NRC Happy In Vancouver

[Rigadon]

He fell out with O'Neill too, which you'd think would at least buy him some kudos these days.

Ah yes....  Contretemps.

I always thought NRC was a bit average and summed up why we hit a glass ceiling at 6th. 

[Matt C]

He wasn't rubbish just not worth anywhere near the amount we paid for him.

[Leighton]

Blimey, NRC. It all seems so long ago.

[pauliewalnuts]

He fell out with O'Neill too, which you'd think would at least buy him some kudos these days.

Yeah, but often when we talk about players, we get confused and mix up two different points - what they're like as people, and what they're like as players.

I am sure NRC had his positive points as a person (scrapping with that turd O'Neill, for a start), but as a player, I found him fucking useless, and that's the thing that matters most in the context of Villa.

It's like when people say "yeah, Emile, he's a nice bloke, never moaned (at earning 65k a week, quelle surprise), always gave 100 percent" - yeah, maybe, but the main issue with him was that he, too, was fucking rubbish.

See also Marlon F Harewood.

[ozzjim]

He fell out with O'Neill too, which you'd think would at least buy him some kudos these days.

Yeah, but often when we talk about players, we get confused and mix up two different points - what they're like as people, and what they're like as players.

I am sure NRC had his positive points as a person (scrapping with that turd O'Neill, for a start), but as a player, I found him fucking useless, and that's the thing that matters most in the context of Villa.

It's like when people say "yeah, Emile, he's a nice bloke, never moaned (at earning 65k a week, quelle surprise), always gave 100 percent" - yeah, maybe, but the main issue with him was that he, too, was fucking rubbish.

See also Marlon F Harewood.

He was never useless though. Heskey was useless. Warnock became beyond useless. Reo Coker always did his job, worked like a dog and won the ball. He forgot he was shit at football from time to time, but generally to break up play and win the ball he was good. And generally, we were a better team right up to the moment he left with him in it than not. He was also a leader, and that shone through. He was shit at passing and shooting, but he could carry the ball and win it.

[Toronto Villa]

To put NRC in the same bracket as Heskey or Harewood is both unfair and incorrect. He was a good player with some redeeming qualities and a number of limitations. His failing was neither he or his agent saw those limitations and thus got a little too carried away what might be available to them on the open market.

[PeterWithesShin]

Sounds exactly like he should be in the same bracket as Heskey who also had redeeming qualities and a number of limitations.

[rooboy316]

Very good player now living in the worlds best city
Good luck NRC

Third best. 

[*shellac*]

Limited player who was bought at a high cost.

[Legion]

When was the one on one with the keeper where he forget what his feet were for and fell on his arse?

The 0-0 against Chav$ki.

[lordmcgrath5]

Limited player who was bought at a high cost.

That would sum it up for me. At his best I thought he gave us a bit of fight in midfield and he got stuck in impressively, but his passing was consistently woeful. At times it was hard to believe just how poor his passing was. He also suffered from that affliction visited upon quite a few modern footballers of thinking he was some sort of philosopher, when instead he was clearly just Nigel Reo-Coker.

[Dave Cooper please]

Second touch always a tackle.

[pauliewalnuts]

To put NRC in the same bracket as Heskey or Harewood is both unfair and incorrect. He was a good player with some redeeming qualities and a number of limitations. His failing was neither he or his agent saw those limitations and thus got a little too carried away what might be available to them on the open market.

Of course, it's subjective.

You think he had redeeming qualities, I didn't. I saw a very limited player indeed who could barely be relied on to pass the ball with success to someone standing five yard away.

What isn't subjective is the amount of money he cost us over his period here. What a gigantic waste, and a perfect poster boy for the kind of profligacy as a result of MON's short sighted, lazy approach to buying players.

[dave.woodhall]

He was alright. Not shit, not spectacular. He did okay, earned a fortune in four years then walked away to earn another fortune. It says everything about the insanity of both the Premier League and our transfer policy under O'Neill that 'okay' can cost the best part of £20 million.

[SoccerHQ]

He played well under Houllier and actually in his preferred central midfield position rather than being sent to RB.

He should've played more games for us than say someone like Sidwell but obviously there was a personality clash with him and MON.

Really should've stayed with us as I'd have above many of the midfield options we've tried out since. Going to Bolton seemed strange to me, just makes you think what on earth he was earning here not to attract much interest from other premier league clubs and have to go to America before he hits 30.