Ryan Nelsen looks to familiar ground for signings

Following his appointment in January at Canadian side Toronto FC, former Blackburn, Spurs and QPR defender Ryan Nelsen has turned to pastures old when signing new recruits.

Nelsen’s four signings since taking the Toronto hot seat have all come from England, a part of the world that New Zealander Nelsen knows very well landed on our shores with Blackburn Rovers following his move from D.C. United.

Nelsen has recruited John Bostock, a player he would have seen at close quarters from his time with Spurs.  Bostock, a player who showed bundles of promise as a teenager at Crystal Palace, appears to have gone backwards since moving to White Hart Lane and has endured a succession of loan spells with an array of football league clubs.

Nelsen also raided another of his old clubs, in persuading winger come forward Hogan Ephraim to make the switch from Queens Park Rangers.  Ephraim has been a victim of the cash injection made by Tony Fernandes at Loftus Road and has fallen down the pecking order behind an influx of big name signings.

In addition to Bostock and Ephraim, Nelsen has added a couple of experienced head to his squad in the form of Darel Russell and Rob Earnshaw.  Russell, a League winner last season with Charlton Athletic, moves from Portsmouth.  While Earnshaw, the only player to score a hat trick in the Premier League, all three divisions of the football league, the FA Cup, League Cup and at International level was a free agent having left hometown club Cardiff City at the end of January.

Aaron SharpFollow @ajs26061988