His aggressive nature has already resulted in him sitting out two Villa matches so far this season but Nigel Reo-Coker has no plans to change his style.

Despite being sent off - somewhat harshly in most opinions - after being cautioned twice against Manchester United, the club's £7.5m summer signing picked up another one-match suspension after accumulating five yellow cards.

Two bans at a relatively early stage of the campaign might have persuaded other players to ease off a bit but Nigel is having none of it.

"There's no chance that I'm going to change," he insists. "I've always been an aggressive player, that's just the way I am.

"But the game has changed over the past couple of years. I would never condone dirty challenges, but there was a time not so long ago when you could make a genuine attempt to win the ball and referees would be fairly lenient.

"After all, football is a physical game, but it's changing so much. Now, you can pick up cautions for silly little challenges. The game doesn't flow as well as it used to.

"I was devastated when I was sent off against United because it was the first time in my career.

"It was a new experience for me - and a very lonely walk back to the dressing room.

"If I'm honest, I was late with one of the challenges but I still felt it was a harsh booking.

"You see it happen time and again in the Premier League and some referees are more lenient than others. Some of them will just have a word, but this one (Rob Styles) obviously wasn't happy with either of my challenges so I had to pay the price. I apologised to my team-mates for letting them down and hopefully it will never happen again."

Although those two suspensions are blemishes on his debut campaign after moving from West Ham to Villa, the former England under-21 international is savouring his time at Villa Park.

"I was very happy to come to Villa," he says. "It's a club with tremendous history and a great manager who is trying to build for the future.

"So far my time here has been very enjoyable. I'd like to say thank-you to the fans for making me so welcome and helping me to settle in and feel at home.

"It means a lot to a player when you know you have the support of the manager, the backroom staff and the fans. When you're in that situation, you're willing to bleed for the club.

"I'm the sort of player who wears his heart on his sleeve and that's what I'm about.

"Despite a couple of home defeats earlier in the month, we've had a decent start and we're in a good position coming up to the busy Christmas period. We're in contact with the top clubs and it's now important that we have a good run over Christmas so that we can kick on in the New Year.

"I still believe we can achieve a top six finish with the squad we have. We have some very talented players and I don't just mean the lads who are on the field. The players on the bench also have a lot of ability."

While he has no intention of curbing his aggression, Reo-Coker has had to adjust to a different position since his move from Upton Park. He used to get forward on a regular basis for the Hammers, but he is currently operating in a much deeper role.

"It's a bit different for me this season," he admits. "It's not how I'm used to playing but I've spoken to the manager and I know what he wants me to do.

"I have to be disciplined in a holding role, which wasn't what I was renowned for at West Ham. But it's a role the boss thinks comes easy to me and I'm starting to relish it.

"If anything, it makes my job easier because I just have to win the ball and give it to Ashley Young and Gareth Barry for them to push forward.

"At West Ham I had more of an influence and deep down I know I still have that ability. But I'm enjoying this role. I've always been a team player and the more we play together, the more we are growing as a team.

"It's still very early and this is a season of rebuilding and regeneration. If we apply ourselves as a team, I really believe the sky's the limit

"I was devastated when I was sent off against United because it was the first time in my career."