Can Reo-Coker turn it on for Aston Villa?
One game is too less to judge a player, but if the Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool game was anything to go by, Martin O’Neill has made the right decision in signing Nigel Reo-Coker.
For starters, Reo-Coker was given more freedom to go forward which, as we’ve seen with United’s Carrick, gives the player’s game a new dimension and almost always produced an improved player. Reo-Coker may not have scored goals but he was creating chances for Aston Villa and over the course of the season I’d expect him to be at the heart of Aston Villa’s top-10 charge, along with Gareth Barry of course.
At West Ham Reo-Coker was overwhelmingly blamed for West Ham’s ‘dressing room troubles’ and his and Harewood’s exit (along with Sheringham’s) led Magnusson and Curbishley to proclaim that the dressing room was a ‘much happier place’.
Having seen several players thrown out of clubs on such whims, I think that the treatment handed out to Reo-Coker by the fans was unfair and there is a chance that the club also dealt with him unfairly. I’m sure that Reo-Coker did have problems - the gambling issues have been well-discussed in the past - but it’s not as if he’s complete shite and at the end of the season Reo-Coker would have gone anywhere, he just wanted to leave West Ham.
For Aston Villa’s sake, I hope that Reo-Coker doesn’t turn out to be a Bellamy or a Barton - players who build a reputation for causing trouble wherever they go.
What do Villa fans think? Was Reo-Coker a good buy, and how do you guys expect him to do at Aston Villa?
- Aston Villa need to buy more or they will suffer
- Rumour Mill: Arsenal and Manchester United in for West Ham’s Reo-Coker
- New Aston Villa Crest
- How can Aston Villa improve this summer?
- Manchester United loan out Chris Eagles, Reo-Coker rumoured to have signed for us
Discussion - 7 Responses
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He’s gonna be a Spartan for us and I reckon MON will bring much more out of him. Lmao reading the celebrations on Wet Sham websites when we signed him…the knuckle dragging racists.
Jon, excellent words. I laughed out loud reading that…twice! I live in London and work with a couple of West Sham fans who have given it the “reo-choker” jokes since we signed him. I was at the Park on Saturday and he looked hungry for it, he certainly out shined Petrov who, as far as I’m concerned, can go back to the tin pot league he came from.
So, West Ham fans were glad to see the back of Reo-Coker because we’re ‘knuckle-dragging racists’? And not becuse of his over-inflated ego and appalling early-season attitude? You and the editor of this site should get together over a few pints - you’ll get along famously. You fucking moron.
Reo Coker when he’s committed is an excellent player, driving runs, tackles, fantastic energy. He’ll probably do well at Villa - he needs a manager like O’Neil to make him knuckle down and to not tolerate any of his ‘prima-donna’ antics. The reason we’re laughing at him joining Villa is because of the massive strop he pulled when he didn’t get his move to a Champion’s League club - oh look Nigel, Man U and Arsenal didn’t want you after all. You’ll have to go to Villa.
Your management, owners and fans sold the entire team out last year and now you’ve got a manager who’s not strong enough for the job and you’re slagging off the players that jumped ship. This is why you were at the bottom of the table last season, and it’s why you’ll remain there this year - and to top it all off you’re now getting sued by Sheffield and I hope they turn you over like every other Permier League team wants to this year. Go back down to the fizzy pop division where you belong.
“Your management, owners and fans sold the entire team out last year”
What are you talking about? We got sell out crowds every match last year and in the vast majority of matches made other sets of fans look silent - which actually most are nowadays. NRC tried against the big clubs and in the last dozen matches and no more than that. Can’t shoot, can’t pass. Said publicly he wanted to go to a Champions League team and ended up at Villa. His agent also said that they were “disappointed” that we didn’t offer him an improved contract - we didn’t want him, he was pushed out and good riddance.
Our NEW management and NEW owners did nothing but good last year.
And Ahmed was complaining about me having a “chip of my shoulder” but is happy to allow West Ham fans to be generally branded Knuckle Dragging Racists. I actually like Villa and hope they do well. The two on this thread though are not like the usual Villa fans I meet up with - the ones I know are intelligent and know something about football.
PS Nigel Mediocre has never had any ‘gambling problems’… you’re mixing him up with the story of how Sheringham allegedly won loads of money through poker off Etherington and Carroll which was part of what supposedly caused the dressing room rift. That was on top of the huge sums allegedly owed by Etherington to some Essex bookmakers.