Welcome to Nigel Reo-Coker's latest entry on whufc.com, as the Hammers skipper presents his exclusive online diary...
Saturday, April 22
The day before our FA Cup semi-final, and we followed the same
routine for any other match - a team meeting in the morning,
followed by a light training session working on set-pieces and
team-play. Obviously there has been a lot of extra attention on the
Club this week, and the excitement has been steadily building but,
from the players' point of view, we've just tried to treat
the match as we would for a normal Premiership game. It's
important that none of us get carried away with the hype and the
build-up, and the only thing we are focused on is performing as
well as we can come 4.00pm tomorrow. After training, we met up for
the coach journey to Birmingham and got to our hotel late in the
afternoon. It gave us a chance to watch the Chelsea v Liverpool
semi-final and, although the boys took an interest in the game, we
didn't really discuss the result - it will only mean something
if we do our job against Middlesbrough. After watching the game, we
had our evening meal and I enjoyed a nice glass of red wine, before
relaxing in my room with Hayden watching TV. I tried to watch Match
of the Day, but began to feel a bit tired, so had an early night
instead.
Sunday, April 23
Woke up at around 9.00am and had breakfast, before our usual
preparation of rest and a pre-match meal at lunchtime. With the
game not kicking off until four, we had a little bit more time on
our hands, so I went for a 20-minute walk around the grounds of the
hotel with Bobby Zamora. We didn't talk about the game, just
about things in general, and it was a good way to clear my mind and
begin to get focused for the match. The coach journey to Villa Park
only took a little while and we arrived at about 2.30pm. Again, it
was just our regular build-up - playing the same music in the
dressing-room and doing our own thing, before I had the honour of
leading the team out for my very first FA Cup semi-final.
Unfortunately, the first half didn't go that well for us and we
weren't playing to our full potential. At half-time, though,
the gaffer made it clear exactly what was wrong - we were playing
within ourselves - and told us to go out and show no fear,
especially with our attacking play. The team responded to that and
we just seemed to step it up a gear from the very start of the
second half. We looked sharp all round and were causing
Middlesbrough a lot of problems. Marlon's winner was a
fantastic goal, at a great time, and I was so pleased for him. He
took some criticism early in the season and has gone on to prove a
lot of people wrong - I think he deserves a lot of credit for the
way he has handled himself.
The celebrations at the final whistle were fantastic - it was great
to see the supporters so happy - but I missed the celebrating in
the dressing-room as I was selected for the post-match drug test.
After getting back to London, most of the lads went out to
celebrate at an after-party for the PFA awards, where Anton had
been nominated for Young Player of the Year. It would have been
nice if he'd won it - but there is certainly no shame in losing
out to Wayne Rooney!
continued on next page...[PAGE]
Monday, April 24
A well-deserved day off for all the lads, and it was a lovely
feeling to wake up as an FA Cup finalist. I was so tired after the
game yesterday - and our celebrations last night! - that I just
spent the whole day at home, resting and eating plenty of food to
build up my energy again. I also bought all the newspapers so that
I could look back on what had been a memorable day for the Club
and, while it doesn't normally bother me to read criticism in
the media, I've got to admit that I was a bit taken aback by
the comments of one reporter in a national tabloid newspaper.
I'm not going to give him or his paper any publicity by naming
them but, having never met the guy, I'm not sure what gave him
the right to make a nasty comment about the type of person he
believes I am. I can accept writers offering their opinions or
criticisms of me as a footballer, but not on a personal level from
someone who doesn't even know me. I don't have to justify
myself to him, but I think anyone who knows me personally will
dispute what he says. I realise how lucky I am to be a footballer
and certainly don't take my position for granted, so I would
like to know how he formed his judgement of me. Although I'd
also like to point out that I won't be losing any sleep over
his comments.
Tuesday, April 25
Back into training today, and there were still a few stiff legs and
bodies after the semi-final, but a lot of smiles and a great mood
among the lads, as there has been all season to be honest. However,
there wasn't much talking about the FA Cup final, as we've
got another big Premiership match against Liverpool to focus on
tomorrow night. After a team meeting and a light session, I had a
bit of lunch before heading home to spend the afternoon resting at
home.
Wednesday, April 26
A home midweek matchday, so my usual routine of getting up at
around 9.30am, then meeting at Upton Park at around 11.30am before
heading to a nearby hotel to have our lunch, rest and pre-match. We
returned to the stadium for around 6.00pm, and got ready to face
the team we will be playing against in the FA Cup final on May 13.
That led to a fairly strange atmosphere throughout the evening and,
with the pre-match tribute to John Lyall - who died a week ago -
quite an emotional one for the supporters and former players who
were there on the night. As for the game itself, I thought we were
unlucky not to get a result and had a lot of possession, especially
in the second half. I thought we played some lovely stuff and,
after I had scored one, I was unlucky to be flagged offside for
what would have been the first time I had scored twice in one game.
Of course, the major disappointment of the night was the
sending-off of Hayden Mullins, who could now miss the FA Cup final
if his violent conduct charge is upheld. That would be a massive
blow to the team, and even more to Hayden himself.
Thursday, April 27
Another day off for the lads who played last night, so I went to
visit my aunt at the Elephant and Castle, and also went to have a
look at the house I am having built, in Kingswood, Surrey, which
should be ready for July or August, just in time for the start of
the new season. In the evening, I watched a little bit of
Middlesbrough's UEFA Cup semi-final win, although most of the
time I prefer not to bother watching football on TV - it's
sometimes nice to switch off when you get home and think about
something else other than football.
Friday, April 28
With no game until Monday night, at West Brom, we were given
another day off today in order to get plenty of rest building up to
the last couple of weeks of the season, and of course the main news
of the day was that Hayden lost his appeal against Wednesday
night's sending-off. I was absolutely gutted for him, and the
team, because he has been such a consistent performer this season
and deserved the stage of an FA Cup final after being our unsung
hero all year. I called him in the afternoon but it's hard to
know what to say in a situation like that - there isn't
anything you can say that will make him feel any better. We've
just got to win this year's final for him and hope that he gets
another chance in the future.
Get Nigel's pre and post-match comments, as well as goal
alerts, straight to your mobile. Click here to find out
more...