JOE COLE introduced himself to his Lille team-mates at dinner on Friday with a lusty rendition of 'Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner'.
Quite what two Poles, a Brazilian, a couple of Belgians, three Senegalese, a Montenegrin, a Nigerian and a gaggle of bemused Frenchmen made of that is anyone's guess.
But, pretty soon, the only Englishman in the squad hopes to be able to sing it in French, as Camden-born Cole insists he will embrace all aspects of his surprising loan move to France's Lique 1.
The out-of-favour Liverpool star got through the toughest part of this new venture with a 25-minute debut at St Etienne on Saturday, the climax of which was setting up Ludovic Obraniak for the last goal in a 3-1 win.
And 29-year-old Cole said: "I was so nervous, it was completely new.
"If I was making my debut for another English team, I would have known the style and the routines.
"I've learnt 'droit' and 'gauche' to turn right and left. I've also tried to learn 'Man on!' so, yes, I'm enjoying the challenge.
"I sang 'Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner' to the lads on Friday and it got a better reception than at Chelsea. Put it this way, I didn't get pelted with rolls and potatoes!
"On Monday, I am going to download some French and get cracking with that.
"Things are so different. For instance, we've got to clean our own boots and carry our own boots to games here.
"The club gives you a lot of responsibility. There are a lot of things changing and it's a big challenge.
"But every day I go into work, it becomes a little bit more familiar and I think to myself 'Yeah, I'm in the right place here' — the way they play football suits me down to the ground.
"I could have gone to an English club but I just thought it was the right time to try a new challenge in a new country.
"I'm sure there will be some moments when I get the language mixed up but I am trying."
Midfielder Cole was sent off on his Liverpool debut last August so a few mixed-up French verbs is nothing to worry about.
He joked: "Anything less than a red card was always going to be an improvement wasn't it?
"Seriously though, it's been good. The manager wants me to come in slowly. It is a strong squad and he knows what I need.
"He says everything in French at half-time, so I just tried to listen. I didn't think I knew any French but there are a few words I could make out, so it was all good."
Cole's biggest problem was finding a way to watch Match of the Day on Saturday. His first question after helping Lille triumph was to ask how both Liverpool and West Ham had got on.
Clearly, he is not leaving everything English behind but, hopefully, Cole is at last singing from the same song sheet as his manager.
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Originally Posted by Kaiser
