NRC upset at Villa for not talking to him when the season ended.

[Toronto Villa]

I like NRC, but even when reading this you have to think the club made efforts to talk to him during the season. All this while his gobby agent Tony Finnegan was talking about Champions League teams being in for him, and it was rumoured the money he wanted was unrealistic. I'm sure quotes from his agent like didn't really help his cause in the end:

Should an offer come from Napoli then he would certainly be honoured. Napoli are attracting a lot of interest in Europe with their performances this season.

‘Reo-Coker has been contacted by big clubs like Inter, Milan and Fiorentina, but we’ll try to get some answers from Napoli in the next few days too,’ he concluded.


A bit like Mark Hughes, it looks like he's been a bit burnt by thinking a little too highly of himself. Shame, he's a good squad player, but seems places like Stoke or West Brom might be his next stop unless he ends up playing somewhere on the continent. He's completely dreaming if he thinks he's CL material though.

It's Nigel Reo-Choker By JUSTIN ALLEN

NIGEL REO-COKER has hit out at Aston Villa chiefs after learning of his release from pals.

The midfielder, who finished last season as captain, was stunned to discover on holiday he was surplus to requirements after four years at Villa.

And now free-agent Reo-Coker, 27, is even considering a move abroad after being overlooked by top clubs including Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City, who all expressed an interest in him.

He revealed: "Before Gerard Houllier was taken ill and left the club, he said he wanted to sit me down this summer and negotiate a new deal.

"When the season ended, there was no contact from Villa to renegotiate my contract.

"We never sat down together, which I was told would happen. While on holiday, I was getting texts from friends and reading tweets I'd been released.

"I was disappointed. It should've been handled better and with more respect."

New boss Alex McLeish has not been in contact either, despite reports elsewhere to the contrary.

Reo-Coker insists he has had no offer from any club, including West Brom, but his agent has been sounded out by teams in the Premier League and Europe.

But the ex-England Under-21 star will ponder a move abroad if he does not get the right challenge here.

A number of clubs in Italy, Spain and Germany have been tracking Reo-Coker since watching him star in the Europa League for Villa and West Ham.

He added: "It's a new chapter. I want to go to a club where I can challenge for things either in the Premier League or abroad.

"There are options in Europe - and I'm seriously considering them."

[eamonn]

Hmm...if he was promised talks and didn't get them it's poor form on the club's part.
But if all these big clubs are so interested in him he'll soon forget about his departure from little ol'Villa.

[darren woolley]

I wish we would have sat down and held talks with him and then kept him we need players like him.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I liked Reo Coker, however......

He had a contract, the contract finished and the club were not ultimately interested in negotiating another contract.
Ever since Bosman players have had more power and freedom, this has allowed their wages to spiral.
We hear so much about players having the clubs over a barrel and holding all the cards.
On the rare occasion the present system works against a players interest at the top end of the professional game I am not going to show much sympathy.

[richard moore]

I find it very difficult to get emotional about such a supremely average footballer...

[pauliewalnuts]

Get yourself a better agent  nigel.

He's made you look a bit of a twat with all that talk of serie a.

[pooligan]

Pretty good description of NRC Richard. Looking back at his time with West Ham and then under MON he always seemed to me to be a guy who had a high opinion of his self. A friend of mine who is a hammers fan said they were glad to see the back of him, interesting that he never had a bad word to say about Harewood.

[Lambert and Payne]

So he was desperate to talk to Villa cheifs to get a contract sorted, but he was on holiday at the time it ran out?

[ian c.]

If my agent let my 45K per week contract come to an end without having sorted something else out I would sack him.

[Chris Smith]

Get yourself a better agent  nigel.

He's made you look a bit of a twat with all that talk of serie a.

At the same time it might be worth getting a more realistic idea of your own abilities as you've made yourself look a bit of a twat with your box to box midfielder quotes.

[olaftab]

Unless his wage demand was unpalatable  NRC should still be a Villa player. I am surprised that we have let a very useful PL standard player go free at the age of 27. Not good business in my opinion.

[Risso]

Rubbish player with a vastly inflated sense of his own ability.  Not one that seems to be shared by many clubs it seems.

[gervilla]

Maybe, because his agent led Villa to believe that there was so much interest in him ( and from so many major European clubs ) villa decided to not vie for a place in the long line of interested parties.

[Steve67]

From reading that, it sounds like the journo has spoken to both NRC, who is pissed off that he doesn't have a job, and interspersed bits from his gobby agent, lots of clubs sounding him out. NRC will be offered gigs at the likes of Sunderland, West Brom and Fulham. Mid table teams at the very best.  If he goes abroad, it'll be because he's not getting paid what he wants from the Prem clubs, simply because he's not worth what he and his dickhead agent thinks he is.

[VillaZogmariner]

Rubbish player with a vastly inflated sense of his own ability.  Not one that seems to be shared by many clubs it seems.

Rubbish is a bit harsh.

Granted, he's not as good as he thinks he is himself, but he is a hell of a lot better than rubbish.