Reo-Coker out to prove he’s no choker

In certain parts of London you would be forgiven for thinking that the real cup final is happening this weekend in Cardiff.

West Ham’s midfield starlet Nigel Reo-Coker contemplates the first division play-off final, promotion to the Premiership, the significance of a sudden windfall. This in itself is a bizarre twist of fate for a player who might have been occupied preparing for life in division two.

At the beginning of January he was the teenage captain of Wimbledon, endeavouring to help a team that had been stripped of their soul, their roots and a chunk of their fan base as well as their most experienced players. By April, his old team, based at a hockey stadium in Milton Keynes, had slipped quietly and sadly through the first division’s trapdoor. Today, Reo-Coker, now 20, has his heart set on escaping the division through the opposite exit.

Sweetly, he spent the couple of days off that Alan Pardew granted his players after the raucously successful play-off semifinal with his old buddies from Wimbledon.

‘We are still very close and know each other inside out because we grew up together,” Reo-Coker says. ‘It’s one of those lessons in life where you should never forget where you are from.” He supported them through relegation and now they are encouraging him for promotion. A handful of Dons have pestered him for tickets to follow him all the way to Cardiff.

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the Wimbledon experience,” he adds. ‘It taught me valuable lessons and lessons that I’ll never forget in my life. It helped me to mature into a man a lot quicker and showed me what I need to concentrate hard on my career and become an all-round stronger person.” No fazing this boy.

Attitude, as well as a tidy enough ability to impress the demanding residents of Upton Park quickly, have enabled him to settle into his new club easily. Reo-Coker was one of three Wimbledon youngsters plundered by West Ham for a song during the January transfer window and he has made the most immediate of impacts.

Earning comparisons with Paul Ince, the player he imitated in the schoolyard, he has toughened up the midfield and reassured critics who lamented that Steve Lomas hadn’t the legs for it any more, while Michael Carrick prefers to decorate rather than dig away at games.

Encouragingly, Reo-Coker is one for the present as well as the future.

Pardew predicts that he is captaincy material and the way he handled the shenanigans at Wimbledon is a sign of his level temperament.

‘I generally manage to concentrate on my performances on the pitch no matter what league we are in or what the situation of the club is,” he says. ‘This season has been an extraordinary journey. A lot has occurred in a short space of time for me, especially being at such a young age. Luckily, I have been able to take it in my stride. It’s not been that overwhelming.”

The intensity of the play-offs has, however, got under his cool skin.

‘The whole team is very excited,” he says. ‘There’s a lot at stake for both clubs, financially as well as in terms of status. There is so much to gain.” Prediction? ‘If the fans can generate the same atmosphere as we had at Upton Park in the semifinal it should be West Ham all the way. That’s as good as I’ve seen us play all season and I know there is more to come. We have quality players out there and even more on the bench waiting to get their chance.”

The depth of West Ham’s squad is not lost on the Crystal Palace manager plotting their downfall, Iain Dowie.

‘I said before the play-offs that I felt West Ham should have gone up automatically with the squad they have,” he explains. ‘We cannot compete on a financial footing with them, but in terms of heart and soul and determination we won’t be found wanting. It’s going to be a great occasion for my players to pit their wits against the best squad in the division.

‘We will be meticulously prepared against a much more expensive and glittering squad, but it’s 90 minutes, 11 against 11 and I am very confident the lads will give a performance that will do myself and the club very proud. And if that gets us in the

Premiership, marvellous.”

In terms of staying there, Palace do look marginally less equipped than West Ham. Reo-Coker, ever confident, does not think that his team would starve at the top table.

‘I believe we are good enough to get in the Premiership, stay in the Premiership, regroup and rebuild the next generation of West Ham. The players we have can take on the challenge. But let’s be honest, the Premiership is the most demanding league in the world and if you want to contend with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United you need to build up your squad. Nowadays having a big squad is important and we will need to add a few more names.” All in good time, son. —