All good things come to an end so they say, and Nielsen's unbeaten run was ended clinically by Lloyds TSB last night at Cyncoed.
Not much to be said about the performance, Lloyds TSB were fully deserving of their comprehensive victory. They won the 50-50 challenges, and were more incisive with their attacks. Nielsen were second best all evening.
A thoroughly un-enjoyable game played in near force 9 gales and torrential rain at one point in the second half - Nielsen severly struggled to get the ball our of their last thirs at one point.
Disjointed stuff. Can only improve after that..
Team Rating: 2/10. The stuff of nightmares..
Not much to be said about individual performances. Nobody played particularly well..
Shorrock: Crawled off of his sickbed to play between the sticks. Was kept busy throughout and as with many others, his distribution suffered in Hurricane Katrina. Bully: Worked his socks off at rightback, never gave up the ghost. Linked up well with Dabsy on occasion. Rhys: Another to struggle all night. Distribution was poor and should have used Wilma more often as an outlet. Foz: Arrived fashionably late, Laurent Blanc's languid style was effective on occasion but was also caught out once or twice. Breaky: Another to have dragged himself off of the sickbed to make his eagerly awaited debut. Decent stuff and made some timely interceptions. However, we simply cannot, and will not ignore the miss of the century. With a whole open goal begging Breaky managed to slice his shot wide from half a metre out. Classic stuff. Dabsy: Playing in a more advanced role Dabsy once more was strong in the tackle and even made some telling crosses getting to the byline more than once. Sound stuff. Crooky: Struggled somewhat to impose himself on the game. Didn't control the play as he has done previously. He fell below his own high standards. Huw: Once again a sterling effort from Huw, ran his socks off, strong in the tackle and capped off a decent performance with a superbly taken goal. A shining light. Wilma: Was very effective when he got the ball, but was cruely starved of possesion during the second half. Cannot fault his performance, one of the few you can say that of! Lanco: Playing in an unaccustomed role up front, Lanco battled well but was another to struggle to impose himself on the game. The gaffer will struggle to take many positives from the team performance. Tranter: Never got into the game as he has done previously. The TSB backline marshalled the speedster well and he was another on the periphery of things. Ok, so who was the shining light in the quagmire of mediocrity? You decide..
Rumours are sweeping the internet this afternoon that Nielsen FC are set to hand a shock debut to the legendary Mark "Breaky" McMahon. A source has informed this website that the karate-kicking former Red and White FC mascot looks set to take his place in central defence alongside Laurent "Foz" Blanc.
The ever-eager martial arts expert bought his kit at Nielsen's inception, but due to the fixture computer scheduling every single game outside of the very narrow window of Breaky's availability (i.e. Wednesdays) Breaky's purchase looked to be money badly-spent.
This news is due to be confirmed at a press conference called by manager John Lancaster this afternoon..
Nielsen kept up their unbeaten run with a a deserved win over EADS last night at the thunderous Spytty Park. Nobody seemed to know what exactly EADS stood for, however unlike the last game, Nielsen weren't going to underestimate anybody.
EADS proved to be a real handful with several good players working the Nielsen defence hard. Often playing with 3 or 4 players up top, Nielsen's backline certainly had to be on their toes and thankfully the communication was excellent at the back.
Plenty of grafting was done in defence and midfield, enabling the attack to create several half chances in the first half. Nielsen made the most of the space out wide to get behind the EADS defence however the final ball just wasn't quite right. EADS took the lead therefore and were growing in stature, before Hobby (thanks to a rather dubious shove that the ref missed) managed to create the equalizer via a decent header off the corner which resulted in a scrambled finish. Halftime and the score was delicately poised at 1-1, both sides with a very good shout of going ahead and taking the maximum points. Nielsen were the first to make their move after 70mins with Shorrock's fine save eventually resulting in Tranter slamming in a quite spectacular finish from a tight angle. You're always most vulnerable just after scoring and this was to prove quite true with EADS grabbing an equaliser. Once again the game was level, however Nielsen's greater gritt and application, and lest we forget a decent amount of skill, saw Tranter cap off a wonderful run with a sweet outside of the boot flick into the bottom corner.
That's how the result stayed with Nielsen playing with pride and determination. It was a hard fought but deserved victory with everyone playing a vital part. Excellent stuff from the boys in black and the unbeaten run continues - title winning form indeed,
Match Performance Rating: 9/10 - a vast improvement over the previous match.
Ratings
Lanco: Started between the sticks and claimed he was probably going to stay there all game. Yeah right. Didn't actually have too much to do whilst in goal (one dodgy clearance is all I can remember to be fair) and the Rota-Obsessed Gaffer did well when he got outfield. Once again won several important headers and was solid defensively. Seemed to play every position except up top. Sound stuff boss. Dabsy: Once more a sterling performance from the sold rightback, faultless. Strong in defence, tackled well, and contributed well in attack when required. Mr Consistency as usual. Even stayed patient as he sat out for the longest 20min period in history.
Rhys: Upended early on depriving him of the skin on his elbow (who needs skin anyway), got involved and formed part of the hard-working backline. Made up for losing part of his elbow by leaving a few inches of his knee-skin on the Spytty astro. Made a cameo performance as a budding David Bailey during his sub-stint too.
Foz: A fine debut performance from Foz, looking calm and assured playing the libero role (he was meant to be man-marking actually), Foz was always on hand for the outlet, and made several cover tackles as well as some excellent clearance headers. Sound debut indeed from the Laurent Blanc of Nielsen FC.
Bully: Another Nielsen FC debutant and Bully did well. Formed an excellent centre half pairing with Foz, playing the grafter role to Foz's relexed schoo of defending. Tackled well, and was assured on the ball. Promising suff, has set a high standard for himself.
Shorrock: Well well, fresh back from Noo Yawk, Shorrock was still feeling the after effects of jet-lag. However his period between the sticks proved to be a turning point in the game. Shorrock pulled off some quite excellent saves wih one effort particularly stunning. The Cat commanded well and was a vital part of the win.
Crooky: One dodgy corner apart, and ok, some dodgy finishing, Crooky once again was the midfield playmaker for Nielsen. Always available for the ball and vocal as ever in the middle of the park. Crooky kept going for the full 90 and showed no signs of waning. Solid stuff from the Crookmeister.
Hobby: Did the altrustic thing and came off when he wasn't due to - this act summed up the man. Solid in midfield, ferocious in the tackle and made some excellent headers. Pulled the strings in midfield with Crooky, with the engine room proving to be the element that helped Nielsen towards victory.
Huw: Making his comeback from injury, Huw felt his way back into the game. Eventually settled and make some telling clearances and some excellent long balls. Strong in the air, the versatile Roberts surely will play a huge part in the rest of the season, fitness permitting.
Dov: Helped gloss over his previous nightmare performance between the sticks with an industrious display firstly on the left wing, where he linked up well with the fullback, before moving upfront where his tireless running helped run the EADS defence ragged.
Cooky: Another Nielsen debutant, and another to work tirelessly for the cause. Pulled the EADS defence across the pitch and was a constant nuisance, proving to be a highly effective foil for his strike partner. Was unfortunate not to get more clear-cut chances.
Tranter: The Thierry Henry of Nielsen once more lived up to his nickname. Made up for his glaring miss in the previous match with a pair of cracking goals. Always a threat with his pace, Tranter struck a screamer from a tight angle before capping off a fine run with a righ foot (even though he shoulda used his left) finish. Matchwinner.
Thanks to Shorrock for this - some player profiles...
John Lancaster - Player Manager/Centre Back: Some would say John peaked early in his football career representing Cardiff City at U10's since then he's done the rounds in Gwent football starring for Undy FC but injuries in the last couple of years have restricted his football to guest appearances in the 5 a-side form of the game including being a member of the AC Nielsen National 5-aside winning side of 2005! Now taking his first steps into management (i.e no one else would do it) the lads are waiting to see what kind of style he'll adopt as he's recently been spotted reading both Bill Shankly's & Big Ron Atkinson's auto-biographies!
Steven Griffiths - Striker/thinks he can play Centre half as well: Steve over the years has set many scoring records at youth and senior levels for Chepstow sides most notably Thornwell Red & White in the Gwent County league, however he didn't take this form up to Chepstow Town in the Welsh league in fact he nearly set the least number of goals scored record but the good news is that he finally peaked in the final game of the season banging in two goals & possibly saving the club from relegation!! The gaffer is expecting him great things from him for the all new Nielsen side especially with the boost of being called up to the All Star National Nielsen side!
John Shorrock - Midfielder/Striker: This often feisty character who wears his heart on his sleeve has had a ups & downs throughout his football career from winning leagues & cups to being sent off in shame in the Nielsen National 5-side tournament where Senior Management were watching, again another Gwent County regular for Chepstow sides over the years inc Thornwell Red & White and recently Chepstow Town where he was somehow voted 2nd team Players Player, and a member of the winning Nielsen 2003/2005 5 s-side teams!
Mark McMahon - Versatile: Breaky as he prefers to be known due to his regular car troubles including recently driving into a pillar in the empty Nielsen Towers car park!!! He is the so called hard man of the team as he holds a green belt in karate...he's had a fragmented football career answering many an SOS for Thornwell Red & White and starring in the victorious Nielsen 5-aside winning team of 2005 but he's better remembered for grabbing the ball off a team mate then promptly missing the penalty in last summers All Star match!
Rhys Jones - Defender: Rhys is a genius with the old computer and has often been compared to Bill Gates, however in the football field he's been compared to Ashley Ward, having joined Thornwell Red & White FC the club promptly finished in it's worst ever position in the league and this season folded!! Another regular Nielsen campaigner over the years and has tasted many a victory in the National 5 a-side competition, his other main attribute is that his brother used to play for Man Utd so he must be decent! (err - you'd think so eh!? - Rhys)
David Taylor - Defender: Dave is one half of the Taylor twins and is often seen backing his brother up on the field of play!! Thankfully he didn't want to take up the reigns as manger of this team after his disastrous last managerial position where not only were the team failing to put out 11 players we were regularly getting lost on the way to games due to poor directions and at one point played in bibs! This season however Dave has looked strong in the heart of the Chepstow Town defence and the referee's association are happy to still see him playing as they know they'll always have a steady stream of money coming in for their end of season party from yellow card fines!!
Andrew Taylor - Midfielder: Andy has had more knee operations than you've had hot dinners!! He's another former member of the legendary Thornwell Red & White however this season he's preferred to go and watch the Bluebirds play and binge drink on both Friday & Saturday nights sending out many random text messages and leaving singing voicemails... da da da dada da...for which he should be respected! Highly critical of others performances but not his own, we're all waiting in trepidation for his return to the fold!!
Mark Crook -Midfield: This lad has had more clubs than Gary Player, he seems to have been around Gwent football since well...when Gwent football was first set up, to the point I remember him reffing one my U'16's matches! Was voted player of the season at Caldicot Castle after a number of dubious votes through their website from all his old Thornwell Red & White pals! Always well presented with a ex pro look about him until you see him try and sprint onto a ball, he's a useful addition to this ever growing Nielsen FC Squad.
So to the second game of the season against the Japanese electrical giants, Panasonic. It was a hot June evening, with little breeze and the low sun causing havoc to all. Wasps have started to appear for the summer and the Panasonic boys were suitably attired in their yellow and black striped kit. In their matching shirts they looked the antithesis of a patched up Nielsen side showing 3 changes from the previous week’s routing of Halifax.
However, Nielsen took the lead early on thanks to Tranter making the most of a channel ball and finishing with aplomb. Minutes later Tranter doubled his tally for the evening with a carbon-copy goal, the Panasonic defence unable to match his pace.
So 2-0 up, Nielsen took their foot off the gas somewhat with, dare I say, a hint of complacency showing in their play. Indeed with less that 20mins on the clock, Panasonic pulled one back with stand-in keeper El "The Cat" Griffo unable to stop a fine effort.
And so it was time to dig in. A competitive battle ensued wit both sides wresting for midfield supremacy, Crooky supplying the ammo for the front boys and Huw doing the donkey work. As half time descended the Nielsen boys looked parched, the searing heat perhaps taking its toll? Quite a few decent opportunities had been spurned so they felt a bit unlucky to only be 2-1 ahead, however, goals win games not chances and they hadn’t done enough thus far.
As the second period started, Panasonic started to take control of the game. Nielsen had lost some of their shape, and the superior fitness and physicality in midfield of the Panasonic lads took their toll. They started to win the 50-50’s and the second balls too, meaning that when Nielsen got possession they all tried to play the killer pass immediately rather than playing to their strengths and utilising neat interplay (triangles boys!).
Predictably, given the Nielsen policy of rotational keepers, this turned out to be the weak-point. Dov will want to forget his stint between the sticks with Panasonic being gifted a pair of simple goals. It was sloppy and indicative of the whole of Nielsen’s play throughout the game.
Although Nielsen admirably came back to 3-3, Panasonic once again took the lead. Nielsen’s players started to bicker amongst themselves, and desperation kicked in. With grit and determination they managed to equalise once again, and quite possibly should have won it late on with Tranter spurning a golden opportunity, however if honest, that would have been an injustice to Panasonic who will surely have gone home the more disappointed of the two sides.
So all in, a lucky, but vital point for Nielsen, meaning that the unbeaten run continues. Was probably the kick in the arse that the team needed given the ease with which they won their opening match of the season. Panasonic’s superior fitness paid dividends and their pressing game restricted time on the ball for the Nielsen boys to get their passing game going. Onwards and upwards.
Team performance: 6/10 – Kudos for battling back for a point, but the chances were there to win it..
El Griffo: Started the game in very unfamiliar territory between the sticks. Was largely unworked there however there was little that he could do to prevent the ‘Sonic opening goal. By the time he came outfield the team had begun to lose shape and El G was marshalled well by the Panasonic defence. Uncharacteristically the boy Griffiths missed a few opportunities and ended the game with no goals.
Dabsy: Again another solid performance this week from Mr Dependable. Had less opportunity to get forward yesterday than previously, so had to concentrate on defensive duties instead. Despite this he produced a couple of excellent balls into the box, and his opposition number had little joy against him.
Rhys: Had the excuse for the ref wearing black for his first pass of the game going astray, however it didn’t get much better once the official put a red bib on. A tough game with Jones unable to get into the game, should have done better in both defence and attack, however he was afforded little defensive cover in front of him. Needs to improve.
Lanco: Formed an unfamiliar centre-back partnership with Johnny Shorrock and the two Johns coped admirably in face of a pacy and strong Panasonic attack. Lanco won a fair few headers, and once gain skilfully managed to combine playing with managing. Will be disappointed that his side couldn’t keep up the winning run but will have no complaints about his own performance.
Shorrock: As alluded to this was yet another unfamiliar position for Johnny Boy. Yet he adapted and coped well. Was a strong voice at the back directing the play when given the opportunity, will feel that Rhys and himself ought to have dealt with one of Panasonic’s goals a tough better, however that would be nit-picking. Showed discipline and application. A very sound performance from Mr Reliable.
Thommo: Started out in right midfield but finished the game at centre half. An unsung hero, who produced a very sound performance. Cleaned up well at the back, was strong in the tackle and distributed well. He didn’t put a foot wrong all game and kept his composure throughout. A faultless performance, can’t give much higher praise than that.
Chippy: A product of the SOS call for players, Chippy turned up and filled in admirably on the left flank. Obviously a graduate from the David Ginola school of defending (you are allowed to enter your own half son!) Chippy did well in attack, and there were moments of neat interplay going forward. Soured his performance somewhat by buggering off early into the sunset!
Crooky: Cost more that the rest of the team put together (and that’s just for his clobber) soon to be Castle manager Crooky came in and played the midfield general’s job with grace. His distribution was faultless throughout and several great deliveries from freekicks were wasted by Nielsen. Faded somewhat as the game wore on and tired, but a sound debut from the ageless Merc-driving-maestro.
Huw: Another product of the late afternoon SOS call, Dabsy’s mate (who I realised by the end of the game that I also knew – that sums up my eyesight) came in and did a sterling job in midfield, pairing up well with Crooky. Had a good engine and was strong in the tackle. Topped off an excellent performance with a well taken goal. Did very well indeed, you’re welcome back anytime son!
Hobby: Started the game up top tucked in behind Tranter in the hole, and perhaps as a result struggled to get into the game as much. Did well nonetheless by holding the ball up well and providing many excellent flick-ons. Tainted his performance somewhat by kicking the Panasonic right winger into the trees and conceding a needless penno. Will have to control his temper next time and let the football do the talking!
Tranter: Looked like he was going to fill his boots with a pair of well taken goals early on, but it just didn’t happen for the speedster. The Panasonic defence handled him well and marshalled against the channel balls. Even resorting to rugby tackling in an attempt to stop him. Will be disappointed to have entered the Rhys Jones school of finishing by spurning a possible last gasp winner.
Dov: Dov turned up late and thus missed his scheduled early stint in goals, the poor sod must have wished that he hadn’t turned up at all. Conceded three goals early in the second half, although one was a penno. The less said about the other two and his goalkeeping skills the better shall we say! Has therefore cemented his outfield position ironically (good plan Dov, cunning) and will be better utilised where his excellent delivery skills can be used!
So you know the score, vote for your Man of the Match below:
Lanco has circulated the starting lineup for the second game of the season tonight. The gaffer has elected to go with a solid looking 4-4-2 formation, ignoring the fact that we have:
Well the season finally kicked off last night in some style for Nielsen FC. A 10-nil trouncing of those Halifax boys certainly showed “Who gives you extra” – I’ll certainly me smirking to myself the next time I see that twat Howard singing on those adverts.
Anyway to the performance itself. You can only beat what’s put in front of you I guess and once we sussed out how simple the win would be the Nielsen performance naturally deteriorated somewhat.
The opening 20mins saw high tempo, crisp, slick-passing and some neat interchanges between all, resulting in some well-taken and expertly constructed goals. However once it became too easy we lost our shape and began overplaying. It could easily have been closer to 20-0 if we (well Rhys actually) had been more clinical in front of goal.
Still it was an excellent start to the season and something to build on.
Team rating: 7/10
Andy “Barthez” Taylor: Started the game in goal due to his chronic knee condition, and quite frankly had bugger all to do. This therefore fed his hunger to play outfield and remarkably for someone with a torn cartilage did well when he came out (as long as everything was done in straight lines). However once he cocked up a goal-scoring opportunity early in the second half his knee “gave away” and he buggered off into the sunset, in true Fabian Barthez style. Mark “Finnan” Davison: Solid performance from Dabsy, made the rightback jersey his own (erm, probably more to do with nobody else wanting it). Contributed well in attack too as well as some excellent cover defending. Always available for the outlet and capped off a fine performance with a very well taken goal. Can’t fault his performance, the Steve Finnan award goes to Dabsy.
Rhys “Rosenthal” Jones: Well the lad certainly justified his tag as the Ronnie Rosenthal of Nielsen FC. After a shaky start, he got his game going to a point. However despite many overlapping runs and what felt like about 30 attempts at goal, he failed to hit the back of the net, In fact he got further away with every chance, resulting in the piece de resistance of hitting the Hubble telescope from 3 yards out. Shocking. Justifiably sent into the goal as punishment for the rest of the game…
John “Hoddle” Lancaster: The player manager was a strong presence defensively all evening, always communicating and directing play, even during his stint between the sticks. Was dominant in the air too winning some key headers, which proved to be the catalyst for several attacks. Will be pleased by successfully combining management with playing, lets just hope he keeps his karma-thoughts to himself unlike Glenn.
Dave “Lucio” Taylor: Looking smart in his all-in-one painted on tight fitting combo (I think his face was the only piece of skin showing on a sunny evening), this lad comes straight from the Brazil-school of selective defending (via Chepstow Town). Just like Lucio, he successfully strode into attack at every given moment. In what could be the last performance of his life (The Royal Gwent has butchers for surgeons son) he capped off a fine performance with a goal, ending a move worthy of the 24-pass Argentine goal in the last world cup.
Huw “Robben” Roberts: Got going well in his debut performance for Nielsen FC. Took part in some slick interplay with Dabsy, Tranter and El G. Was nice to see him returning the favour for years of El G and Rhys playing for Hugh James – however his debut was cruelly cut short by injury after half an hour. He still managed to cap off a promising performance with an excellently taken debut goal.
Richard “Figo” Donovan: An excellent opening performance from our very own Figo, operating successfully on both the left and right flanks. However the cherry on top were his excellent deliveries from wide out, which deserved far more than they got. Combined well with both fullbacks and worked tirelessly on the wing. He’s set the standard high and will strive to keep this level of performance up for the rest of the season without doubt.
John “Makelele” Shorrock: Johnny boy played in a relatively unfamiliar role of sitting on front of the back four last night but he almost immediately made the spot his own. Disciplined and always available, our own Claude set the tempo for the performance by directing play from deep in midfield. Got forward too on occasion with some joy. Most of the best moves involved Shorrock and linked up the play well. Cracking performance.
Alan “Lampard” Hobby: Played in advance of Claude in midfield and contributed well to both that attacking and defensive side of things. Showed his strength in the tackle, and linked up well with El G up front. Played the Lampard role with aplomb and even scuffed in a penno to top off his performance. The signs are there of a fruitful alliance with Claude in centre midfield.
Phil “Henry” Tranter: Belying his seeming veteran looks, Tranter had a stormer up top. Electrifying place in abundance the Halifax defence struggled to contain the deadly marksman. They were offered restbite in the second half with Thierry retiring to centre half, but proved dangerous even there culminating in being the catalyst for the 24-pass Cambiasso-esque goal later on in the game. Looks like a deadly front-line partnership with El G was born last night.
Steven “Rooney” Griffiths: This lad has struggled of late, and not scored as many as his high standards require this season, however this was exactly the type of game he needed to regain some confidence. Took his goals expertly and played the link role between midfield and Thierry with style. Halifax didn’t know how to handle the maestro and his clinical finishing set the tone. Unselfish performance from Rooney, will be looking forward to carrying on the trend next week.
Wilma “Wayne Bridge” : Came on after 20 mins and played the rest of the game. Started off on the left flank and contributed excellently to the cause. Always ready for the outlet and stormed forward at ever opportunity. Looked good on the ball whether it was in defence or attack. Yet another excellent debut performance from our Wayne, confident on the ball and solid. Excellent stuff.
So then, you know how it works, you vote for who you think man of the match was innit. (p.s. Don’t be a clart and vote for yourself 20 times Dave)
