Hello all. I just wanted to ask you all if Nelson really is that bad? Seriously, he didn't look any better than Conference level.

Slow, ponderous, turning circle of a barge, hardly won a header against Platt, gave the ball away. He looked like a total carthorse.

On that evidence, considering this is League One, he is the worst defender I've ever seen pull on a yellow shirt.

Views?

When we first signed him he looked excellent. I dont think any pools supporters thought otherwise. He scored a 40 yard screamer on his debut and the rest of the next 2 seasons or so, he was excellent. Once the defenders around him started changing (we lost Chris Westwood) nelson seemed to go downhill.

I suspect Nels needs someone with pace around him (as he has little). If Norwich's other defenders are slow then nelson will probably stuggle too. His distribution is dire, one of those players who could hit 50 punts upfield and the laws of probability would tell you that half would go to your own team but they never did.

He is better than conference level, at league 2 level he is fine. He just struggles against pace in league 1

Lets get things into perspective here - listening to Mr Sadcanary and a few others you would think that Nelson was totally responsible for that 7-1 defeat. I've seen the goals and although he does look to have carried last years form into this season he can't be held up as the sole reason for a terrible team performance. The other centre half didn't look like lightning either and what was the full back doing for the first goal?

Perhaps the mindset of the team as a whole needs to be looked at - if Norwich think getting out of this division will be easy then they have just had a rude awakening.

After watching the Norwich goals it appears their keeper is trying to be like ALB. Your team didnt play well but it doesnt help when you have a keeper hell bent on allowing as many goals in as possible.

We conceded 79 goals last season.
You've only got 73 to go to beat us

Nelson is a centre half who needs to be the one attacking it in the air and when it is played into feet in the middle of the pitch, he does not read the game particularly well, does not have lightning pace or as stated by others play football particularly well.

He can play very well and effectively with a mobile partner who sweeps up behind him (his best years at Pools with Chris Westwood who did this job). For us last season we had two centre halfs who play the same game and it does not work (most of the slating was aimed at his partner Collins who did not have the history or affection at Pools as Nelson but in fact more probably could have been aimed at Nelson), at Norwich if your other centre half is of the same mould you will struggle.

Gary Docherty is the other bloke at the back for them I believe.
Slow as shiit. They're going nowhere fast with them two at the back.

True, I was being a bit harsh. He was good for the first 4 seasons or so but i would say he gradually declined over his time with us.

Was good till he grew his hair

Nelson was good until he decided he could be at a "bigger" club.

Perhaps he has Norwich City's " twelth man "? !!!!

oops !

Not necessarily, the first falling-out was I think about halfway through his second season and he did all right for some time after - though certainly these last two years you couldn't help but wonder if his agent was whispering in his ear about things bigger and better, don't sign a new deal etc. He'd stirred things up once or twice before.

As others have noted, Nelson is best when he has someone with pace alongside him but even so it sounds like he wasn't doing what he was supposed to be good at on Saturday. To be fair I've always thought Platt is one of the better "big men" in the lower divisions (he was always a handful when we played Rochdale) but even so he seems to be discovering that the grass is not greener elsewhere even if the pay packet is heavier...