By David Hamill

 

Any manager who follows in the footsteps of Bran Clough is unlikely to be phased by training ground bust-ups.   Infact, the coach who shares the same will to win as his old mentor is likely to relish any confrontation, as it’s a chance to see how much the player in question cares about the cause, as well as the opportunity to reaffirm his authority on the squad.   The severity of the clash between Nigel Reo-Coker and Martin O’Neill is still unclear, with the Aston Villa manager playing down reports of a wrestling match between the pair - insisting it was merely a verbal disagreement after the midfielder allegedly swore at a younger player for misplacing a pass.     Perhaps O’Neill wants to keep a lid on things to protect his own player, or to protect the player’s value in the transfer market if he decides to sell him.

This is where football politics comes into it. It would be very doubtful O’Neill would even dare contemplate the sale of key players Gabriel Agbonlahor or Ashley Young if they committed a similar offence.

But it all depends on the severity of Reo-Coker’s antics. An isolated incident, with no history involved and a willingness to accept his punishment and move on and O’Neill would have no hesitation in considering him for selection in the next game. That’s what top managers should do.

Some managers like to see the passion and fire reach boiling point at some stage – there’s nothing worse to have a group of players who prepared to go through the motions in training and on match days.

But if it’s more than just a one-off and the row was a lot more hands-on than O’Neill is willing to let on, then there is only going to be one outcome.

The incident had little affect on Villa’s comfortable win over strugglers Pompey, as O’Neill’s side maintained their steady progress since the opening day defeat by Wigan.

The next week should reveal whether Reo-Coker will play a further part in Villa’s bid to maintain that good run or if he will be reduced to keeping the bench warm until January.