. . . though if he stayed in Holiday Inn Express, he would claim he is an International center back. Xavier is exactly what Blackburn don't need - a defender with more confidence than quality who has mediocre positioning skills, relies on athleticism that he does not have and has a tendency to dive into (sometimes shocking) tackles. Sounds like Lucas Neill, Andy Todd and countless other Blackburn defenders from the last several years. Ryan Nelsen, on the other hand, would be the player they were hoping to get when they signed Lorenzo Amoroso from Rangers - a good organizer who is uncompromising in the air, excellent on set pieces and excellent at positioning himself. And Ryan is actually young/mobile enough to move around on the pitch rather than being anchored in one spot the way Lorenzo has been for Rangers (when he has not been sidelined by injury). I hope that Blackburn lowball Nellie and bring Henchoz (the proven veteren) back to the club instead. Then Nellie can say "enough - I want to play on a champion-calibre side where I am appreciated" and re-sign with DC United. Blackburn will then go down, Mark Hughes will get a better job with another club and Liverpool will be forced to find an athletic young center-half who can be groomed by Sami Hyppia over the next year or so.
Still bitter about what Neill did to Carra, huh? Me, too. I like your way of thinking. Train Zak to play in the center. He looks like Sami as it is...
I love Zak too, but he is not fast. We defend great against top-level all-around forwards such as Alan Shearer, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Jimmy Floyd Hassalbaink. But we are perpetually vulnerable to quick, agile counterattacking forwards like Jermaine Defoe, Nico Anelka, Luis Boa Morte (2! - a long-time 'Pool nemesis) - who have all scored against us this year. I believe that this is why we too often lose games to lower levels of opposition, especially on the road. Rafa's tactics are really helping, but none of our primary defenders are particularly quick. Traore is fairly quick, but he doesn't see things developing (or disintegrating) fast enough and is not strong enough to impress me as a future first choice center-half at this time.
I thought he was implying Nellie would be signing with the Reds who also need a center back. If he went there, I'm not sure I'd be happy or sad. If Boca can start in the EPL, Nellie can certainly fit in.
yes. the man is not good enough to be a starter in the Premiership. Nelson is far superior to that waste of pitch space.
Today's Lancashire Evening Telegraph Nelsen apparently is impressing greatly on trial. Even with the presence of Santa Claus, I mean Xavier.
Rovers fan here, all the way from the UK. Always thought you Americans knew nothing about football (amongst other things) and on some levels I have been proven right. Blackburn are in a transition period at the moment, we have just been screwed over by Souness and getting used to a new regime, which the players are all enjoying including Brad Friedel. Everything looks better on the pitch now, no more petty squabbles between players and we are picking a consistent team each week. We recently ended a 5 game unbeaten streak with a minor blip against Spurs who seem to have recovered from the shock of losing Jaques Santini. Over here we are very cautious over foriegn players, as it takes time for them to adapt to a stronger, faster and more flowing game. But we also have a lot of faith in Mark Hughes' decisions, as he's done no wrong so far. Most fans believe that we can get a decent run going over the Christmas timetable of fixtures and push into midtable. So just wondering, hopefully without any bias. Do you really think Nelsen can cope with the Premiership? Just read some nut bars few on Blackburn's defenders, this really proves you people no nothing outside the big clubs. Amoruso is a clumsy fool that can't run, can't keep a line, can't keep in his position and makes me have kittens when he's prancing about on the ball. Lucas Neill and Andy Todd on the other hand are strong in the tackle, good passing, hold the line together with Nissa and Shorty. Far superior to the last of the mohicans Amoruso. PS We also brought in Aaron Mokoena, South African captain, he and Nelsen had trials at the same time.
Amen to that Looked like a very ugly blip to me...I was very discouraged by that match. I think he'll do just fine. Look at some of the threads about him and you'll see common observations about his decision making, his ruggedness, his ability to organize and lead, his positioning, his level-headedness, his effectiveness in the attack when he goes forward. The only negative is that he's not a speed merchant. That doesn't mean he's slow, and if he does give up a step to the fastest attackers, he gains it back in positioning. If you want an attack broken up, you want Ryan. And I don't say this out of Nelsen bias, because I really do care that our Rovers have the best. It seems to me that the back line, when I've seen them this year (only 3 times) have lacked organization. The goal against last week was a good example. Ryan, if his leadership is accepted, would help a lot. An off-topic observation...Johansson seemed terribly uncomfortable with the ball at his feet and was clearly reluctant to take on defenders by running at them. Since Blackburn matches are so infrequently broadcast over here, was that just a bad showing in the last match, or is that normal for him? You can PM me on this one... Let's hope you're right about what we'll achieve after Christmas. cheers
I think Nellie can definitely cope with life in the EPL. As seahawkdad pointed out above, his one knock is his speed. And its not that he is ponderously slow, i would say he's just average or maybe a notch below in that category. HOWEVER... his other attributes are what i think can make him fit in right where you need him. 1) His is as tough and physical as they come. He is a Kiwi, and I've never known a Kiwi to back down from any challenge. He is probably the most "legally physical" defender in MLS. What i mean by that is, there are other defenders in MLS who bang as much or more than he does, but they do so by blatant fouling, with late contact, etc. They are hacks. Nellie makes contact with just about every tackle, cleanly and violently. When you've been tackled by Nellie, you know it. 2) He is a great organizer and leader. He leads by example, and he is very vocal. Not only the captain of DC United, but captain of the Kiwi squad as well. Great locker room guy, charismatic and well liked by his teammates. Gives 120% and expects no less from his teammates 3) Strong aerial presence. Wins every defensive header. Period. Is a threat to score on set pieces as well. 4) Very tactically aware. Is never out of position, anticipates and covers for his teammates well. This is the main reason that his speed is not exposed more often. He doesnt need the speed to recover, because he isn't out of position. 5) Excellent on-the-ball-skill. I will readily admit that I only watch 1 or 2 EPL games per week, whatever they are showing on FoxSports, but I'll go out on a limb and say that Nellie will be one of the most skillful defenders in the EPL. He has a clean and efficient 1st touch on the ball. He settles the ball away from pressure as needed. He can play in the midfield as well, and can hold the ball like a midfielder. His passing and distribution are top-notch. Uses both feet without hesitation. On the speed issue, his positioning compensates for it, and as long as you have at least one other guy with wheels, it shouldnt pose a problem. And I think his other skills will be much more valuable to you on the whole. And really, it has only been an issue here on a handful of occasions. While i would grant that the speed of play in much faster in the EPL than in MLS, I would match up our MLS's fastest angainst the fastest in any other league in the world. He has played against guys like Landon Donovan (US national), Demarcus Beasley (US national), Eddie Johnson (US national), Josh Wolff (US national), Damani Ralph and Fabian Taylor (Jamaican nationals), among others. I'm not sure if he played the last time Blackburn came to visit, maybe someone else could relate his play on that day as well.
Once Carlos Bocanegra left Chicago for Fulham, Nellie became the best defender in the league. So if you thing Bocagenra has coped with English football, then you shouldn't have any doubts about Nellie. He will excel in Blackburn and become a fan favorite in the process. Like others have said, he is tough, will never fight and is a good leader. One thing that he will have on everybody else there is his degree from Stanford University (as good as an Oxbridge one), so you know he is about as smart as they come.
Bocanegra hasn't coped with English football, when we played Fulham he was shocking and i've heard from a few fans they want him dropped for a reserve/youth team player.
BBC (and the Daily Mirror) has Nelsen about to sign. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4087457.stm
Well, he's right that Bocanegra had a fairly bad match when Fulham played Blackburn. But it's been the exception to his year: for the rest of the season so far, if you believe the commentators and the reviews on Sky Sports (I can't claim to have seen all of Fulham's matches), he's been doing at least as well as everyone else in Fulham's back line, and often better. But in general, yeah, he's trolling. I especially liked his original "You Yanks don't know crap about football so your opinions are meaningless; now please tell me about Nelson."
Ryan Nelsen will be Blackburn's best defender within a month. Because Blackburn's defenders suck so bad. He'll keep us up. And English soccer fans are all stupid for caring so much about the 90% of matches that have no impact on who wins the championship. Maybe getting excited about coming in 12th instead of 14th is an example of the kind of mindset that lets your leader be our leader's female poodle.
Good grief. If we all went by the opinions of a few fans, all teams would wind up decimated. Read either this board about DC United when we're in season or the current BRFCS board and you'll find 'crap' labels being applied accompanied by calls to replace players being a common theme. I think a better measure is whether a manager continues to start a player. Presenting lame opinions not backed up by any more than 'a few fans' opinions is why the troll lable was so aptly applied. Just sit back and be thankful that someone with Nelsen's skills and qualities was willing to play for Blackburn in our current pedestrian state.