Martin O'Neill: I wish fans had jeered me!

May 9 2008

VILLA boss Martin O'Neill has backed Nigel Reo-Coker to beat the boo-boys at West Ham - and has even urged the midfielder take the jeers as a compliment.

Reo-Coker is set to face a red-hot return to his former club with supporters far from happy about an acrimonious parting of the ways.

"Nigel won't be the only player who has gone back and he won't be the last," said O'Neill.

"The crowd live it for the day and then pass it on to someone else in a fortnight's time.

Those things you have to cope with. This should not be a major concern to players."

O'Neill joked he wished some of his former clubs had booed him and not received him so warmly.

"I used to get applauded when I went back to Forest,"

said O'Neill. "It was my dream to go back to a former club and to have 40,000 people boo me every single time I touched the ball.

"That would have been fantastic. When they yawned when I had the ball, that was a problem."