Nigel Reo Coker and his limitations/attributes

[Rancid custard]

Lest we forget, he's been the victim of the previous incumbents folly. He came in and we were expecting a bit of the young eager box attacking leadership we saw at West Ham, well before the season that saw them just beat the drop. Then he was forced to be the Makele type holding player in a 5 man midfield to accommodate Petrov in the hope Stan would be the 15 goal a season midfielder he was at Celtic, After dropping that cash MON was pretty much committed to playing him week in week out, because,well, he wouldn't rotate and name the same 11 week in and out. Stan's form at the time was well shocking to say the least and NRC pretty much said in the papers that Martin was trying to make him a player he wasn't (I'm all for growth but still, was Zola ever forced to learn the intricacies of centre half?)

Then we have the Barry saga, we'd pretty much resigned ourselves to losing Gareth to the Scousers, and then MON started playing hardball with Benitez and Barry went nowhere. Then before Liverpool came back in the summer the ever transfer astute Martin brought in Sidwell as Barry's replacement hoping the lightening in a bottle of his Reading days could be recaptured (and by hell all it took was a move to Fulham?!)

While all this was going on, the general tactic was trap the ball, quick release to Ash or Milner out wide for them to whip in a cross for big John to head or fast as fuck Gabby to latch onto, goal or not the centre of the pitch was futile to be in as very rarely a cutback or pass came their way, to go to the trouble of running to the edge of the box in the centre was a fools errand and thankless task as they trundled back dejected goal or not.

Factor in the fact that Ashley did ever so well at the top of a midfield diamond for the last 10 games of a few seasons back and a lot of folks were clambering for that to be the system. To give MON his credit he had the diligence to bring in Downing (who didn't really set the world on fire with his first 5 months of competitive football) but it freed up the wing play and caused for some merry havoc when our wingers switched sides, this also accommodated Jimmy Milner being put in the middle after Barry said goodbye and we were poised to have a Villa equivalent of what Stevie G did so well for the scousers.

Over the course of a couple of seasons NRC soon became the forgotten man of Villa park. He communicates well on the pitch, gives it to the ref when we're hard done by and sticks up for whomever is being manhandled by the opposition. He runs his socks off, tackles and harasses like a terrier, gets into good positions and gives it his all, the very definition of one of those heart on sleeve type players. This of course is too good to be true, his passes lack venom, don't always hit their intended target and when he does get the ball and surges forward on the occasional run, we get on our feet to watch him power through and he either kicks it straight to the opposition or gets mugged while standing still. He's an asset, he'll just never set the world on fire.

[PaulTheVillan]

I've not been a fan of his until the last few months. His effort & industry are top notch & he's improved his passing & first touch.

Can't see where he's going to go though.
Everton? Stoke?

[nick harper]

Why does he need to make killer passes? His job is to win the ball, link up play and give it to a claret and blue shirt - something he has done increasingly impressively as the season has gone on because this manager believes in him.

I would hope Delph would be able play that role more impressively over time but he is not ready yet. In the meantime, I would certainly want Reo-Coker to stay.

Why does he need to make a killer pass ? His role is supposed to be versatile. He is a professional footballer. And we have one of the most prolific scorers in the prem waiting to recieve the pass. And his link up play is part of that. Bent has got a claret and blue shirt on .......

Do De Jong, Mikel, Song play killer passes? It's not their job. They are there to win the ball for the team and give it to more talented players. Very few midfield players can do it all or need to - you just need the right components to make a midfield work.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

No surprise to read the usual bollocks from the hard of thinking about his passing. A visit to either the Guardian Chalkboards or the opticans is highly recommended.

[Sam Smith]

'No surprise to read the usual bollocks from the hard of thinking about his passing. A visit to either the Guardian Chalkboards or the opticans is highly recommended.'

So his passing is an asset then?

It has improved recently but has been sloppy at best for the majority of his time at Villa. A professional footballer should be able to pass it 10 yards, he often struggled to do that. I like him but I cant defend the indefendable.

[sfx412]

No surprise to read the usual bollocks from the hard of thinking about his passing. A visit to either the Guardian Chalkboards or the opticans is highly recommended.

yes amazes me how people can't see how good his pass completion always is, but then Mon disliked him so he will never be any good in some's eyes.

[PaulTheVillan]

Hard to believe that a Centre Midfielder hasn't scored a goal at his home ground for the team he's played for over the past 4 years.

[avfcpg]

Always rated him for what he is, rather than what people think he should be.

Defensive midfielder, bags of energy, closes the ball down very well, hustles the opposition, breaks up play, goes at it for 90 minutes. Basically a player that plays in a 3 and says to the other two, I got you covered now go and play.

We just don't have "those" other two, which is our big problem when trying to open teams up.

   

[holtepaul]

What a silly post

Just because he is not a "world star" does not mean he is not a good player.

Put it this way, would Darren Bent get in Man U's side ahead of Rooney and Hernandez

Probably not -

Oh - he must be crap then !

Granted, NRC is not as good a midfielder as Lionel Messi - but we haven't got Lionel Messi have we - nor are we likely to !

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I like him but I cant defend the indefendable.

You can't even spell it, nevermind defend it.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

What a silly post

Just because he is not a "world star" does not mean he is not a good player.

Put it this way, would Darren Bent get in Man U's side ahead of Rooney and Hernandez

Probably not -

Oh - he must be crap then !

Granted, NRC is not as good a midfielder as Lionel Messi - but we haven't got Lionel Messi have we - nor are we likely to !

Read the topic. I have not mentioned "world Stars" and did not say he was not a "good player" and i am not comparing him to Lionel Messi. Use the points in the topic. This is called a debate .........

[holtepaul]

No, I have read the post, it states he couldn't get into the top 6 so why do people think he is great.

You are right, he wouldn't get in the top 6

Man U - Park plays in his position - for me Park has been player of the season and deserved it far more than Parker

Chelsea have Essien

Man City have Yaya Toure - who is so good he was the mainstay of the Barca side

Arsenal - well they actually lack a player and I even think NRC is better than their defensive midfielders

Spurs - Modric - who is now wanted by Man U - enough said



So, because NRC is not as good as maybe the top 5 players in the world in that position - you don't think we should appreciate him ?.

Bit of a coincidence that under MON , Gerard or even between the two , and McAllister - our best results have come in when he is in the side  - bit wierd don't you think ?

I am not saying he is Lionel Messi - but neither is Sun-Ji Park - but you take Park out the Man U side and see what happens.

NRC is a very very very good player in what he does, and what he does is not found very often, and those players who do it well, cost a bloody fortune.

[Chris Smith]

No surprise to read the usual bollocks from the hard of thinking about his passing. A visit to either the Guardian Chalkboards or the opticans is highly recommended.

You are right, his passing is extremely adequate. He's up there with the best when it comes to moving the ball 3 yards to either the left or right, he's top class when it comes to receiving the ball from wide, turning and pushing it back to the centre half. It's more than 2 years since he completed a forward pass but then you can't have everything. <wink>

He's good at what he does but that job is extremely limited and while I'm more than happy to keep him in the squad, at the right price, I want us to have better options than him next season.

[john e]

No, I have read the post, it states he couldn't get into the top 6 so why do people think he is great.

You are right, he wouldn't get in the top 6

Man U - Park plays in his position - for me Park has been player of the season and deserved it far more than Parker

Chelsea have Essien

Man City have Yaya Toure - who is so good he was the mainstay of the Barca side

Arsenal - well they actually lack a player and I even think NRC is better than their defensive midfielders

Spurs - Modric - who is now wanted by Man U - enough said



So, because NRC is not as good as maybe the top 5 players in the world in that position - you don't think we should appreciate him ?.

Bit of a coincidence that under MON , Gerard or even between the two , and McAllister - our best results have come in when he is in the side  - bit wierd don't you think ?

I am not saying he is Lionel Messi - but neither is Sun-Ji Park - but you take Park out the Man U side and see what happens.

NRC is a very very very good player in what he does, and what he does is not found very often, and those players who do it well, cost a bloody fortune.

so what club do you think he will go to then ? if he is as good as you think, there shouldnt be any shortage of takers from some decent clubs if what you say is true
 
because i think if he leaves he will go to a lower half of the league club or even a championship team, which is about his level,
but we will see, time will tell

[Rudy Can't Fail]

No surprise to read the usual bollocks from the hard of thinking about his passing. A visit to either the Guardian Chalkboards or the opticans is highly recommended.

You are right, his passing is extremely adequate. He's up there with the best when it comes to moving the ball 3 yards to either the left or right, he's top class when it comes to receiving the ball from wide, turning and pushing it back to the centre half. It's more than 2 years since he completed a forward pass but then you can't have everything. <wink>

I think you're confusing him with Petrov, Chris.

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