Former Wanderer Nigel Reo-Coker Joins Fellow Championship Club Ipswich Town

Bolton parted ways with a lot of players this summer, an unsurprisingly move after being relegated. Most of those players were dead weight, older players who were a bit past it, or younger players who hadn't quite made it yet. However the one player who was a major loss to the squad was Nigel Reo-Coker. In spite of only arriving the summer before, he had made himself indispensable in Bolton's troubled midfield the previous season. It was announced that he had activated the relegation clause in his contract, making him a free agent this summer. Surprisingly he wasn't picked up, but Ipswich Town have now pounced, signing the robust midfielder on a 3 month contract, until January of 2013. The Tractor Boys currently sit 23rd in the Championship, only second from bottom, even lower than poorly performing Bolton.

Speaking to Ipswich Town's official website, Reo-Coker said,

Ipswich is a sleeping giant in the Championship. It's a massive club with a great history and tradition. The facilities are first class and there is a terrific fanbase. It's the right club at the right time for me and everything has just fallen into place.

I had a good conversation with the manager [Paul Jewell]. He's highly respected in the game for what he has achieved and I know what he's trying to do at the Club. Ipswich may be at the wrong end of the table at the moment but it's still early in the season and I'm sure with the manager and players the Club have, it's only a matter of time before things turn around.

I've no plans after that. I'm here for three months and am looking forward to it. I want to do the best I can for Ipswich in that time and we will see where it goes after that.

In his one season at Bolton, NRC made 42 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals. He was absent for only one league match. He even captained the side a few times, when Kevin Davies was out of the side. It was on the whole a fairly dreadful season for all involved, and it was understandable that Reo-Coker would not want to stick around for Bolton's foray into the Championship.

Paul Jewell, Ipswich Town's manager, said of the club's most recent capture,

There were a few clubs after Nigel so we are delighted to have him here. He's played a lot of football in the Premier League and has a wealth of experience, even though he's only 28.

He will give us a lot of drive and energy in midfield. I think we have lacked that player to go and win the ball back for us and Nigel will do that. He has leadership qualities and has skippered teams wherever he has played. He's also a strong character and that is what we need at the moment.

While I never blamed Nigel for leaving the club after the relegation season, it is a bit of a blow that he ended up going to a fellow Championship struggler. Regardless, he served our club well, and it would be petty not to wish him well in the rest of his career, and we shall see what he does 3 months from now.