I thought the club treated him as a second choice and could have handled/marketed him to a better extent to benefit him and themselves, sadly it was only the fans that truly embraced Cobi. Pretty sure I still have a fanmade Cobi Jones t-shirt that I bought from outside Highfield Road before one game.
 
Sky Blue Harry H

Sky Blue Harry H

Well-Known Member
My only actual memory of him (although of course I remember him) was him getting his name sung whilst he was running up and down the touchline in an away game at Blackburn. Weird what your memory retains and discards.
 
The Philosopher

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
lordsummerisle said:
Saw him and Wegerle walking round Stratford upon Avon one summers day eating ice creams, which is particularly uninteresting as a story!

Had a great game away at Spurs, penultimate game of the season, won 3-1, think he scored, Strachan had a blinder!

Best I remember of him is years after he left us and he was involved in the draw for the World Cup, think 2010 South Africa, and announced on stage:

" Now let's welcome three legends of World Football.

" Pele!"

" Franz Beckenbauer!"

" Cobi Jones!"

Pissed myself laughing there, Pele was rubbish!
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Last line made me chuckle.

I had a little look at the squad he was part of to see who was competing with him for a place. The legend that was Leigh Jenkinson was a wide attacker, to be fair so were Wegerle and Ndlovu.

We had Borrows and Burroughs as full backs who were almost wing backs and it may be we played a formation that meant we played almost like now, meaning an out and out winger (which I think Cobi was) wasn’t crucial and we played with wide midfielders and overlapping full backs.
 
Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon

Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon

Well-Known Member
I don't really remember him playing for us but i do remember him getting absolutely battered by the Mexicans at a World Cup. They absolutely kicked the crap out of him.
 
Nick

Nick

Administrator
I had Jones / 24 on the back of the green and black striped shirt I think.

Can't remember if he was any good for us though
 
Grendel

Grendel

Well-Known Member
He played a few games under phil neal - Atkinson didn’t rate him

In one fan phone in someone asked why isn’t cobi in the squad. Answer - he’s not good enough
 
ProfessorbyGrace

ProfessorbyGrace

Well-Known Member
My mate embarrassed himself yelling: ‘Oy oy Cobi!!’ at Jones, when he spotted him in Top Man, back in the day. Can’t remember if he was at the opening of the club shop in West Orchards or not, most of the squad was there.

For me, he was a decent enough player, but he should have stayed in England and maybe dropped down a division. Had all of the technical skills, but his lack of presence and awareness left him wanting at Premiership level.

But, it was kind of cool to have an American playing for us, as a 14 year old. Lalas would have made the grade at premiership level, I feel, and it was disappointing that he didn’t sign. Wegerle was such a gifted player, brilliant vision and technical skills, but he just didn’t seem very bothered a lot of the time; plus the injuries he had probably dampened his enthusiasm.

Wouldn’t mind a few of the current American internationals in our team. 😎
 
ProfessorbyGrace

ProfessorbyGrace

Well-Known Member
slowpoke said:
He wasn’t, one of the few things Atkinson got right whilst he was here.
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His teams were notoriously lightweight here, weren’t they. Very little physical presence: Richardson, Darby, Williams (who really wasn’t that strong for such a big bloke) Salako, Jess, Burrows, all were lightweights. Presley was pretty physical, but then he was a disaster, and I never forget Andy Cole brushing him aside and getting the winner at HR in that 2-3 defeat.
Even with Dion up front and then bringing in Liam Daish didn’t rectify the problem.
 
LastGarrison

LastGarrison

Well-Known Member
Sky Blue Harry H said:
My only actual memory of him (although of course I remember him) was him getting his name sung whilst he was running up and down the touchline in an away game at Blackburn. Weird what your memory retains and discards.
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Mine was his debut (or might have just been his home debut) and he did a jinky break away run down our right wing towards the East Stand late in the game and got fouled when he cut in and won a penalty.

Thought after that we had a proper player on our hands but as mentioned he just wasn’t up to the required standard.
 
Hobo

Hobo

Well-Known Member
He was a nice lad, but not really up to the level we were at.
 
ProfessorbyGrace

ProfessorbyGrace

Well-Known Member
Torquay Sky Blue said:
That shirts hard to come by now. Wouldn't mind one myself but pretty rare and expensive
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Bit like the ‘Jarni 27’ shirt…

Wish I’d have kept my Mike Marsh ‘24’ shirt, it’s rarer than a phoenix feather.
 
fernandopartridge

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
LastGarrison said:
Mine was his debut (or might have just been his home debut) and he did a jinky break away run down our right wing towards the East Stand late in the game and got fouled when he cut in and won a penalty.

Thought after that we had a proper player on our hands but as mentioned he just wasn’t up to the required standard.
Click to expand...
I was at that game, Leeds at home, might have been Dion Dublin's debut
 
baldy

baldy

Well-Known Member
The Philosopher said:
Last line made me chuckle.

I had a little look at the squad he was part of to see who was competing with him for a place. The legend that was Leigh Jenkinson was a wide attacker, to be fair so were Wegerle and Ndlovu.

We had Borrows and Burroughs as full backs who were almost wing backs and it may be we played a formation that meant we played almost like now, meaning an out and out winger (which I think Cobi was) wasn’t crucial and we played with wide midfielders and overlapping full backs.
Click to expand...

Blimey - Jack Burroughs is older than I thought then
 
baldy

baldy

Well-Known Member
Just remembered that I messaged him a few years ago on FB asking how he felt when he scored his first goal for City (“Elated”)
I also asked if he’d ever heard from any of the squad from that time over the years to which he replied “The odd random contact here & there”
I asked if Phil Neal had ever been in touch since then too & he just replied with “Haha 🤣”
 
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