Current captain Nigel Reo-Coker holds preliminary talks with Aston Villa about a new contract
Oct 27 2010 by Mat Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
CONTRACT negotiations with Nigel Reo-Coker have started – with Gerard Houllier hailing Villa’s stand-in skipper’s “perfect” attitude.
With captain Stiliyan Petrov out for up to two months with a knee injury, Reo-Coker will kick off his stint with the armband against Burnley tonight.
It signals a remarkable transformation for Martin O’Neill’s nemesis, as does Villa opening talks about extending a contract which expires next summer.
“The captain will be Nigel Reo-Coker and the vice-captain will be Richard Dunne,” said Houllier.
“Paul Faulkner has started to have talks with his agent, but he knows I want to keep him.
“Exemplarity is also a very important factor why he’s the captain. He is an example to the rest of the team. His attitude is perfect. He has got personality and I like players who have got personality. He is a winner, he is a fighter.”
Houllier hinted that Reo-Coker has learned from last season’s training ground tussle with O’Neill. “I think Nigel has probably gone through good times and bad times until now,” he said. “Sport is trying to find a balance between humility and ambition.
