Reo-Coker's ability to pass the ball to a team mate rather than an opponent

[Bosco81]

NRC can easily pass the ball like Petrov does, i.e. sideways, backwards. However, often, he choose not to and can have a real good burst of pace to break forward, something alien to Petrov.

A first-teamer at the moment in my opinion.

Presumably then any idiot can pass a ball sideways or backwards, Petrov keeps possession of the ball which is a very useful skill in football, and is why he is ten times the players NRC will ever be.

[TheSandman]

I think that he should play next to Stan in central midfield with Ireland in front. I've been saying that for eons.

Is that the aeons since we signed Ireland?

And as for him playing in a 442 haven't we all been saying that 442 is dead? Didn't everyone flog MoN for his inability to see beyond that rigid structure? Ireland, Albrighton and Ash should be given free reign behind Gabby with Petrov and Reo Coker holding the midfield and Young (L) and Warnock allowed to get forward, but obviously only 1 at a time.

No. I said the same thing but with Milner rather than Ireland though. I mean 4-2-3-1 rather than 4-4-2 as well.

Coker and Stan would work well... If Coker does the tackling then Stan could do the passing. If he was less focussed on tackling and blocking Stan might be able to chance his luck with a few longer passes too. Ultimately, I see young Delph taking over from Petrov and Reo being replaced with better.

[DrGonzo]

Sorry the 442 comment was posted a couple later couldn't be arsed to quote it as well... and I was only being a pedant.  Just taking my disappointment out on an innocent target.  NRC and Petrov are our best options in the middle, and I want Ireland to be looking forward not back all the time.

[DaveK]

NRC's passing isn't that bad at all, he is technically very good I think - it's his decision making that drives me bonkers!

For example, in the second half on Sunday, after a great run, he unselfishly tried to pass the ball for Gabby when he should have just leathered it at the goal. He seems to get confused a lot.

He's incredibly good at winning the ball, dribbling to the edge of the opponents' area and then making the wrong choice. How many times have you seen Ashley or Gabby jumping up and down flapping their arms because he played the wrong ball?

I like him, I just wish he could be a bit more attack minded or think quicker or something - he'd have everything a midfielder needed then IMO.

[sfx412]

He passes well enough and at least its forward. I see several have made ridicule to his missed pass having broken forward into the penalty area. How many of our midfield pre Ireland have broken forward as well and as effectively as he did then?
He has assists a plenty over the short time he's played and given more time on the pitch his confidence will improve and so will his pass completion which when compared to most of his fellow team mates isn't that poor anyway.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I accept he is not the best on the ball but we have plenty of talent around him to enable him to concentrate on winning it and passing it simply.

Thats's half the problem though, he doesn't seem to realise that is his job.

Well let's see what a run of games does for him. Maybe he will settle down and relax and do what  he does best rather than thinking he has to over-achieve and prove himself again every time he steps on to the pitch.

Very good point, Nick.
If he'd been on the bench on Sunday I'm pretty sure we would have lost. It's a shame we didn't have him against Newcastle.
He's never going to be world class but he can certainly do a very important job for us. As Chris said, he needs to be sat down and explained his role. I would even put him in the next Reserve game and tell him you are only going to do the following things.. get him used to the new role. If he sees himself as a Makélélé, type player, we'll be laughing. Hopefully now that we have a coach, Kevin MacDonald can spend some time with him.

[Chris Smith]

I accept he is not the best on the ball but we have plenty of talent around him to enable him to concentrate on winning it and passing it simply.

Thats's half the problem though, he doesn't seem to realise that is his job.

Well let's see what a run of games does for him. Maybe he will settle down and relax and do what  he does best rather than thinking he has to over-achieve and prove himself again every time he steps on to the pitch.

Very good point, Nick.
If he'd been on the bench on Sunday I'm pretty sure we would have lost. It's a shame we didn't have him against Newcastle.
He's never going to be world class but he can certainly do a very important job for us. As Chris said, he needs to be sat down and explained his role. I would even put him in the next Reserve game and tell him you are only going to do the following things.. get him used to the new role. If he sees himself as a Makélélé, type player, we'll be laughing. Hopefully now that we have a coach, Kevin MacDonald can spend some time with him.

He's certainly got it in him, but as I said in the match thread that one incident where he won the ball just outside our area, fed Young than absolutely bust a gut to get onto the return only to cock it up when he needed some composure after the defender slipped is him in a nutshell. He'd be less eye-catching without that run but perhaps more effective for the team.

[darren woolley]

I would have him in the team as dm i  think he has'nt played to bad since kmac brought him back into the team.

[Shrek]

NRC has too start for me,

I was late to my seat on sunday and the first thing I said to tge lads around me was we are too lightweight, we should have started 4231 with NRC.

Then they said Ireland had pulled up, I was instantly more confident we wouldn't lose.

[BILL DE VALL]

NRC is vital to the team at the moment
we need his fire and fight-hard graft winning the ball back
All the other midfielders are very good passers of the ball-so he can leave that to them!

[UK Redsox]

NRC is vital to the team at the moment
we need his fire and fight-hard graft winning the ball back
All the other midfielders are very good passers of the ball-so he can leave that to them!

However, in a one-on-one or two-on-one with the keeper, there's no one I'd less want to see than NRC

[old man villa fan]

As a few others have commented, he needs a run of games.

I thought on Sunday that he looked a yard off the pace of the game and certainly slower than when he first came to us.  Has the last year and a half not being in the team had an effect on him.

I always remember when he played for West Ham against us in MON's first season and he ran our midfield ragged.

[adrenachrome]

Some good points made in this thread.

Very talented footballer, no doubt.  Very much adrenalin fuelled, so he appears to have a rush of blood to the head after a great tackle or run.

I thought this was why teams employed sports psychologists. Do we have any, by the way?
 

[ROBBO]

He was running on empty the last fifteen, thought he should have been subbed, he does try his best though.

[jembob]

NRC is the sort of player who should be starting or at least used as a sub to add a bit of steel to the midfield. Often in a game, if a team is under pressure, all it takes is a bit of inspiration such as a crunching tackle or an ambitious surge from midfield to stem the tide. NRC is capable of doing this through sheer graft and we don't have that elsewhere in the team. A top quality coach will spot his strengths and use him accordingly, probably as a holding midfielder which if he had the discipline, would be the making of him as a player.

Besides which, NRC isn't the worst passer in the squad. Step forward King Carlos!