Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Michel Sibble on February 12, 2011, 11:11:22 AM
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NIGEL Reo-Coker will meet Gerard Houllier for crunch talks about his future in a month’s time – amidst strong suggestions that his Villa career will be over in the summer.
Reo-Coker is likely to leave the claret and blues for nothing when his current deal expires at the end of the season after so far failing to accept the contract offer Villa made.
With the arrival of Jean Makoun and Michael Bradley and the emergence of Barry Bannan and Fabian Delph, Houllier is blessed with options in the centre of the park.
But the Villa boss hinted that the £7.5 million midfielder could start at Blackpool today and was pencilled in for an assessment with his agent within the next four weeks.
Read More (http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/aston-villa-fc/aston-villa-news/2011/02/12/nigel-reo-coker-scheduled-for-talks-about-his-villa-future-with-gerard-houllier-within-the-next-month-97319-28159042/#ixzz1Dk3WpeQE)
If the guy is leaving, what's to discuss?
Mods, please merge etc...
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Take the offer Nigel or see ya later, we don't get held to ransom and pay stupid wages anymore.
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Not good enough for me and never has been. Someone will doubtless quote the two and a half good games he has had for us at me now. Or is it three. Get rid...
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Agreed - let go.
If he really is asking for the sort of wages that were mentioned on here before then he should see if he can find someone else to pay them - I expect it'll be a long and fruitless search though! He wouldn't get near the 1st team of any of the top 5 clubs so if we have ambitions of joining them then he should only ever be a reserve for us.
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Bye Nige. You're not good enough to get us back into the top 6.
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He was ok, nothing great. Another one off to small heath.
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Keep for me, good skipper and natural leader
Peace Cup winner
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I've always argued that he's a great ahlete but an average footbaler. Will do a good job for somebody, just not us under Houlier. QPR next season would be my guess.
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QPR are a good shout, I think he'd prefer to go down south!
Not good enough im afraid, he's terrible with the ball
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For me, Makoun , Bradley, Bannan and Delph are definately ahead of him, Petrov on par, and Hogg and Heard coming through, time to let him go.
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Not good enough for me and never has been. Someone will doubtless quote the two and a half good games he has had for us at me now. Or is it three. Get rid...
Absolutely. Probably the most overrated player at the club.
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Okay for the bench, but no great loss.
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Thought he had a good game today considering he was by himself virtually for the 90 mins. Considering his contract is up he could have gone the Carew, Ashley Young route and gone through the motions but at least gave his all
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Keep for me, good skipper and natural leader
Peace Cup winner
Yes let's keep him, on silly wages, because he won a friendly!
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I've never been a fan. He'll run all day long, but he has no football brain whatsoever. I'd let him go.
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He's a combative midfielder. I'd keep him.
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With Makoun suspended we'll need him for the next few games.
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He's a combative midfielder. I'd keep him.
And pay him £50k per week for the next 3/4 years?
Because that's the sort of contract he will get elsewhere.
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
With you on this, there are not that many combatative midfielders around, i have been impressed with him most times this season, his passing has been good, he gives to a bloke in his team
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He definately adds something to the team when he's included. As said above though, if GH sees Makoun as first choice, 50k+ a week is a lot of money for a player likely to spend much of his time warming the bench.
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Limited footballer. £8.5m is a truly embarrassing fee. Time to move on.
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
I agree with you on this. Keep him, as long as it's for sensible wages.
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Let him go. Good but not good enough.
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
I agree with you on this. Keep him, as long as it's for sensible wages.
And if it's not?
Which it won't be.
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
With you on this, there are not that many combatative midfielders around, i have been impressed with him most times this season, his passing has been good, he gives to a bloke in his team
I with you both. He had a very good game yesterday, hardly put a foot wrong. We're a worse team without him.
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Did I see him clapping the Villa fans at the end, albeit sheepishly?
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Did I see him clapping the Villa fans at the end, albeit sheepishly?
It would have been rude not too, he was our MOM in my opinion and we were singing his name. This was of course after all 2000 of us had told Howard Webb that he's a total and utter ****.
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I also think he's worth keeping. Seems to have improved under GH and if we get rid who exactly are we replacing him with?
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He's the one natural leader at the club, keep
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
I agree with you on this. Keep him, as long as it's for sensible wages.
And if it's not?
Which it won't be.
Er, let him go? Which is what my post implies?
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He's the one natural leader at the club, keep
The General is a natural leader too: should we give him £50K a week and the left back position?
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Limited footballer. £8.5m is a truly embarrassing fee. Time to move on.
[/quote
with you brother ;-)
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His passing has improved significantly this season. I'd keep him if the deal was right for the club. If you look at the situation from another angle, he'll be a very good free transfer signing for a mid table Premier league club. I don't hink he'll be short of offers.
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Keep for the simple reason he restled MON to the ground
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Decent player, played his part in us getting two top 6 finishes (often out of position) but I think it's a bit late in the day now for him suddenly signing a new deal.
If he goes he goes. Makoun is already looking a more than capable replacement, hopefully Bradley will make the desired impact and we have he likes of Bannan and Delph ready to get more games in central midfield so it's not an area we're desperately short on.
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I rate him. I think I'm in a minority here. Would rather get rid of Salifou. Petrov, as much as I like him, is past it. Delph is (still?) injured. Makoun and Bradley are untried at this level. At least Osbourne has gone, though.
I agree with you on this. Keep him, as long as it's for sensible wages.
And if it's not?
Which it won't be.
Er, let him go? Which is what my post implies?
Yes, fair point.
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NRC has started playing the football that we hoped to see when he first signed for MON. With Makoun suspended for 3 games I would expect to see NRC in all three. He is finally playing in his preferred position and not at RB or Right Wing or wherever MON wanted to fill a hole.
If NRC and Houllier can come to terms that are mutually acceptable, I can't see why we would let him go.
I've always believed in dealing with the devil you know and in NRC's case I think this current version will suit us well enough.
The other question would be who on earth are you going to get at the same level as NRC for the money? NRC as a central defensive holding midfielder is coming into his prime and seems to like playing for Houllier.
My pennies worth is to keep him and work on solving other positional problems such as our full backs and if Ashley ends up leaving us who fills the hole?
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I'm all for keeping him. Or more specifically, one of him or Petrov. Reason being that after Makoun and Bradley, who are largely untried in the PL, we're looking at kids. So an experienced back-up is essential, IMO. If the wages are acceptable then sign him up and get a few million in for Petrov. If not, let him go and keep Stan around for anotyer year.
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A few million for Petrov John? We'll be lucky to get £1m for him
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NRC does a job of sorts, but is a very limited footballer.
The question is whether or not he's worth another large (and it will be large if he's out of contract) deal. I don't think he is.
Both he and Petrov are the sorts of players we should be improving on.
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The thing is, if you let NRC go on a free, you are going to have to bring in a replacement. That player is going to cost us a fee plus wages , whereas NRC's situation should be just wages.
The fees for a new player when added into the mix might just not pencil in favourably compared to NRC. However, that is for Faulkner and co to sort out. If it works out to our advantage financially and NRC is satisfied, I'd re-sign him.
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A few million for Petrov John? We'll be lucky to get £1m for him
He's 31 (I think?) and a regular PL player and international. I don't think £2-3m is out of the question.
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I don't see NRC as a starter next season but I agree, if the club can come to a sensible agreement on his wages and a new deal, I'd keep him - he's 26 years old, and has value in the role which suits him best, working his backside off in midfield. He knows the PL so yes, he'll help as we're bedding in Bradley and Makoun.
But... he's had an odd few years here, after a decent first season. I doubt he'll accept being told he's not a nailed-on starter, and I'm sure he'll look for a wage increase, which is hard to justify. I can see him going.
My preference would be to sell Petrov, retain NRC, but it wouldn't be a total loss if he went. Makoun, Bradley, Delph, Bannan are four we can move forward with, Hogg could do a similar job to NRC, though he's a bit raw he's got similar tools. Then there's Gardner to come through. And if Petrov and NRC both leave (and maybe Ireland too) I wouldn't be surprised to see us go for another midfielder in the summer.
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He's 31 (I think?) and a regular PL player and international. I don't think £2-3m is out of the question.
That's fair. He's got a decent international reputation, I think we could that price range.
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The thing is, if you let NRC go on a free, you are going to have to bring in a replacement. That player is going to cost us a fee plus wages , whereas NRC's situation should be just wages.
I'd rather pay a fee in addition to wages if it meant we had an improved player on the pitch.
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The thing is, if you let NRC go on a free, you are going to have to bring in a replacement. That player is going to cost us a fee plus wages , whereas NRC's situation should be just wages.
The fees for a new player when added into the mix might just not pencil in favourably compared to NRC. However, that is for Faulkner and co to sort out. If it works out to our advantage financially and NRC is satisfied, I'd re-sign him.
True, but NRC knows this, too, so currently his agent will be looking to get him in at a new club by negotiating a deal where - as there is no transfer fee and therefore more money to be squeezed out - he gets a big signing on fee and a bigger pay packet.
If Villa want to keep him, we're going to be dealing with demands from the player which reflect that, so while there is no transfer fee for us to pay, he'll want money up front and more salary.
Given that, I'd rather we looked around for a more accomplished player.
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The thing is, if you let NRC go on a free, you are going to have to bring in a replacement. That player is going to cost us a fee plus wages , whereas NRC's situation should be just wages.
The fees for a new player when added into the mix might just not pencil in favourably compared to NRC. However, that is for Faulkner and co to sort out. If it works out to our advantage financially and NRC is satisfied, I'd re-sign him.
True, but NRC knows this, too, so currently his agent will be looking to get him in at a new club by negotiating a deal where - as there is no transfer fee and therefore more money to be squeezed out - he gets a big signing on fee and a bigger pay packet.
And one could argue that we already bought his replacement in January.
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From what we've seen of Makoun to date, I certainly don't think he's a natural replacement for NRC. Petrov, yes. NRC gives our midfield a bit of bite and with the exception of the Sunderland game, has been one of our better performers this season. I'd be tempted to keep him unless we have a better replacement lined up in the summer. We could always sell him in 12 months time and actually get a fee rather than give him away now.
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Time for Petrov and NRC to go.
Petrov has served us well and Reo Coker has in small doses.
We need better though, especially to help out our porous defence.
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Time for Petrov and NRC to go.
Petrov has served us well and Reo Coker has in small doses.
We need better though, especially to help out our porous defence.
I'd be tempted to keep NRC out of the two but they'd both be good players to have on the bench, although at their stage in their careers, i think they'd want one last move.
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Seems to be a real split of opinion over this. Time for a poll?
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Think it is time for Reo Coker to go. We need better, a Tim Cahill type player. Makoun will do his job and more with his passing. Not sure what Bradley will bring yet but he could be quite a catch with his energy and experience, even at 23. Think with a pre season and some games under his belt, that Gary Gardner might just be the player we are searching for along with Delph ..........
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The thing is, if you let NRC go on a free, you are going to have to bring in a replacement. That player is going to cost us a fee plus wages , whereas NRC's situation should be just wages.
The fees for a new player when added into the mix might just not pencil in favourably compared to NRC. However, that is for Faulkner and co to sort out. If it works out to our advantage financially and NRC is satisfied, I'd re-sign him.
If the replacement is a better player (which isn't exactly the most implausible thing in the world) his fee will pay itself in moving us up the league. Keeping mediocre, limited players makes for a mediocre and limited team and if you are paying the kind of money we will be in wages you need better.
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If we as a club agree to pay NRC £40k a week for another 3 or 4 years then I would lock up our Manager and Chairman in the insane assylum tomorrow!!
He has been here 4 years, and during that time you can count on one hand the number of times he has played well.
With Platini's plans for financial stability due to come into effect in a couple of years time, we need to get rid of the average players on big wages this summer, and NRC is one of those players.
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If we as a club agree to pay NRC £40k a week for another 3 or 4 years
I know it hurts, but the truth - and the trouble - is that £40k a week is probably now the average wage for a PL footballer. Maybe even the lower end of average, certainly for a club our size - an established PL club.
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He has been here 4 years, and during that time you can count on one hand the number of times he has played well.
Think that's grossly unfair for a player that was a regular in a top 6 side. His role is one of the less eye-catching ones, so while you won't walk away from the game thinking he had a stormer he'll have done his job well.
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He's got a good engine and 3 years more left at the top.
He should be skipper when selected (not Ash)
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I think the first year or so of his Villa career started really. I thought he dipped after M'ON messed him around by playing him at RB. I'd offer him another couple of years,on the same money though.
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I think we can get rid of both and buy another midfielder who can do the job better with lower wages and sign Bradley on permanent deal this summer.
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For all his supposed short comings, I'd have him to date as arguably our most consistent performer this season, certainly alongside Heskey as our most improved player. His only real fault for me this season is he sometimes appears a bit casual tracking back. Talk of replacing him with Bradley based on a 17 minute appearance strikes me as some what nieve.
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I'd kget rid of petrov and use his wages to offer reo- coker a new deal , he won't be a regular starter but given a choice between nige and petrov I would take nige anyday.
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The thing is, if you let NRC go on a free, you are going to have to bring in a replacement. That player is going to cost us a fee plus wages , whereas NRC's situation should be just wages.
I'd rather pay a fee in addition to wages if it meant we had an improved player on the pitch.
Makoun and Delph between them will more than replace NRC.
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Any further news on us securing NRC for the rest of his career ?
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Any further news on us securing NRC for the rest of his career ?
No, because he has nothing to gain by doing anything now.
He will wait to the summer and then sign for the person who offers him the most. Which is highly unlikely to be us.
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The title of the thread suggests talks were imminent ?
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The title of the thread suggests talks were imminent ?
They may have been from the club's point of view, not necessarily his.
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If he wanted to stay, he'd have signed that deal back in October when Houllier was praising him.
How many players deals run out in the summer and then they sign a new deal with that club? I can only think of Pedersen at Blackburn as a very recent example.
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I like Nige but we can get better for cheaper. I'd have not let him go in Jan but over the Summer we should look elsewhere.
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As I've already said, the hype Delph is getting means he should over time develop into a tenacious NRC style prem midfield who can hopefully also pass properly.
And Makoun's already shown he's a decent player.
Hopefully Bradley gets the league so that will be another one into the mix for next season, keep Petrov as a SQUAD player, also got Bannan and I still live in hope Ireland will have a brain transplant, have a storming end to the season at Newcastle and will come back in better shape for pre season.
So yep he's been a decent player but I don't see him as one we'll miss tbh.
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Huge assumption that Bradley is any good at PL level, delph ? can he cut it / stay fit ? Makoun - jury still out if he's anything other than an anchor man / square ball merchant. We need the likes of NRC and Petrov IMO , on their day they are top 6 players
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We need the likes of NRC and Petrov IMO , on their day they are top 6 players
Not a chance - neither would get in to any of the top sides' first 11. If NRC wants to stay for a sensible wage as a squad player then great. If not, let him look for his payday elsewhere. Stan's just past it now. The game is too quick for him and captain or not he shouldn't be in the Villa side anymore.
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Less than a month ago, petrov was awesome in the home win over man city ! All of a sudden he's the new whipping boy and people are bigging up Bradley even though he came from the foot of the bundesliga and is yet to play a PL game !?
Laughable
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I wouldn't be too fussed if we saw the back of Petrov & NRC in the summer. Oh & Pires.
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Wiki, one swallow doesnt make a summer. Petrov has declined over the last year, a couple of good games mask a player that is too slow, too predictable, and far too negative. The number of fouls he now gives away as opposed to winning shows he is losing what he had for pace. You can count forward passes on one hand these days, which does not play to our strengths when we want to utilise Gabby, Bent, Downing and Young.
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Petrov and NRC may not be the answer, unfortunately I'm not sure Delph or Bradley are either.
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I like NRC but his plans are already made. Free transfer , big signing on fee and probably down south in the summer.
Hopefully he plays his heart out while makouns out to prove a point and we get the benefit.
Other than that thanks for chinning MON and getting stuck into Gardner and er thats about it....
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Less than a month ago, petrov was awesome in the home win over man city ! All of a sudden he's the new whipping boy and people are bigging up Bradley even though he came from the foot of the bundesliga and is yet to play a PL game !?
Laughable
I beg to differ. As far as I'm concerned, Man City was his worst game for the Villa. He was embarrassingly slow and looked like a pub player, diving into ridiculous tackles to try to stop players clearly quicker and more talented than him. On current form I'd have NRC in the side ahead of Stan every time.
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Petrov looked terrible against Fulham also, How did he become so slow and clumsy on the ball?
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I also think bradley could be very good for us, He just needs to be judged on future games not just 20 mins!
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Less than a month ago, petrov was awesome in the home win over man city ! All of a sudden he's the new whipping boy and people are bigging up Bradley even though he came from the foot of the bundesliga and is yet to play a PL game !?
Laughable
I beg to differ. As far as I'm concerned, Man City was his worst game for the Villa. He was embarrassingly slow and looked like a pub player, diving into ridiculous tackles to try to stop players clearly quicker and more talented than him.
That's insane.
We set ourselves up that day with Petrov taking the entire defensive responsibility and playing two strikers and three attacking midfielders.
If Petrov had been anything other than excellent that day we would have lost by an absolute hatful. He had to deal with Barry, Silva and Touré more or less on his own. And did the job brilliantly.
Shame he hasn't got the legs to put in performances like the Man City one more often nowadays.
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Sorry I disagree, people are writing Stan & NRC off and they will be vital for us in the relegation scrap we're in.
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I can only see teams like Bolton or Stoke being interested in NRC. I doubt if they'll break their pay structure to sign him.
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On Petrov
Aston Villa: Gerard Houllier reveals future for Stiliyan Petrov as Aston Villa
by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
The Bulgarian midfielder was one of the first names on the team sheet during the reign of Houllier’s predecessor, Martin O’Neill.
And either side of a two-month injury lay-off, Petrov tended to be the current boss’s first-choice central midfielder.
But with Jean Makoun and Michael Bradley arriving in January, Houllier now has a wealth of options in the middle of the park.
Petrov was left out of a Premier League squad for the first time by Houllier for the draw at Blackpool despite being fit. Houllier, however, insists the skipper, who is contracted to Villa until the summer of 2013, is still in his plans for the future.
Houllier said: “Petrov is in my plans, but if he says ‘I want to play every game’ I’ll say ‘No’.
“He’s the captain so he must lead by example. I’m very pleased with his attitude.
“He’s been influential in me changing the philosophy that we have here.
“He’s still got a lot to give.”
Houllier has told his players and the supporters to get used to his preference of rotating his squad rather than sticking to the same XI.
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Less than a month ago, petrov was awesome in the home win over man city ! All of a sudden he's the new whipping boy and people are bigging up Bradley even though he came from the foot of the bundesliga and is yet to play a PL game !?
Laughable
I beg to differ. As far as I'm concerned, Man City was his worst game for the Villa. He was embarrassingly slow and looked like a pub player, diving into ridiculous tackles to try to stop players clearly quicker and more talented than him.
That's insane.
We set ourselves up that day with Petrov taking the entire defensive responsibility and playing two strikers and three attacking midfielders.
If Petrov had been anything other than excellent that day we would have lost by an absolute hatful. He had to deal with Barry, Silva and Touré more or less on his own. And did the job brilliantly.
Shame he hasn't got the legs to put in performances like the Man City one more often nowadays.
I'm not a huge fan, and think his best days are behind him, but that is a good summary of his Man City performance. I reckon he would make a good sub in future, if he's prepared to play a bit part role.
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I reckon he would make a good sub in future, if he's prepared to play a bit part role.
True enough.
That goes for NRC as well, both would make good subs.
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Petrov is the ideal player to bring on when you're winning to help close a game out.
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Ye agree when you are winning a game Petrov is good at retaining the ball and attracting fouls to slow the game down. Cannot say the same about Reo Coker .........
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If QPR come up, I reckon they'll be in for NRC
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If QPR come up, I reckon they'll be in for NRC
That's a good call,i bet their the only southern team who'd want him.
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If QPR come up, I reckon they'll be in for NRC
Yep, I said the same earlier in the thread.
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If QPR come up, I reckon they'll be in for NRC
Yep, I said the same earlier in the thread.
That's probably about his level to be honest, plus obviously going back to London would be a bonus for him I expect.
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If QPR come up, I reckon they'll be in for NRC
Yep, I said the same earlier in the thread.
That's probably about his level to be honest, plus obviously going back to London would be a bonus for him I expect.
About his level?
QPR are seriously rich, if they come up I expect them to compete quite easily in the Premiership, he'd be joining a club who would probably be competing with us for the minor European places.
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About his level?
QPR are seriously rich, if they come up I expect them to compete quite easily in the Premiership, he'd be joining a club who would probably be competing with us for the minor European places.
They're owned by seriously rich owners, and have been for the past four years, but that's not the same as being seriously rich. They haven't looked remotely interested in splashing the cash.
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About his level?
QPR are seriously rich, if they come up I expect them to compete quite easily in the Premiership, he'd be joining a club who would probably be competing with us for the minor European places.
They're owned by seriously rich owners, and have been for the past four years, but that's not the same as being seriously rich. They haven't looked remotely interested in splashing the cash.
They might do if they get promoted, in fact I expect them to. They'll be something like the third richest club on paper won't they?
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If QPR do get promoted - and they should this season, it's long overdue considering the backing involved - I can't see them instantly challenging for a European place. NRC would be an excellent signing for them, plenty of PL experience.
I can see him at Fulham, to be honest.
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I've said it before, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a 'bigger' team than us come in for him.
The fact that he doesn't have a transfer fee is going to make him a lot more attractive. There's no way that Chelsea and Man Utd would have paid money for Sidwell or Owen for example.
£35k a week isn't going to matter a jot to the likes of Man Utd if they can pay the likes of Brown and O'Shea double that and Nige can captain their Carling Cup team.
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There is absoloutely no chance of a bigger club coming in for Reo Coker. When he has been available ie MON saga. No one came in for him. Not even smaller clubs. And it was not about his wages, its because he is a very limited player. No not a "quality" player. He has no aerial power, poor passing choices and not a goal scorer. "bigger" clubs have Nasri, Lampard, Gerrard, Silva, Fletcher. These players are in a different league to him .....
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I've said it before, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a 'bigger' team than us come in for him.
The fact that he doesn't have a transfer fee is going to make him a lot more attractive. There's no way that Chelsea and Man Utd would have paid money for Sidwell or Owen for example.
£35k a week isn't going to matter a jot to the likes of Man Utd if they can pay the likes of Brown and O'Shea double that and Nige can captain their Carling Cup team.
I can't see that happening at all to be honest. He just isn't anywhere near a good enough footballer to play for any of the "big" teams, and really wouldn't add anything to their teams. Sidwell had had an excellent season for Reading when he signed for Chelsea, and was seen as a box to box, goal scoring midfielder. Owen, when fit, can always nick a goal in a tight game. NRC has struggled to win a regular place at Villa, and other than his athleticism and perceived ability to get stuck in, doesn't have anything special that would make one of the bigger teams take a punt on him in my opinion.
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I could see Harry taking him on board at Spurs.
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I just don't think he takes us to that next level, so he'll probably be back off to london, QPR is a good shout I don't think he'll go back to West Ham.
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I've said it before, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a 'bigger' team than us come in for him.
The fact that he doesn't have a transfer fee is going to make him a lot more attractive. There's no way that Chelsea and Man Utd would have paid money for Sidwell or Owen for example.
£35k a week isn't going to matter a jot to the likes of Man Utd if they can pay the likes of Brown and O'Shea double that and Nige can captain their Carling Cup team.
I'd be amazed if a bigger club came in for him. He's simply not a good enough player. I think he's probably already played for the biggest club in his career.
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I could see Harry taking him on board at Spurs.
Why would he want him when he has Palacios, Huddlestone, Modric, Kranjcar and Van der Vaart? Spot the difference between that lot and Reo Coker.
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There is absoloutely no chance of a bigger club coming in for Reo Coker. When he has been available ie MON saga. No one came in for him.I've said it before, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a 'bigger' team than us come in for him.
The fact that he doesn't have a transfer fee is going to make him a lot more attractive. There's no way that Chelsea and Man Utd would have paid money for Sidwell or Owen for example.
£35k a week isn't going to matter a jot to the likes of Man Utd if they can pay the likes of Brown and O'Shea double that and Nige can captain their Carling Cup team.
I'd be amazed if a bigger club came in for him. He's simply not a good enough player.
Neither are the likes of Gibson, Carrick and Evans. But the fact that he is a free transfer means that a club can take a punt on him.
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Gibson and Evans came up through the ranks there. That's different. Evans is probably a little better than average. Gibson won't be there much longer. Carrick cost £18m. They didn't think they were buying an average player.
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Carrick cost £18m. They didn't think they were buying an average player.
Which is why it's perfectly plausible that they would sell Carrick to anyone witless to pay money for him and replace him with an equally average player for half the wages.
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Every time he plays he does well He is our Mr Reliable. Today he was fantastic. We should sort him out with a 2/3 year deal now.
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I've always said he should have been playing every week, he's good at what he does and always plays well, and he offers 100% more than Petrov the crab.
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I have said before there are not many proper defensive midfield players around, NRC is one of them and this season he has proved his consistancy, we should keep him
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Tough call this one.
He plays well, we fork out a hefty contract to try to keep him.
He leaves, we get one less experienced tackler, albeit limited.
What does GH do? Or what does RL let GH do with him?
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Not a Reo fan. But he had a solid game today. But his alround game against better sides is still not good enough .....
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He should be our holding player, despite the fact he can't pass, he harasses, closes down and tackles with a bit of speed too, we need that. Frankly if I were looking for regular football when you see Bradley, Petrov, Makoun, Albrighton, Young, Downing, Bannan, Delph all in the mix it'd be on your mind.
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Getting sick of this Reo can't pass bollox
Check out the stats from yesterday, his passing was fantastic and much of it was forward ball. Makoun can only learn from NRC
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Getting sick of this Reo can't pass bollox
Check out the stats from yesterday, his passing was fantastic..
Agreed. Check out his passing this season, it's been superb (Sunderland apart). It's a shame more can't judge him on 'what he is' rather that 'what he was'.
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If Fwank or Stevie Me had attempted 73 passes and made 70 of them yesterday, it'd be bumping Libya off the front pages.
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If Fwank or Stevie Me had attempted 73 passes and made 70 of them yesterday, it'd be bumping Libya off the front pages.
Yes, but generally speaking they'd have been more varied than three yard passes sideways. I'm not knocking him for playing within his limitations, it's better than when he thought he was Zidane, but those limitations remain, ie he can't really pass well (only short) and he doesn't really move it quickly enough. You see Makoun, it's one touch pass, move, one touch pass etc. With Reo he tends to take four or five touches, which can make it easier for the opposition defence.
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Who is this Reo you speak of, Monty?
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Who is this Reo you speak of, Monty?
Is Reo not an acceptable abbreviation? I think it makes a nice chance from the usual NRC stuff.
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Who is this Reo you speak of, Monty?
Is Reo not an acceptable abbreviation? I think it makes a nice chance from the usual NRC stuff.
It was the "four or five touches" that confused me, not the name.
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Ah I see (bloody internetz). Well, maybe it's just how I see it, but I thought the team's passing tempo really improved when Makoun came in for NRC. Nige seems to me to receive the ball, look around a bit, pass it sideways. Which is fine, he doesn't give it away like he used to, but it's still something to be improved upon.
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Getting sick of this Reo can't pass bollox
Check out the stats from yesterday, his passing was fantastic..
Agreed. Check out his passing this season, it's been superb (Sunderland apart). It's a shame more can't judge him on 'what he is' rather that 'what he was'.
Superb?
Is there a new word filter on here? Let me try, adequate, nope we can't blame it on that.
He passes adequately over 5-10 yards to a level that anyone with basic coordination should be able to manage.
He had a decent game yesterday but it is within very limited parameters - hold your position, break up the play and then give the ball to somebody who knows what they're doing.
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Jury still out on makoun for me, he's a square ball merchant and a red card already, it will take him sometime to come up to PL standard
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Getting sick of this Reo can't pass bollox
Check out the stats from yesterday, his passing was fantastic..
Agreed. Check out his passing this season, it's been superb (Sunderland apart). It's a shame more can't judge him on 'what he is' rather that 'what he was'.
Superb?
Is there a new word filter on here? Let me try, adequate, nope we can't blame it on that.
He passes adequately over 5-10 yards to a level that anyone with basic coordination should be able to manage.
He had a decent game yesterday but it is within very limited parameters - hold your position, break up the play and then give the ball to somebody who knows what they're doing.
Superb as in completed passes. The manager has given him a job to do and does it very well, tackling, keeping things moving, getting the ball out to the wings. I don't ever expect you to see his value Chris, as he falls into that locked box of yours, where you'll never change your opinion no matter the overwelming evidence put in front of you. You've made it clear you don't rate him and we know what you're like once you've made up your mind. The man is not for turning.
Until we find a better replacement, NRC is an essential player in our side. Makoun is a better first touch player but I've yet to be convinced he can tackle. Delph may be that player but at this level he's untried.
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NRC had his best game for a while yesterday because he was clearly instructed to do what he does well and nothing more. I can understand the comments about his longer passing being suspect and he even managed to make some really simple stuff look difficult yesterday. If his role in the team will be to break up play, give the ball to the play makers and provide some energetic cover to the back 4 then he's the ideal choice.
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Getting sick of this Reo can't pass bollox
Check out the stats from yesterday, his passing was fantastic..
Agreed. Check out his passing this season, it's been superb (Sunderland apart). It's a shame more can't judge him on 'what he is' rather that 'what he was'.
Superb?
Is there a new word filter on here? Let me try, adequate, nope we can't blame it on that.
He passes adequately over 5-10 yards to a level that anyone with basic coordination should be able to manage.
He had a decent game yesterday but it is within very limited parameters - hold your position, break up the play and then give the ball to somebody who knows what they're doing.
Superb as in completed passes. The manager has given him a job to do and does it very well, tackling, keeping things moving, getting the ball out to the wings. I don't ever expect you to see his value Chris, as he falls into that locked box of yours, where you'll never change your opinion no matter the overwelming evidence put in front of you. You've made it clear you don't rate him and we know what you're like once you've made up your mind. The man is not for turning.
Until we find a better replacement, NRC is an essential player in our side. Makoun is a better first touch player but I've yet to be convinced he can tackle. Delph may be that player but at this level he's untried.
Xavi is one of the best players in the world and he does exactly what is required of him at Barca and he does it very well. They have other players to do the other things and the same goes for every player in that team. If Reo is told to play simple balls and he gets a 95% pass completion rate as he did yesterday then I really do not see the problem. I bet Messi is a rubbish goalkeeper, that's why they don't play him there.....
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I'm sorry, I'll accept a lot, and NRC is not a bad player, but he should never be compared with Xavi. That's silly.
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I'm sorry, I'll accept a lot, and NRC is not a bad player, but he should never be compared with Xavi. That's silly.
I was waiting for that. I never compared him to Xavi, come on, that WOULD be silly. What I said was that in the Barca team they have specific roles for each of their players and to all intents and purposes they stick to it. NRC has seemingly found HIS role under GH which is to play it simple and not to try things beyond his limitations. That's all.
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Real Madrid president Perez once said:
We will not miss Makélelé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélelé to be forgotten
After Makélelé's departure, it then took them 4 years to win the league again and until today, Real Madrid have failed to progress past the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
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You seem to be having trouble reading, Mark. I said he had a decent game, as he has for much season but it is such a limited role and I just don't get why he excites you so much. Yes, we need him as an option at the moment because we're a bottom half side but if we want to improve then we need better than him in central midfield.
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I'm sorry, I'll accept a lot, and NRC is not a bad player, but he should never be compared with Xavi. That's silly.
I was waiting for that. I never compared him to Xavi, come on, that WOULD be silly. What I said was that in the Barca team they have specific roles for each of their players and to all intents and purposes they stick to it. NRC has seemingly found HIS role under GH which is to play it simple and not to try things beyond his limitations. That's all.
Actually that's kind of the opposite of why Barca are so good. They all have individual strengths and weaknesses, of course, but they interchange roles and positions and everything to the extent that whoever has the ball is the playmaker. They're unpredictable from all angles. The idea that Xavi 'knows his job' is demeaning. He doesn't just do the 'keeping it simple' thing, as if he's passing to players more talented than he is. The whole team keep the ball moving, and Xavi is so much more than just a ticker-over, as they all are. NRC needs a specific job because he is so limited in what he can do. That's fine, but if we can improve at all, one small step towards the Barca ideal, then we should.
Yes that's true Mark, but don't forget that Real didn't replace him with someone with a better passing range, they 'replaced' him with strikers, in true idiotic Real fashion. I'd say that's more a reason why they stopped winning.
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I'm sorry, I'll accept a lot, and NRC is not a bad player, but he should never be compared with Xavi. That's silly.
I was waiting for that. I never compared him to Xavi, come on, that WOULD be silly. What I said was that in the Barca team they have specific roles for each of their players and to all intents and purposes they stick to it. NRC has seemingly found HIS role under GH which is to play it simple and not to try things beyond his limitations. That's all.
Actually that's kind of the opposite of why Barca are so good. They all have individual strengths and weaknesses, of course, but they interchange roles and positions and everything to the extent that whoever has the ball is the playmaker. They're unpredictable from all angles. The idea that Xavi 'knows his job' is demeaning. He doesn't just do the 'keeping it simple' thing, as if he's passing to players more talented than he is. The whole team keep the ball moving, and Xavi is so much more than just a ticker-over, as they all are. NRC needs a specific job because he is so limited in what he can do. That's fine, but if we can improve at all, one small step towards the Barca ideal, then we should.
Yes that's true Mark, but don't forget that Real didn't replace him with someone with a better passing range, they 'replaced' him with strikers, in true idiotic Real fashion. I'd say that's more a reason why they stopped winning.
I've opened a can of worms here. Yes I know that Barca are capable of interchanging and stepping into other roles etc but they do have specific roles that they stick to unless they need to to do otherwise, my point really is that they don't need to do that. How often do you see Iniesta running through on goal in the 90th minute (a la NRC against Chelsea)? Under GH I think that Reo is performing better because he has his role and does not need to deviate from it. He is good at what he does, no more, no less.
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Glad to hear you finally say it, Chris. There's not much about his game that excites me. It what his game allows others to do that excites me. We need better all over the pitch, Chris, not just in central midfield. Ideally I'd love to see two box-to-box midfielders in the middle but until we have a more solid defence, we're going to need somebody to babysit them.
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You see Iniesta running through on goal a huge amount. I don't see what you see in Barca's game. Or is your point that you do see him running through on goal a lot (if so, sorry, damn internet lack of tone of voice stuff)?
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Yes that's true Mark, but don't forget that Real didn't replace him with someone with a better passing range, they 'replaced' him with strikers, in true idiotic Real fashion. I'd say that's more a reason why they stopped winning.
Well strikers and David Beckham. There was that great quote from Zidane at the time: "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?", not that NRC is our entire engine but he does keep us ticking.
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You see Iniesta running through on goal a huge amount. I don't see what you see in Barca's game.
I disagree, Barca are very, very precise in their attacking as they are all over the park. I lived there for 3 years and went to the Camp Nou on many occasion. NRC was not restrained enough under MON and even in the early part of this season but now that he is being told to stay in the middle and do what he is good at he is succeeding. I probably went a bit leftfield with Barca analogy but my point is that Reo s a good player if given a specific role.
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Yes that's true Mark, but don't forget that Real didn't replace him with someone with a better passing range, they 'replaced' him with strikers, in true idiotic Real fashion. I'd say that's more a reason why they stopped winning.
Well strikers and David Beckham. There was that great quote from Zidane at the time: "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?", not that NRC is our entire engine but he does keep us ticking.
Thing is Perez got one thing right. For the style he wants Real to play in, like all Madridistas want, Makelele is too limited. The problem was that he had - still has - no idea how to get that style. Makelele wouldn't have been required at Real if they had Busquets or Xabi Alonso at that time. They didn't.
I too have had that honour, Holtender, and it always seemed to me that there are no positional pidgeonholes for Xavi like you're saying there is for NRC. Maybe Busquets would be a better comparison, but even that's a little demeaning to him. NRC is decent, but limited. To get anywhere really proper we probably have to do a bit better.
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Excuse but is this still the Reo Coker thread?
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Excuse but is this still the Reo Coker thread?
Nope, the La Liga thread I think.
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Excuse but is this still the Reo Coker thread?
Sorry, I seem to have gone a bit OT but I was trying (and failing) to use an analogy which actually pertained to Reo-Coker. All this scum at Wembley lark is clearly going to my head. COME ON ARSENAL!!!
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Yes that's true Mark, but don't forget that Real didn't replace him with someone with a better passing range, they 'replaced' him with strikers, in true idiotic Real fashion. I'd say that's more a reason why they stopped winning.
Well strikers and David Beckham. There was that great quote from Zidane at the time: "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?", not that NRC is our entire engine but he does keep us ticking.
Thing is Perez got one thing right. For the style he wants Real to play in, like all Madridistas want, Makelele is too limited. The problem was that he had - still has - no idea how to get that style. Makelele wouldn't have been required at Real if they had Busquets or Xabi Alonso at that time. They didn't.
Perez is an idiot who thinks he knows more than his coaches. Makelele won two La Liga titles and the Champs League amongst other cups whilst at Real and he didn't have too bad a time at Chelsea either. Every team can be improved, the important thing for us is what the manager wants.
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Amen Mark.