Nelsen loved Newcastle atmosphere but provides frank assessment of QPR performance

Nelsen loved Newcastle atmosphere but provides frank assessment of QPR performance
Newcastle United's Demba Ba and Queens Park Rangers' Ryan Nelsen battle for the ball. Picture: Steve Drew/EMPICS
By Tom Moore
Monday, December 24, 2012
9:00 AM



QPR defender Ryan Nelsen was left disappointed after his side fell to a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.


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The Magpies were worth their victory, as goalkeeper Tim Krul was a spectator for most of the game, but they only scored their winner with nine minutes remaining through Shola Ameobi.

“I think, probably overall, we’re a bit disappointed with how we played at Newcastle,” Nelsen said. “We stayed in the game right to the end.

“We need a bit of magic and it didn’t really fall for us.”

The New Zealand international admitted that he enjoys playing at Newcastle because of the atmosphere as his side came close to securing an important point.

“It is quite fun,” Nelsen added. “St James’ Park is one of my favourite places to play.

“The crowd is really passionate and the rain and the atmosphere.

“It brings back, maybe I’m getting a bit old and sentimental, memories of good old English football.

“I’m pretty sure I heard horns and the cavalry and all that.

“I think we looked pretty good. We’re looking for that break and it nearly came.”

The loss was Harry Redknapp’s first since taking over at QPR, having overseen three draws and a win in his first four games.

“The manager is not happy after any type of defeat,” Nelsen added. “We’re all disappointed with the performance.

“Everybody has got to stand up for themselves. We didn’t really deserve to get anything from a creative point of view.”

Despite the R’s only having five shots to Newcastle’s 18, their resolve as they looked to withstand the threats can only be a good thing as far as Nelsen is concerned.

“We should be hard to beat,” “We just lack something from everybody going forward.

“It’s about keeping your position while creatively going forward.

QPR sit five points adrift of 17th placed Southampton and the Kiwi insists that the west Londoners can still survive in the Premier League, because of their resolve.

“The belief is still there,” he added. “We know that when we don’t play that well we’re still in games.

“In the Premier League, you’ve got to stay in games.

“We’ve got a big couple of games at home [West Brom on Boxing Day and Liverpool on December 29] that we’re really looking forward to.”

 

Interesting thing is with Green, Nelsen and Hill's solid performances at the back (with M'bia protecting them), the weakness is now in the creative forward department. If Taarabt isn't on top form, there's all too little there. Five attempts on goal (no sitters) in 95 minutes speaks for itself.

Maybe Lampard isn't such a bad idea after all - provided we get a couple of capable strikers in to provide the necessary cutting edge and the belief that comes with it.

 

Spot on assessment, mate.

 

He seems like a top bloke. My brother's mate, an ESPN Commentator named Duncan, is Nelson's best mate and is over in London now staying with him for 2 weeks. He's been down the training ground this week and has got some signed gear that he's gonna send over to me. If anyone wants this gear for their lad, just PM me and I'll post it over when it arrives.

Kiwi, do you know of this Commentator chap I'm on about? He's a Kiwi too. Must have grown up wiv Admiral Nelson.