Nigel Reo-Coker
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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker | ||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Bolton Wanderers | ||
Youth career | |||
1997–2002 | Wimbledon | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2002–2004 | Wimbledon | 58 | (6) |
2004–2007 | West Ham United | 125 | (11) |
2007–2011 | Aston Villa | 102 | (1) |
2011– | Bolton Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2003–2007 | England U21 | 23 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 06:10, 29 May 2011 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:00, 19 April 2011 (UTC) |
Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker (born 14 May 1984 in Croydon, South London) is an English footballer of Sierra Leonean descent. He currently plays for Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League. He is known for being a robust midfielder with good overall tackling and passing qualities. Reo-Coker came through the youth team ranks at Wimbledon, and has previously played for West Ham United and Aston Villa.
Background
Reo-Coker was born in Thornton Heath, Croydon.[2] As a child, Reo-Coker spent six years in Sierra Leone where his father, Ransford, was a doctor. He moved back to London with his mother Agnes-Lucinda and sisters Natalie and Vanessa and brother Glenn when his parents split up in 1990. As a child he attended Riddlesdown High School in Purley, Croydon.[3]
Club career
Wimbledon
Reo-Coker was spotted by London club Wimbledon at the age of twelve after representing the borough of Croydon.[4] He came through the ranks at Wimbledon and became captain after progressing to the first team.[5] He also made his debut for the England Under-21s while at Wimbledon.[6] In March 2003, Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp agreed a deal to bring Reo-Coker to the south coast club in preparation for their first Premiership season.[7] Financial problems resulted in the player remaining at Wimbledon despite having already signed contracts with Portsmouth.[8] Reo-Coker made 64 appearances for Wimbledon in all competition, scoring 6 goals.[9]
West Ham United
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Nigel_reo-coker.jpg)
After an impressive first half of the 2003–04 season, he signed for West Ham in January 2004, saying ""It is a big club and there is the opportunity to do well and get back in the Premiership. I am delighted to have signed and really looking forward to the chance of playing. There is a lot of potential at West Ham with the players and the manager we have here."[10] He quickly became a regular member of Alan Pardew's first team and was made the club captain. He scored three times to help the club win promotion in 2004–05 through the play-offs and led the team to the FA Cup Final in May 2006.[11]
The 2006–07 Premiership campaign began less successfully for West Ham, and Reo-Coker was singled out by some groups as being the main culprit for this slump,[12][13] which left West Ham perilously close to the bottom three and ultimately led to the sacking of manager Alan Pardew.[14][15] Reo-Coker recovered his form in the latter part of the season and a run of seven wins in nine games saw West Ham escape relegation on the last day of the season.[16] Reo-Coker intended to sort his future out in the summer before the 2007–08 season, saying in May 2007, “I do not know what my future is and need to sit down and talk with the manager and the chairman this week. I have been through the mill this season, but it has made me a stronger person and I would not have changed anything. I am a very loyal person but to play at my best I need to be happy. I made a promise to West Ham fans that I would help keep this club in the Premier League and I have done that.”[17] Reo-Coker requested a transfer at the end of the 2006–07 season after the board failed to reassure him concerning his future at West Ham.[18] Aston Villa were reported to have made a £7m bid for Reo-Coker in June[19] and in July 2007, West Ham and Aston Villa reached an agreement in the region of £8.5 million for the signing of Reo-Coker.[20]
Aston Villa
Reo-Coker joined Aston Villa on 5 July 2007 for a reported £8.5 million, signing a four-year deal.[21] At the press conference following the signing, he spoke of being "hung out to dry" by his former club, West Ham United, and said that his reason for joining Villa were, "their aspiration to play in Europe. They have a talented squad and Martin O'Neill has told me what he aims to do and I believe we can achieve it."[22] Reo-Coker scored his first goal for Villa in a 5–0 League Cup 2nd round victory over Wrexham on 28 August 2007.[23] He lives in Stourbridge, England. On 21 January 2008, Reo-Coker captained Aston Villa in the absence of regular captain Gareth Barry against Liverpool at Anfield. He scored his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa in a 2–1 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane.[24] He then scored again later that week to equalise for Villa in the UEFA Cup against Litex Lovech. Villa went on to win this game 3–1.[25] During his time at Villa, Reo-Coker has been known to operate as a right-back and right-winger occasionally when players who would usually play in those positions are unavailable.
Reo-Coker captained Aston Villa in the latter stages of the 2009 Peace Cup, following an injury to teammate Stiliyan Petrov. This was the case in the final, as Villa were triumphant and Reo-Coker consequently lifted the trophy.[26] Reo-Coker would re-establish himself as a regular starter in the Villa team following the departure of Gareth Barry. However, on 18 September 2009, he was involved in a training ground bust up with manager Martin O'Neill and dropped for the following day's match with Portsmouth.[27] Reo-Coker enjoyed a resurgence at the start of the 2010-11 season under new Villa manager Gerard Houllier and following news in October 2010 that captain Petrov would be out injured for 2 months, Houllier named Reo-Coker as captain until Petrov's return.[28] On 27 May 2011 Aston Villa announced that Nigel Reo-Coker had left the club following his contract expiring.[29]
Bolton Wanderers
On 27 July 2011 Reo-Coker joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, following his release from Villa, signing a two-year deal.[30]
International career
England
Reo-Coker was first selected for the England U-21 squad against Turkey in October 2003.[31] On 24 March 2007, Reo-Coker led out England Under 21s against Italy Under 21s, becoming the first Englishman to captain a side at the new Wembley Stadium.[32] The match finished 3–3.
In May 2006, Reo-Coker was named as the standby midfield player for England's 2006 World Cup squad.[33] However, on 22 May the FA announced that Reo-Coker would be replaced by Phil Neville as Reo-Coker's back problems made him unable to compete in the World Cup.[34]
He captained the England U21s throughout the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship. A second booking in the tournament received needlessly in the semi-final against the hosts, the Netherlands, meant he would have missed the final should England have progressed. It also meant that the match would be his final game for the team due to his age. The semi-final went to penalties and the Netherlands eventually won 13–12, with Reo-Coker's penalty being saved in the shootout.[35]
Eligibility for Sierra Leone
Reo-Coker is of Sierra Leonean descent and has stated that he would consider any future call-ups to the West African nation.[4]
In May 2010, Sierra Leone Football Association president Nahim Khadi announced that his interest in inviting Reo-Coker to join up with the Sierra Leone national football team for their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Khadi said that the player's great "leadership and experience" would be a great asset to the team.[36]
On 20 September 2010, it was revealed that Sierra Leone manager Christian Cole had decided to pencil Reo-Coker in to his squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against South Africa.[37] However, Reo-Coker later rejected the chance to represent the nation, claiming that he wished to concentrate on his football at Aston Villa and maybe even return to the England set-up in the future.[38]
Honours
West Ham United
- Football League Championship Play-Offs: Winner 2005
- FA Cup: Runner up 2006
- Aston Villa
- Peace Cup: Winner 2009
- Carling Cup: Runner Up 2010
References
- ^ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 11March 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Nigel Reo-Coker". England Football Online. Retrieved 11 May 2007.
- ^ "The Big Interview: Nigel Reo Coker". London: The Times. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Nigel Reo-Coker: 'It annoys me when..." London: The Independent on Sunday. 11 February 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2007. Cite error: The named reference "Indie" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Hot property Reo-Coker has to sweat it out". The Independent on Sunday. 18 January 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2007. [dead link]
- ^ "Reo-Coker hopes to impress". BBC Sport. 7 October 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Pompey agree Reo-Coker fee". BBC Sport. 16 June 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Pompey concede Dons duo defeat". BBC Sport. 8 August 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Nigel Reo-Coker". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ^ Reo-Coker signs for Hammers, BBC news report, 22 January 2004, retrieved on 3 June 2007.
- ^ Reds in seventh heaven, FA Cup Final match report, TheFA.com, 13 May 2006, retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ Reo-Coker subjected to hate mail, BBC news report, 19 December 2007, retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ West Ham boss defends Reo-Coker, BBC news report, 7 January 2007, retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ West Ham 'need a bit of luck', says Reo-Coker, Independent Online article, 31 January 2007, retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ Reo-Coker reveals West Ham doubts, BBC news report, 13 December 2006, retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ Magnusson hails West Ham survival, BBC news report, 14 May 2007, retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ Siege mentality saved West Ham..., Times Online, 14 May 2007, retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ Reo-Coker asks for transfer, Sky Sports news report, 26 May 2007, retrieved 3 June 2007
- ^ Aston Villa bid £7m for Reo-Coker, BBC new report, 5 June 2007, retrieved 5 June 2007
- ^ "Reo-Coker Fee Agreed", Official Aston Villa FC Website, 4 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ "Villa complete Reo-Coker signing", BBC Sport, 5 July 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "Villa complete Reo-Coker signing", BBC Sport, 5 July 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
- ^ "Wrexham 0–5 Aston Villa". BBC. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ " Tottenham 1–2 Aston Villa", BBC Sport, 15 September 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ^ "Litex Lovech 1–3 Aston Villa". BBC. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ Bill Howell (3 August 2009). "Sport - Aston Villa - Aston Villa FC news - Aston Villa 4 Juventus 3 - Bill Howell's pre-season verdict". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "Reo-Coker dropped and sent home". BBC News. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Reo-Coker named temporary captain of the claret and blue troops | Latest News | Aston Villa". Avfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "Farewell to Reo-Coker and Carew as released list announced". Aston Villa F.C. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Midfielder handed two-year deal at Reebok Stadium (14 May 2011). "Reo-Coker seals Bolton move | Bolton Wanderers News, Fixtures, Results, Transfers". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ Reo-Coker hopes to impress, BBC new report, 7 October 2003, retrieved on 3 June 2007.
- ^ A priceless moment, The FA.com, 25 March 2007, retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ Eriksson gambles on Walcott, Guardian Online, 8 May 2006, retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ Neville in for injured Reo-Coker, BBC news report, 22 May 2006, retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Holland U21 1–1 Eng U21 (aet)". BBC Sport. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
- ^ Shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli (27 May 2010). "Nigel Reo-Coker in Sierra Leone call « Express & Star". Expressandstar.com. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ Sport, BBC (20 September 2010). "Sierra Leone hopeful on Reo-Coker". BBC News.
- ^ "Reo-Coker spurns Sierra Leone". Sky Sports. 23 September 2010.
- I like books that get you thinking – the Art of War is a great book, Guardian Unlimited article, 22 April 2006, retrieved 3 June 2007.
External links
- Nigel Reo-Coker at Soccerbase
- Profile at 4thegame.com
- Photo and stats at sporting-heroes.net
- Use dmy dates from April 2011
- 1984 births
- People from Croydon
- People from Thornton Heath
- Living people
- British people of Sierra Leonean descent
- Association football midfielders
- English footballers
- England under-21 international footballers
- Wimbledon F.C. players
- West Ham United F.C. players
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
- The Football League players
- Premier League players
- Black British sportspeople
- Sportspeople from London