Welcome to Nigel Reo-Coker's latest entry on whufc.com, as the Hammers skipper presents his exclusive online diary...
Thursday, February 2, 2006
The morning after our win at Arsenal, so the atmosphere at the
training ground was obviously buzzing. I was still getting
phone-calls and texts from friends congratulating me on my goal and
the team's victory, so it was an enjoyable morning. I also
brought my bottle of man of the match champagne in for all the lads
to sign and they all had a good laugh writing little messages on
it. It will now take pride of place in my champagne cellar. Only
kidding…I've put it in my store-room at home!
Training was just a little warm-down session - a 20-minute
bike-ride and then a massage. Most of the lads were really tired
after the previous night's exertions, and with another tough
game coming up against Sunderland on Saturday, it was just a case
of re-charging our batteries.
After training I bumped into my former Wimbledon manager Stuart
Murdoch. He now runs a shirt-framing business and had popped in
with a few finished frames that some of the lads had ordered from
him. I'd got him to do my signed Pele shirt, and the ones I got
from Freddie Ljungberg and Steven Gerrard when we played Arsenal
and Liverpool earlier in the season. I didn't get one after our
game at Highbury, though, I just wanted to go over and thank our
fans at the final whistle.
Friday, February 3, 2006
Our usual match preparation day, consisting of a team meeting
before training in the morning and then a light session working on
team-play and set-pieces. Most of the lads were still in the
recovery process after Wednesday night's game and so it was
nothing too strenuous. When you have two games in the space of
three days, it's so important that you rest and allow your body
to recover in time for the next important match.
After training, it was straight home and an afternoon of doing
absolutely nothing again! As a rule, I never do anything the day
before a match. We often get asked to do various promotional events
and that sort of thing, but I prefer to get as much rest as I can
the day before a match.
Saturday, February 4, 2006
A home match for the second Saturday running, so my usual routine
of getting up at about 9.30am, buying the papers and then driving
to Upton Park for 11.00am. Pre-match meal of chicken and rice,
listen to some music, and conserve as much energy as possible.
We knew the game against Sunderland was going to be tough. A few
people were probably expecting us to slip up after beating Arsenal
on Wednesday, so we knew we had to stay focused and do a
professional job.
I was a bit disappointed to have missed out on a good chance early
on, when Stephen Wright fouled me after I'd run with the ball
from my own penalty area. Once I nicked the ball past him, I
thought I might be in on goal, but he wasn't going to let me
get past. There was nothing I could do about it, which was so
frustrating, but thankfully the day turned out okay for us in the
end. The sending-off probably made it slightly harder for us,
because they just defended for a draw, but it was great to see
Deano pop up with his first goal, and Paul Konchesky was obviously
delighted to score the second, too.
After the game, a lot of the lads went out to let our hair down
after a tough week. I went for a meal at Scalini's in
Knightsbridge as it was my friend's birthday. We then went on
to a club after that and it was an enjoyable night - good to let
our hair down after another great win.
Sunday, February 5, 2006
A day off, so I got to have a nice lie-in, and then did my usual
20-minute recovery run around lunchtime. In the evening, I met with
up with a few of the lads and some other friends for another social
gathering. After a really tough week and some great results, it
doesn't hurt to enjoy yourself when there is some rest time
ahead, and with the team spirit so fantastic at the moment,
it's important to keep that bubbling along.
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Monday, February 6, 2006
With no game until next Monday night, the gaffer gave us another
day off as the training schedule will obviously be different this
week. In the afternoon, I drove to visit my aunt, who lives at
Elephant and Castle. She cooked me a lovely meal of Jollof rice and
chicken - a traditional African dish, and it was nice to see her
again. On the way home, I stopped off at my agent's office in
Sutton to sort out some paperwork and sign a few bits, before
getting back for an evening in front of the TV, relaxing ahead of a
returning to training tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
After a couple of days off, we eased back into training and had a
straight-forward session. The squad split into two groups, with the
attacking players doing shooting practice. There was me, Bobby,
Teddy, Marlon, Dean Ashton and Katan. I wasn't too bad, but the
best finisher of the morning was Teddy.
I also did an interview for the Independent newspaper, talking
about the season so far and how things have gone for me since I
joined West Ham. I do read the quality, broadsheet newspapers, and
their coverage of the game is a lot more considered and thoughtful
than the tabloids. It does make me laugh when I see some of the
player ratings in the tabloid papers after matches - sometimes you
wonder if the reporters were actually at the game. I think after
the Sunderland game I got a nine in one of the Sunday papers, then
a six in a different one the next day!
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
We had quite a tough training session today - football in the
morning, playing seven-a-side at a high tempo, and then followed
that with a weights and core strength session. We didn't finish
until around 1.30pm, so it was a long morning, but I don't mind
the fitness work and at this stage of the season it's just
really about maintaining your levels.
After training, we had a Spanish lunch to give a proper welcome to
our new signing, Lionel Scaloni. Our chef Tim prepared paella and
wrote a few Spanish phrases on the menu board, just to make him
feel a bit more at home. I think Lionel appreciated it, and he has
settled in well since arriving here. The lads are all impressed
with his character and personality, and there's no doubt about
his quality on the pitch.
Later on, it was nice to see some comments in the press from Anton,
saying that I should be in the England squad for the World Cup.
That was very kind of him, but I'm not thinking about it too
much because it's something that is out of my hands. I suppose
I should return the favour to Anton, but there isn't really any
need, because he knows what I think of him, and I think everyone
else can see what a top class central defender he has become.
Hopefully, a call-up to the full England squad won't be far
away for either of us.
In the evening, I was due to go to a nightclub opening that was
organised by a friend of mine, but I felt too tired after our tough
training session, so I stayed in and watched The Godfather III on
DVD instead!
Thursday, February 9, 2006
A change of scenery this morning, as training took place at the
Reebok Sports Centre at Canary Wharf. It was a fairly light session
and, after a quick workout, we had a basketball tournament. My team
- which consisted of me, Marlon, Anton, Bobby and Hayden - got to
the final, but unfortunately we lost, against Yossi Benayoun's
team. Yossi, by the way, was voted MVP - Most Valuable Player. He
was excellent, but then basketball is apparently quite big in
Israel!
After training, we heard the sad news that one of the Club's
former managers, Ron Greenwood, had died. Obviously I didn't
know Mr Greenwood, and had never met him, but older members of
staff here have told me all about the success he led West Ham
United to in the 60s, and it's clear that he is one of the
greatest figures in our history. Let's hope we can pay tribute
to his memory with a stylish performance and another victory
against Birmingham on Monday night.
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