Reo-Coker set for talks (Meaning Evil)

[Chris Smith]

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.

[WikiVilla]

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

[Rudy Can't Fail]

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.

[jembob]

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.

[Holtenderinthesky]

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.....

[Monty]

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.

[Holtenderinthesky]

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. 

[Rudy Can't Fail]

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.

[Chris Smith]

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.

[Monty]

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.

[Holtenderinthesky]

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. 

[Rudy Can't Fail]

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.

[Monty]

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)?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

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.

[Holtenderinthesky]

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.