Soccer: Q & A with All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen

Sports Writer·NZ Herald·

2 Apr, 2010 03:00 PM9 mins to read

Having a fit Ryan Nelsen (pictured) at the World Cup in June will be top of coach Ricki Herbert's wish list. Photo / Getty Images

England has Wayne Rooney's injured ankle to fret over, and New Zealand has something just as vital - All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen's damaged knee.

Having a fit Nelsen at the World Cup in June will be top of coach Ricki Herbert's wish list. With no disrespect to the rest

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The big question - how is the knee?

A lot better. It is a bit stiff and sore but no major problem. Every day it gets better.

What is the premier league comeback trail from injury?

The coaches manipulate the training to make sure you get the work load in ... there is GPS tracking, heart rate monitors, all sorts, so they know how much work you are doing ... they might organise a game during the week with another team or the young kids at the club to get the match fitness up.

The premier league is a high-tech world?

We have six full-time guys working on sports science for us and the reserves at Blackburn. That covers everything from nutrition, to GPS, to heart rate, hydration ... you get a print out once you've done your day's work to tell you how many metres you've done, what the body load effect is, how tired your body should be, hydration levels, what protein you need to rebuild. In training you wear a watch or a vest with a little chip in it for the GPS. In matches there are about 15 cameras around the stadium tracking the high-intensity running, jogging, passing ... every little second on the field is analysed. There is no place to hide. We get break downs on individual opponents as well but that can get a bit repetitive - a lot of the time you just get quick points on the main things to look for.

Moving on to the World Cup ... Italy are hardly soccer strangers, but what about Slovakia and Paraguay?

I don't know much about Slovakia. We had a Slovakian in our team and he was very efficient ... not to stereotype but very German-like. I followed Paraguay's qualification when Roque Santa Cruz was at Blackburn and they are extremely good and strong, sad to say. Manchester City paid $40 million for Roque, so he can't be too bad. On their day, Paraguay can beat anybody.

Can New Zealand dare to dream of getting past the group stage?

Yes, but we are major underdogs. Saying that, this is the most balanced, competitive All Whites side I've been in. If we have a good day and one of them has a bad day, who knows. We will go down all guns blazing ... Ricki involves all his senior players in planning and we try to involve everyone in the squad - we have amazing unity and when you are as much of an underdog as we usually are that is the only way to compete.

Will playing at altitude around Johannesburg be a World Cup factor?

It's the same as if it's really windy or hot - you just get on with the job. The more you think and talk about those things, the more they affect you. You have to be so focused that you wouldn't notice a tornado.

Asia or Oceania? What's the best World Cup qualification route for New Zealand?

Asia, 100 per cent. We have to be involved with Asia somehow for the long-term good. Maybe the Oceania winner could go into the Asian playoff series. Imagine a run of games against teams like Japan, South Korea and Bahrain with four or five matches at home. People might say getting to the World Cup would be more difficult, but the journey can actually be better than the destination.

What are your favourite childhood soccer memories?

Some of my earliest memories are of my father waking me up for the '82 World Cup. I didn't really understand what was going on, but remember getting excited with my rugby-head old man who had got sucked into that '82 fever.

What turned you on to soccer?

I liked and played all sports and played first XV rugby for St Thomas College in Christchurch but for some reason I loved soccer. I was drawn to the romanticism - English soccer highlights, the World Cup, they seemed to be on another planet. Not that I ever thought I would get to those places myself.

Who is the hardest opponent you have marked?

Thierry Henry, in the second half of a game against Arsenal at Highbury. I'd done okay in the first half but he clicked in the second and tore me to pieces. It felt like he'd beat me then beat me again, although I might be exaggerating there. Soul-searching stuff, though.

Which game are you most proud of?

I'm my own worst critic - even after a good game I'll find something wrong to fix. As a defender, you have a really good game and people think you didn't, or you have a bad game and others think you were outstanding.

Ronaldo and Rooney - what is your take on those two brilliant players?

What I love about Ronaldo is this: Tony Strudwick, the Manchester United fitness trainer who used to be at Blackburn, told me that Ronaldo was the first player to training, in the weight room the longest, and trained to his absolute maximum. The fans see all the tricks and fancy footwork and think "what a lovely natural talent". Wayne Rooney is much the same but he also has that fierce English Bulldog mentality. Rooney doesn't give up, no matter what. He is incredibly strong-minded.

Is there sledging in the premier league?

Not really, which surprised me, but the players are so good that they are beyond that. Robbie Savage, my old team mate, used to say a few things ... there was also the day when he got kicked by Rio Ferdinand, stayed down, got Ferdinand sent off and was stretchered off with oxygen because of what we thought was a broken leg. We beat Manchester United 4-3 and when we got back to the changing rooms, Robbie was jumping up and down on the seat next to his locker listening to techno music. Five minutes earlier he had been on a stretcher, waving like a fallen hero to the crowd. He is hilarious. If I ever write a book there will be a lot about him in it.

Favourite venues?

St James' Park (Newcastle) and White Hart Lane (Tottenham). Wonderful atmospheres. Everyone assumes Old Trafford or Anfield. I've been at Anfield when you could hear a dog bark, the same with Old Trafford. The Newcastle fans are especially brilliant. All you have to do is keep Newcastle scoreless in the first 15 minutes and they start booing. Two of their managers, Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder, got fired after games against us. They had to bring out riot police and horses - we were trying to get on the bus and there were thousands of Geordie fans screaming for the chairman's head.

Do you live in Blackburn?

We (wife Monica and 2-year-old son Maxwell) live near Manchester. I wouldn't want to live in Blackburn - the place is lovely and I'm not saying the fans would be trouble, but I know if I walked into a fish and chip shop in Blackburn I'd get noticed. You have to separate yourself off a wee bit ... I mean that in the best possible way.

Is there one thing you would change in soccer?

I'd probably go for the old video referee for the big decisions. I kind of like it in league where everyone has to wait, wondering if a try was scored. I understand why Fifa are reluctant ... it could be a logistical nightmare ... if video decisions at Newcastle went against them the fans would tear the screen down and the video ref would have trouble getting out of there.

We hear you have twisted Fifa boss Sepp Blatter's arm?

I couldn't believe the World Cup trophy tour didn't include New Zealand. Mr Blatter and general secretary Jerome Valcke were kind enough to write a forward for my World Cup book - they gave me 30 minutes over a cup of coffee at the Fifa headquarters in Zurich. They are incredible men. Both speak six languages fluently and are the ultimate diplomats. I pushed the case and they agreed to bring the trophy to New Zealand. I naively thought that a couple of guys would bring it over and never realised what an enormous business the World Cup tour is.

What was your intention in writing a World Cup book?

To get the public to know the All Whites and find out what goes on behind the scenes ... and to have a bit of fun. I give the low down on each player, the real truth and not the deceptions. There is also stuff about the Bahrain games. The book is coming out in a couple of weeks and I'll be cruising around the country, signing copies.

There are suggestions you might cruise home to play for the Phoenix one day.

I've got two more years at Blackburn and I might be in a wheel chair by then. I'd love to play for a New Zealand team - the more you are overseas, the more you miss the homeland. Maybe one day.