Nigel Reo Coker and his limitations/attributes

[not3bad]

Any chance someone could sort out the title of this thread?

[TheSandman]

Like I said you don't want a team of Reo Cokers but you do need one.

I don't think anybody is saying we shouldn't play with a defensive midfielder.

It's whether or not that midfielder should be Reo-Coker or not.

My point is related more to the argument of the OP that NRC lacks the ability to play the killer ball and is a limited footballer. That is something I'd accuse pretty much all defensive midfielders of. It's not something limited to NRC. I do think some people underrate his limited talents. If we can find someone better then I'll happily wave him off into the sunset but I do think that is harder than some feel it would be.

[Greg N'Ash]

Always thought NRC's signing was a strange one. played well for us in his 1st season but then when milner arrived he didn't have a position really- you can't play a centre midfield where there's only two and one of them is NRC - well not if your want to win anything.. If GH changes formation this summer then i can see him having a future if he decides to stay. Hopefully with Young's departure we'll get away from the wingers

[brontebilly]

Think Reo Coker is a very effective player. Utterly stupid letting him go on a Bosman, give him 50k a week and if we decide to sell him next summer we will easily make back the additional wages in what another side will pay upfront for him. He has earned himself a better deal with his performances this season anyway.

His job isnt to score goals or make killer passes. He has really improved this season with the ball at his feet actually. He does a similar job to De Jong and is pretty good at it. Great stamina, great tackler, we just need to find players, namely better footballers, to play alongside him. Away from home against better sides I would always have him in the team. Id have him in the team anyway next to Delph. Thought their display at Bolton was the best display from our midfield pairing this season. Was a great balance to it. Add the Makoun from Old Trafford to the mix and you have a fine trio. But sure we will probably go out and spend 5m replacing him with a similar player who will take 12 months to settle in.

On the top 6, Id argue he could hold his own with the likes of Mikel, Lucas, Song, Fletcher, Palacious, Barry. Id prefer him to all of the above actually. De Jong is more effective than him alright but Id argue De Jong is the one of the most effective players in world football.

[Caiphus]

I say we should keep him unless we can get an Ettienne Capoue or another 6'+ dm with some technical ability also for cheap on low wages.

[john e]

i dont know why we have to pay him £50k a week,
 no one else will

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Any chance someone could sort out the title of this thread?

I think he is g.

Da da da.....g..g..g..g.

[Mister E]

Man United - Fletcher and Anderson
Chelsea - Essien and Mikel
Man City - De Jong and Barry
Arsenal - Song and Diaby
Tottenham - Sandro and Pallacios
Liverpool - Lucas

Most of these guys are defensively minded and seldom play a killer pass preferring to break up play... are better than NRC they play the same role and have similar limitations.

Know what you're trying to say but actually all the players you've listed can play the killer pass! NRC seldom tries to play the killer-pass: he knows his own limitations, I guess.
The question in my mind is whether any decent team can afford to have players who cannot make incisive passes when the opportunity presents itself. Perhaps our limitations in the goals-scoring dept over the last 5 seasons are in part due to the fact that not all our players can take the defence-opening option when it's there.

[john e]

did we not sign Macoun as replacement for NRC ?
or at least he is a player in that kind of mold ie combative, OTT tackles, gets sent of a lot, small,
with Macoun having the obvious advantage of actually of being somewhere near to the ball after he's touched it first time, and can also pick a pass

[john e]

Any chance someone could sort out the title of this thread?

i actually like the title of the thread, i think its g

[pauliewalnuts]

Think Reo Coker is a very effective player. Utterly stupid letting him go on a Bosman, give him 50k a week and if we decide to sell him next summer we will easily make back the additional wages in what another side will pay upfront for him. He has earned himself a better deal with his performances this season anyway.

It's not so simple, though, and you hinted why.

Another side will pay money up front for him in a year or so if he signs another contract with us, but as things stand now, with him being a free agent, he can go somewhere for his 50k a week AND get a big upfront payment to himself from his new club, so why would he take the new deal with us and let us cop for the payout in a year's time?

[Big Dick Edwards]

It's a shame that it's taken Reo-Coker nearly four years to accept the fact that he's not a technically gifted footballer. Since he's come back into the first team he's kept his game very simple but very effective. He tackles well and breaks up play (which has always been a strength), but now rarely gives the ball away with a careless pass which was an annoying feature of his game. He's content now to win the ball and pass it short and accurately to a team mate. I'd like him to stay.

[Risso]

did we not sign Macoun as replacement for NRC ?
or at least he is a player in that kind of mold ie combative, OTT tackles, gets sent of a lot, small,
with Macoun having the obvious advantage of actually of being somewhere near to the ball after he's touched it first time, and can also pick a pass

The only flaw in that is that Makoun must weigh about 7 stone and can't tackle.

[VillaAlways]

Never worked out what the g stood for Was it good or going WW ?

[pauliewalnuts]

I was surprised in Makoun in that sense. I like the way he plays, simple, short passes, keeps the ball moving, but I'd expected him to be more combative.

I don't think he's put in more than a couple of tackles whenever I've seen him play