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Coker Drug Treatment Coker Alcohol Treatment Abuse Rehabilitation... drug-abuse-treatment.org | Nigel Adams (Nigel Adams) - Profile on NLP Connections nlpconnections.com | Coker Orthodontics, Meet Dr. Coker drcokerortho.com |
Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker (born 14 May 1984 in Croydon, South London) is an English footballer of Sierra Leonean descent. He is a midfielder, currently playing for Aston Villa. 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, joining West Ham United in 2004 and made a move to his current club Aston Villa in 2007.
[edit] BackgroundReo-Coker was born in Mayday University Hospital, Thornton Heath, Croydon.[1] 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 when his parents split up in 1990. As a child he attended Riddlesdown High School in Purley, Croydon.[2] [edit] Club career[edit] WimbledonReo-Coker was spotted by London club Wimbledon at the age of 12 after representing the borough of Croydon.[3] He came through the ranks at Wimbledon and became captain after progressing to the first team.[4] He also made his debut for the England Under-21s while at Wimbledon.[5] 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.[6] Financial problems resulted in the player remaining at Wimbledon despite having already signed contracts with Portsmouth.[7] Reo-Coker made 64 appearances for Wimbledon in all competition, scoring 6 goals.[8] [edit] West Ham United 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."[9] 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.[10] 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,[11][12] which left West Ham perilously close to the bottom three and ultimately led to the sacking of manager Alan Pardew.[13][14] 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.[15] 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.”[16] 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.[17] Aston Villa were reported to have made a £7m bid for Reo-Coker in June[18] 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.[19] [edit] Aston Villa Reo-Coker joined Aston Villa on 5 July 2007 for a reported £8.5 million, signing a four-year deal.[20] 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."[21] Reo-Coker scored his first goal for Villa in a 5-0 League Cup 2nd round victory over Wrexham on the 28 August 2007.[22] He lives in Stourbridge, England, near fellow team mate Ashley Young. On Monday 21st of 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. [23] He then scored again later that week to equalise for Villa in the UEFA Cup against Bulgarian side Litex Lovech. Villa went on to win this game 3-1.[24] 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.[25] Reo-Coker would re-establish himself as a regular starter in the Villa team following the departure of Gareth Barry. However, on September 18th 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.[26] [edit] International careerReo-Coker was first selected for the England U-21 squad against Turkey in October 2003[27]. On 24 March2007, Reo-Coker led out England Under 21s against Italy Under 21s, becoming the first Englishman to captain a side at the new Wembley Stadium[28]. The match finished 3-3. In May 2006, Reo-Coker was named as the standby midfield player for England's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad[29]. 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[30]. Reo-Coker is of Sierra Leonean descent and has stated that he would consider any future call-ups to the West African nation[3]. 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.[31] [edit] Honours[edit] West Ham United
[edit] Aston Villa[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: 1984 births | People from Croydon | People from Thornton Heath | Living people | British people of Sierra Leonean descent | Football (soccer) midfielders | English footballers | England under-21 international footballers | Wimbledon F.C. players | West Ham United F.C. players | Aston Villa F.C. players | The Football League players | Premier League players | Black British sportspeople | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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