Derby County have brought in defender Curtis Nelson to strengthen the back line. The 30 year old joins the Rams from Blackpool where he spent the second half last season. Prior to that he was at Cardiff. What can he bring to the Rams? We spoke with Up The Mighty Pool, Three Little Birds and Cardiff fan Nigel Harris to find out!
Derby have signed Curtis Nelson. What do you make of it?
UTMP: He's a steady signing for a club looking to bounce back to the Championship. I doubt we were in for him permanently due to going back to trying to play football a slightly different way to Mick McCarthy.
Three Little Birds: Nelson is certainly a shrewd signing for Derby on a free transfer, but if he doesn’t start well, then he might fade onto the bench.
Nigel: He's a good signing. I have few doubts he will quickly win over Derby fans and be a success for the Rams.
He played 18 times on loan for Blackpool last season. How did he perform last season?
UTMP: Had a couple of horror shows early on and his nickname became ‘av it’ due to our surprise at disregarding playing out from the back and turning to lumping it up / out of play at will. After a run of games and the reality that we were battling for our lives, he did a decent job and was always committed to the cause.
He played 116 times in four seasons at Cardiff. How would you sum up his time with the Bluebirds?
Three Little Birds: Nelson was signed by Neil Warnock on a free from Oxford, which being the captain of the U’s, it was good to see some leadership through the door. He started well, particularly under Neil Harris with our Play-Offs charge, however, he tailed off very quickly and you could tell he’d lost all confidence in himself by the end, under Mick McCarthy and then Mark Hudson.
Nigel: Nels was always solid, rarely spectacular. A no frills centre-half who always did a capable job although he was very much a key player in a play-off season for Cardiff, scoring at Craven Cottage against Fulham in the semi-final when Cardiff were narrowly edged out.
He was loaned out during the second half of last season to Blackpool. Why was that?
Three Little Birds: He wasn’t actually loaned out last season, we released him, which goes to show how bad he’d been for us in the past year or so. Many fans were glad to see the back of him, due to his lacklustre performances in the dying months of his Bluebirds career. The fact Blackpool haven’t opted to keep him on is quite telling, in my opinion.
Nigel: Cardiff just had an awful season with four different managers, each playing differing styles. They started last season with Steve Morison as manager who brought in a crazy 17 new signings. Nels, who didn't have the best of seasons in 2021/22, lost his place last season to excellent loan signing Cedric Kipre, and never managed to regain it.
Would you consider his time at Cardiff a success?
Three Little Birds: He signed for free and left for free. I wouldn’t consider his time a success, nor was it unsuccessful. Lots of peaks and troughs, lots of positives and negatives over his 116 appearances.
Nigel: Cardiff fans have mixed views but, overall, he was decent. He did fall away in his time with the Bluebirds but Cardiff have been in a certain amount of turmoil flirting with relegation in the last two seasons and few thrived in that time. What I will say he is certainly fully equipped for the better League One sides. He possibly was not quite for better Championship teams.
Did Cardiff express any interest in re-signing him once is contract expired?
Three Little Birds: No. I’m sure once he was out of the door, they were happy to get his wages off the books.
Nigel: When he was loaned to Blackpool in January, it was always with a view to seeing out his contract. Cardiff are again in transition (maybe chaos) with a fifth manager in 12 months in Turkish man Erol Bulut who seems set to bring in a number of new players so Nels was always leaving this summer.
How would you sum up his time at Bloomfield Road? Was his time a success?
UTMP: Ultimately no, because we got relegated, but he did a decent job.
Did Blackpool express any interest in signing him permanently once is contract expired?
UTMP: Unlikely due to the change of manager. Funnily enough though, if Mickhad kept us up then he would probably have earned a new deal.
What are his strengths?
UTMP: Commitment, work rate, aerial threat.
Three Little Birds: He’s good in the air, and as I mentioned, he’s a good leader. He started comfortably with the ball at his feet, but that was compared to Sean Morrison and Aden Flint.
Nigel: Heading. Positional play can be strong and he is a decent tackler. He often looks composed. He's definitely a basic solid no frills style defender. He's combative but not always the best on the ball so looks best when he wins it and moves it on. He is very useful at attacking set pieces as he has a strong leap which helps at both ends of the pitch.
His weaknesses?
UTMP: Playing in tight areas under pressure, the Richard Keogh area of the game (through balls and taking the ball into midfield).
Three Little Birds: His tackling seemed to get worse towards the end, missing simple challenges and getting caught out on the ball frequently. Struggled to adapt to different systems and definitely suits a more one-dimensional style.
Nigel: He has mistakes in him, can look clumsy at times and uncomfortable when players run at him so does concede silly free kicks in dangerous areas but his plusses outweigh minuses.
As a centre-half, is he comfortable on the ball or is he more of an old-fashioned defender? What other elements to his game are there?
UTMP: I would say old fashioned which fits the Warne philosophy but it’s potentially a tad harsh. If asked to play a different way it might be different and he was probably following instructions.
Three Little Birds: You could tell he wanted to be good on the ball, but as time went on, he got caught out more often. The constant changing of managers certainly didn’t help. Was good for Neil Harris and Mick McCarthy up to a certain point for each. He tries passing, but whether they find their man or not, is another story.
Is he better playing in a back five or a back two?
UTMP: I would say he’s capable at either. We tried both formations and he was strong enough in a two, or can also play at the middle or right of a three.
Three Little Birds: It’s a hard one to answer, because he was deployed in both. If he plays in a back five, he’s best on the right side, playing passes to the wing back. In a four, I feel he’d be caught in possession with more progressive options available, albeit harder options than passing sideways.
Do you think that Curtis Nelson can be good player in League One for Derby?
UTMP: Absolutely, he could be part of a side that challenges for promotion. Probably not the same calibre you’ve been used to in recent years but could do a lot worse than signing someone who will give his all for the badge.
Three Little Birds: I’ve no doubt he’ll be a good League One player, especially in one of the better squads in the division. With leadership and Championship experience, I’d be surprised if he didn’t improve your defence. Although I may seem harsh on him, it was varying styles in the Championship, so I do sympathise.
Nigel: Absolutely. Nels last League One spell at Oxford saw him shine brightly. He's still loved and missed by their fans. He is now a better and more experienced player so I have no doubt he will be an asset for the Rams.
All Cardiff fans really wish him well as he's an honest hard working player and a decent guy too.
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