Average at best, anybody who believes that bollocks about having CCFC in his heart needs their head looking at. Funny how he said that after he'd moved to a club in a better league for better wages. If he was so in love with Cov he wouldn't have left.
My word, what a load of tripe. I actually have a friend who knows him and his family quite well and I can tell you he took a lot of convincing before the move. He categorically did not want to go, but the club accepted a good offer and in their eyes it was a done deal. In interviews since he has stated the 'as soon as I knew Newcastle were interested' line, but what else should he have said, 'I was very unsure about the move'. Absolutely not. Furthermore, why would anyone play for a League 1 club over a Premier League club. It is his career, his profession, why should he be judged for wanting to do as well as possibly can. I absolutely love this club, but were I in his position I would have left for Newcastle.
Young players often justify moves to certain clubs or remaining at certain clubs by saying, 'you have further to fall'. For example, if he's a Newcastle and it doesn't work out for him, then a championship club are more than likely to take him on, and he gets another chance. No one, including him, knows if he will fulfil his potential or not. If he hadn't done well at League 1 level for us, and two years down the line he gets released then it's over, no second chances. I actually know a player, who will remain nameless, who is struggling to get into the squad of a Championship side. In the summer he was offered the exact same contract by a League 1 club and the Championship club he is currently at, the only difference being that in League 1 he was guaranteed football. He stayed with the Championship club. His reasoning was that if it didn't work out for him in the Championship then he will be offered that deal again by that League 1 club or another League 1 club. He has to think about his career, and moving to the League 1 club would have been a gamble.