Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Toronto Villa on July 09, 2011, 02:49:04 AM
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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."
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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.
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I wish we would have sat down and held talks with him and then kept him we need players like him.
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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.
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I find it very difficult to get emotional about such a supremely average footballer...
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Get yourself a better agent nigel.
He's made you look a bit of a twat with all that talk of serie a.
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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.
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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?
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If my agent let my 45K per week contract come to an end without having sorted something else out I would sack him.
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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.
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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.
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Rubbish player with a vastly inflated sense of his own ability. Not one that seems to be shared by many clubs it seems.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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If we have a better version lined up, fair enough. If his wage demands were ridiculous then fair enough. If not it's madness to let him go. Last season he was one of our better performers.
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If we have a better version lined up, fair enough. If his wage demands were ridiculous then fair enough. If not it's madness to let him go. Last season he was one of our better performers.
True. He's a limited footballer. Certainly not what we need to challenge the top four, but that's not where we are at the moment. He was perhaps our most important (but not necessarily best) contributor on the pitch last season with Milner gone. If AM doesn't spend wisely in the summer, we could find ourselves missing the qualities of NRC next season.
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If we have a better version lined up, fair enough. If his wage demands were ridiculous then fair enough. If not it's madness to let him go. Last season he was one of our better performers.
True. He's a limited footballer. Certainly not what we need to challenge the top four, but that's not where we are at the moment. He was perhaps our most important (but not necessarily best) contributor on the pitch last season with Milner gone. If AM doesn't spend wisely in the summer, we could find ourselves missing the qualities of NRC next season.
I think you're right about him being our best central midfielder last season, particularly towards the end. But I also think goes to show us that we are truly dire in that area.
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I think people think so highly of Reo Coker because for so long we have been lacking anyone who resembles a defensive mid. Hogg is as good as RC already. But if we can obtain a quality DM we will quickly realise how average he really is. Milner was excellent in this position and with Makoun, Delph, and Bannan and someone even close to Milners ability we would be in good shape .........
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It sounds like Reo is not impressed with the other clubs who want him and let's face it, there's nothing stopping Mcleish re-signing him if he wanted him, which it sounds like he dose'nt.
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If he was as good as his ego thinks we'd probably have kept him.
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I think you are rating Hogg a bit too highly there if you think he is comparable to NRC. Granted, I only saw bits of him on TV, but a Pompey supporting mate of mine said he is no more than Championship quality at the moment. Potentially he thinks he might make it as a lower/mid Premier player, but if we're going to be back aiming at Top 6 again in the future we need better quality than him.
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Hogg's nowhere near good enough yet, i think another year somewhere on loan would do him good.
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Didn't i read that he wanted pay parity with Villas top players? This is when it gets silly, Villa was the best option he had and he or his agent got greedy and blew it. Over 2 million a year to kick a football around and he wanted more, you have to admit some footballers are a spanner short in the tool box.
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He's the one who let his contract run down, when no-one was stupid enough to meet his astronomical wage demands. Hope he enjoys his time at Ipswich or wherever he turns up.
Honestly, these c***s have had the clubs over a barrel since the Bosman ruling came in. It's nice to see it all go wrong for one of them for a change.
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he was offered a new contract and he refused that offer because he wanted silly money...
the contract offer was on the table...
it was his decision to not accept the new contract terms...
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Hogg's nowhere near good enough yet, i think another year somewhere on loan would do him good.
don't think hogg will ever be good enough.
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i agree about hogg... he would have been nowhere near our first team last season had it not been for the ridiculous amount of injuries...
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NRC silly boy, did your agent get too greedy on your behalf when a year of consolidation might just have been the answer for all involved?
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he was offered a new contract and he refused that offer because he wanted silly money...
the contract offer was on the table...
it was his decision to not accept the new contract terms...
And why should we have got back to him to discuss a new contract at the end of the season when Houllier's own position was up in the air?
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It says a lot about him that at 27 years old, he's still described as the ex under 21 England captain.
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Can't help feeling he's been really badly advised.
It doesn't help that he has the reputation of being a bit sulky.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
Then he should have gone to the club having ditched his agent and signed a new deal. He should have advised his agent not to speak to the press. He would have known very well what his agent said and how it might influence the club. He should have asked for a more realistic wage if he really wanted to stay. I have no more sympathy for NRC than any other footballer who is trying to sell himself to the highest bidder. Fair play for trying to get as much as possible, but ultimately he's got what he deserved by not understanding his place in the game.
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I like Reo Coker. But it his agents job to negotiate with the club and obviously if Nigel heard that he had been released by the club from his friends via Twitter. His agent has not done his/her job. His agent seemed to be to busy telling everyone how many CL clubs were after him. Now it appears it is WBA - Sunderland .........
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He'll be at WBA or QPR. Not Valencia or Napoli.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
You forgot your ball.
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Can't help feeling he's been really badly advised.
It doesn't help that he has the reputation of being a bit sulky.
I agree with you on the poor advice Rip.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
Bye then. But just before you go, how do you know what exactly happened?
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Change of management won't help the situation but that football. Never assume your job is for life even your contract run out and you will automatically get one on your whim.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
He wanted a contract the club couldn't/wouldn't deliver. Was he really that valuable to Villa that we have to offer him a double your money deal? No chance, absolutely no chance. Nowhere near good enough. He had his chance to sign a really decent contract and didn't want because he thinks he's better than he is. Good riddance.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
Why do you think he's struggling to find another club?
Either he or his agent decided he was better than he actually is. If he was on £40k per week on his last contract (as was rumoured) and wanted a significant rise (as was also rumoured) then he was way off target. I'm sure the club would've offered him a contract but he must've turned it down as he thought he was worth more. The fact he's not found his Champions League club suggests we're not the only club with that view.
He was a decent mid-table player. He was bought in as a squad player at the start of MON's reign and has never progressed beyond that. He looked decent last year because we were struggling in a relegation battle. I won't lose any sleep over him leaving and in 10 years time I'll have probably forgotten he ever played for us.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
Sorry Mr Reo-Coker, we promise not to diss your son again.
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He's gone, get over it!
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I doubt he asked for too much, more they weren't prepared to sign him when the manager who wanted him was being let go - same as Bradley - just not common sense to commit millions on a player's contract when he may not be wanted. Overall he's got a bad deal through circumstances and being shafted by MON originally in one of his periodic player freeze-outs he specialised in. Can't be helped i'm afraid.
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He's gone, get over it!
Once we get a decent replacement in, we will.
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He's gone, get over it!
Once we get a decent replacement in, we will.
Having read some of his posts I don't think it will be too hard to be honest.
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Hmm, still waiting for the call from Milan are you Nige? Agree with posters saying he's been badly advised. Never a massive fan but gave his all when on the pitch, he won't be missed too much.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
Aren't you lot supposed to just turn the other cheek? You're a rubbish Christian.
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NRC being linked with the barcodes. That's about his level. No doubts his agent will spin it that Newcastle are about to hit the big time and NRC could see their positive intent!!
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Not sure he'd get into their midfield ahead of Cabaye, who is a far better player.
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It would be a decent move for him, ex manager (who probably got the best form out of him) regular 50,000 gates and a side roughly on a par with us.
I would have thought Tiote pretty much does what he does though -only better.
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He's a decent player but he's not improved one aspect of his shortcomings since he came here, and he was still only 'promising' back then.
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You obviously missed last season, Lee.
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NRC was okay nothing more nothing less
Boo hoo we wouldn't pay him silly money so he was expecting Barcelona on the phone.
Bolton will suit him down to the ground.
Cock
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I've always liked him as a player. No, let me rephrase that; I've always liked what he brought to the team. Not every player can be a bent or Ashley Young. You need to balance that out with those who do the ugly things - the water carrier/rat catcher role. His energy and tackling ability made him ideal for this. Truely top teams can get one of these who can also play a bit and offer something going forward, we can't. So we take the benefits of a player like NRC and live with his limitations. Or at least I did anyway.
Worth keeping? Yep, but not for the money he wanted. If he was prepared to come back on his old contract I'd snap him up.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
Oh put your dummy back in and put your toys back in the pram eh? Idiots? Just for not rating Nigel Reo-Coker as highly as you do? He may have wanted to stay, but I honestly don't think he's good enough for the top half of the Premier League. And it would appear that a lot of the managers of top half Premier League teams would agree, as there doesn't appear to be a whole host of them forming a queue for his services.
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Last post on here for some time, perhaps forever, and directed to those idiots (quite a few, I don't mind saying) who lambasted me on here for defending Nigel because of course the press were right to claim that he was demanding double his wages from Villa and of course our precious club could never ever be in the wrong:
You are the kind of narrow-minded fools who make it so difficult for neutrals or outsiders to like our club, not to mention many Villa fans who have either posted on or visited H&V in the past and have come away with a bitter taste.
It's ironic really. For all the rational deduction that's so often championed on here, in Off-Topic debates and Villa-related matters alike, so many people have lacked the common sense to see that Nigel was poorly treated. And even now, people are finding reasons to pin this on him instead of asking questions of those in charge. So we criticize the likes of Downing for wanting to leave, and yet we find a way to criticize Reo-Coker for wanting to stay; even though the club hasn't done right by him. Seriously, shame on you.
ATAL.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0z_4wZPHiJA/TZlDeafwdjI/AAAAAAAAAD8/wXGyX3yGFfo/s1600/DramaLlama.jpg)
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I've always liked him as a player. No, let me rephrase that; I've always liked what he brought to the team. Not every player can be a bent or Ashley Young. You need to balance that out with those who do the ugly things - the water carrier/rat catcher role. His energy and tackling ability made him ideal for this. Truely top teams can get one of these who can also play a bit and offer something going forward, we can't. So we take the benefits of a player like NRC and live with his limitations. Or at least I did anyway.
Worth keeping? Yep, but not for the money he wanted. If he was prepared to come back on his old contract I'd snap him up.
Spot on there, John. The only doubt is the money he wanted. Everybody seems to think he wanted silly money, when in fact he wanted to be paid something in line to what other not-so-talented first teamers were getting, the Dunnes, Collins, Warnocks even Beyes of this world. My guess would be he wanted between £40k and £50k, as it was widely reported he was on £30k. Still great money but nothing like the norm in our first XI.
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I'm in the 'NRC could do a job for us' camp, too. In fact, I thought he was one of our better players last season. As the defensive, ball-winning midfielder in front of the back four, and behind, say, Delph and Makoun, I think he would be a real asset to the team.
But not for mental money, mind.
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I've always liked him as a player. No, let me rephrase that; I've always liked what he brought to the team. Not every player can be a bent or Ashley Young. You need to balance that out with those who do the ugly things - the water carrier/rat catcher role. His energy and tackling ability made him ideal for this. Truely top teams can get one of these who can also play a bit and offer something going forward, we can't. So we take the benefits of a player like NRC and live with his limitations. Or at least I did anyway.
Worth keeping? Yep, but not for the money he wanted. If he was prepared to come back on his old contract I'd snap him up.
Spot on there, John. The only doubt is the money he wanted. Everybody seems to think he wanted silly money, when in fact he wanted to be paid something in line to what other not-so-talented first teamers were getting, the Dunnes, Collins, Warnocks even Beyes of this world. My guess would be he wanted between £40k and £50k, as it was widely reported he was on £30k. Still great money but nothing like the norm in our first XI.
As you say, you're guessing. My equally uninformed guess is that he wanted nearer £60k. He also wanted to play for a manager who appreciated his abilities as a gifted all round, box to box midfield player that he thinks he is. If he'd accept his limitations he'd be a better player for it.
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The disconnect between his actual place in the game and what he's been told should be his place in the game that has put him in his current predicament
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Whether he wanted (much) more money than he was worth, or the club chose the wrong player to make an example of is anyone's guess. The problem is that if transfer funds are as limited as some suggest, then we may struggle to replace him. Anyone who witnessed our first away game last season knows the perils of a lightweight midfield. Hopefully AM isn't stupid enough to let that happen.
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He also wanted to play for a manager who appreciated his abilities as a gifted all round, box to box midfield player that he thinks he is. If he'd accept his limitations he'd be a better player for it.
Where and when has he ever mentioned wanting to be a box-to-box player? That's news to me. He had a very good season last season playing to his limitations and strengths.
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Where and when has he ever mentioned wanting to be a box-to-box player? That's news to me. He had a very good season last season playing to his limitations and strengths.
He definitely mentioned it in an interview. I'll try and find it, but I remember posting it a while back too.
Edit: here (http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/aston-villa-fc/2011/05/19/nigel-reo-coker-refuses-to-give-up-on-england-chance/) is a recent interview that outlines his thoughts on what his ideal position is. And it's fair to say that he doesn't believe it's in the defensive midfielder role. There's also an interview from 2008 in the independent that does similar, again describing himself as a box-to-box midfielder (linky (http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/nigel-reocoker-im-23-still-single-no-wife-no-kids-im-living-in-birmingham-by-myself-i-get-very-down-very-low-on-confidence-who-do-i-turn-to-802385.html)).
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Whether he wanted (much) more money than he was worth, or the club chose the wrong player to make an example of is anyone's guess.
I'd say the fact he's still looking for a club despite knowing for months his contract was about to expire points to the former.