Ben Nelson

[MPH]

5 minutes ago, Stadt said:

Why is one 45 minutes in a shit side thrown together for a cup game enough to rule him out but Faes/Vestergaard can shit up games all they like? 
 

If he cost us £6m he wouldn’t have been treated like this. The approach to academy players is all wrong and you’d think having the director of football also being the academy director might help but, no it doesn’t.

we have given 16 and 17 year olds first team appearances this season..

[It'sblueupnorth]

If I were him I’d be getting out in January

[SafewayFox]

3 minutes ago, MPH said:

we have given 16 and 17 year olds first team appearances this season..

Only to bomb one out of the squad as soon as Reid is fit again.

 

Marti’s (albeit small sample size) track record here for promoting from the academy is pretty hideous if look deep enough.

[honeybradger]

3 minutes ago, MPH said:

we have given 16 and 17 year olds first team appearances this season..

Monga is a ridiculous talent, giving him minutes is expected.

 

Starting Page was a rug pull in order to get him to sign a new contract. Not the most academy friendly of practices.

[Stadt]

2 minutes ago, MPH said:

we have given 16 and 17 year olds first team appearances this season..

3 starts between them and 2 were out of necessity.

 

What I mean is our academy players have to jump through hoops all the time, Nelson is being held to a higher standard than any of our other CBs? Why is he dropped for mistakes but Faes and Vestergaard play with impunity.

 

Nelson has gone out on loan 3 times, impressed everywhere, looked good in the few games for us in the championship last time and gets to watch proven failures cost us points?

[Guest]

Shame how there is a seemingly endless supply of clean slates for the "established" (i.e. we've established over a long time they're not very good) defenders no matter how many clangers they drop but Nelson will be beaten over the head with a bad half in the league cup until he leaves, which he presumably will before too long if he has designs on actually playing football.

[Aleksz]

37 minutes ago, Stadt said:

Why is one 45 minutes in a shit side thrown together for a cup game enough to rule him out but Faes/Vestergaard can shit up games all they like? 
 

If he cost us £6m he wouldn’t have been treated like this. The approach to academy players is all wrong and you’d think having the director of football also being the academy director might help but, no it doesn’t.

This is it ain’t it. Feels like some are only making the matchday squad at the minute due to their transfer fee or wage packet, because it certainly isn’t their performances on the pitch. 

[Noahfence]

Nelson has bloody played for us already in the championship and done fine!!! I really don’t get it 

[MPH]

1 hour ago, Stadt said:

3 starts between them and 2 were out of necessity.

 

What I mean is our academy players have to jump through hoops all the time, Nelson is being held to a higher standard than any of our other CBs? Why is he dropped for mistakes but Faes and Vestergaard play with impunity.

 

Nelson has gone out on loan 3 times, impressed everywhere, looked good in the few games for us in the championship last time and gets to watch proven failures cost us points?

 

Faes has only just returned to the team has he not? 
 

and with Nelson, his talent I don’t think is in question… but you have to ask why consecutive Leicester managers have not fancied him?

[Sol thewall Bamba]

He'll be off.

[Leeds Fox]

1 hour ago, MPH said:

 

Faes has only just returned to the team has he not? 
 

and with Nelson, his talent I don’t think is in question… but you have to ask why consecutive Leicester managers have not fancied him?

I genuinely think it’s to appease the egos of Vestergaard and Faes. Okoli was fancied over Faes previously (likely due to a potential transfer for Faes).

 

JV and WF being senior pros. A new manager might find it difficult to leave them out, risk disrupting the squad harmony and ultimately losing the dressing room.

 

Faes is a liability, but in the grand scheme, are his mistakes more of a hindrance than having a nightmare of an ego stinking out the place? Same goes for Vestergaard.

 

I don’t know the answer but it could well be the way Marti is dealing with a tricky situation. Faes WILL be off at some point sooner rather than later. Hopefully they’ve communicated to Nelson that his time will come, but diplomatically and not in as many words. 

Edited 27 September 2025 by Leeds Fox

[Dan]

Wonder how long he'd be out of the team for if he'd been a part of that absolute joke of a goal tonight.

[Dan]

5 hours ago, beepee1984 said:

I'm a Nelson fan long term, but he didn't take his chance this season.

 

He'll get another chance when injury or suspensions affect the team - or FA CUP 3rd round - otherwise he needs to go on loan in January

I'm not trying to dig you specifically out but the amount of people who call those calling out this situation reactionary yet simultaneously agree with this.

[DezFox]

Woefully mismanaged IMO per usual 

Edited 27 September 2025 by DezFox

[MPH]

48 minutes ago, Leeds Fox said:

I genuinely think it’s to appease the egos of Vestergaard and Faes. Okoli was fancied over Faes previously (likely due to a potential transfer for Faes).

 

JV and WF being senior pros. A new manager might find it difficult to leave them out, risk disrupting the squad harmony and ultimately losing the dressing room.

 

Faes is a liability, but in the grand scheme, are his mistakes more of a hindrance than having a nightmare of an ego stinking out the place? Same goes for Vestergaard.

 

I don’t know the answer but it could well be the way Marti is dealing with a tricky situation. Faes WILL be off at some point sooner rather than later. Hopefully they’ve communicated to Nelson that his time will come, but diplomatically and not in as many words. 

 I’m not one bit a fan of Faes, btw

 

 Im sure Faes will be off . Hopefully in January. I do feel like some players are played more to protect their sell on value. I I feel like football is a far murkier world than what we realize, with more owner intervention than we know.

[Leeds Fox]

3 hours ago, MPH said:

 I’m not one bit a fan of Faes, btw

 

 Im sure Faes will be off . Hopefully in January. I do feel like some players are played more to protect their sell on value. I I feel like football is a far murkier world than what we realize, with more owner intervention than we know.

Agree!

 

In any other industry, the top level make the massive budgetary/financial decisions. Something like this would be legitimate and understandable. Obviously not in regards staff but products etc.

[dayday]

I think the reason he doesn’t get in the side is his his performance against Huddersfield, he did look awful to be honest 

[moore_94]

7 hours ago, MPH said:

 

Faes has only just returned to the team has he not? 
 

and with Nelson, his talent I don’t think is in question… but you have to ask why consecutive Leicester managers have not fancied him?

I really don’t think it is a case of consecutive managers not fancying him

 

Under Enzo he was still only 18/19, our defence was doing well and he still got a bit of involvement - he maybe could’ve played a bit more but he was still young with only a couple of “meh” loans under his belt

 

Under Cooper he probably wasn’t quite ready yet for the Prem and a loan was the correct decision and he had a very good loan at Oxford showing he is more than good enough at this level

 

This is the first season where he should be getting proper game time and the manager isn’t giving him any at all so far

[FoxesWalk]

Given Faes’ howler, he should be dropped for the next game, be that for Nelson or Okoli. Given we should in theory dominate the ball vs Wrexham I’d probably try Nelson. 

[LCFCJohn]

36 minutes ago, dayday said:

I think the reason he doesn’t get in the side is his his performance against Huddersfield, he did look awful to be honest 

It’s not the reason. He was only chucked the cup game due to being last choice anyway. It is just a reason people are using to justify it and to justify their Vestergaard/Faes fetish

[Sol thewall Bamba]

6 hours ago, MPH said:

 I’m not one bit a fan of Faes, btw

 

 Im sure Faes will be off . Hopefully in January. I do feel like some players are played more to protect their sell on value. I I feel like football is a far murkier world than what we realize, with more owner intervention than we know.

I wouldn't worry about owner intervention here. Ours is barely in the same hemisphere when the team plays let alone telling the manager which CB to play.

[Claudio Fannieri]

It is a valid point football isn’t just played out on the pitch anymore it’s also a financial element , as @MPH says I am pretty sure there will be a directive that certain players are to be included to protect future transfer value and this will be the same at every club. It’s business just like being told by a boss to do something you don’t necessarily agree with but accept as part and parcel of business strategy and politics. 
 

Nelson and Page are both included in the matchday travelling party so suggests they are well regarded and Marti is keeping them included but I do think there is a directive to keep some of the big earners in the shop window in the hope of attracting decent offers in January. 

Edited 27 September 2025 by Claudio Fannieri

[Stormfox]

12 hours ago, beepee1984 said:

I'm a Nelson fan long term, but he didn't take his chance this season.

 

He'll get another chance when injury or suspensions affect the team - or FA CUP 3rd round - otherwise he needs to go on loan in January

Why didn't he go on loan in the summer??? 

[Stormfox]

11 hours ago, MPH said:

I’m beginning to think Nelson was one of the ones who wanted out..

I'm sure his agent is now on it

[Stormfox]

9 hours ago, MPH said:

 

Faes has only just returned to the team has he not? 
 

and with Nelson, his talent I don’t think is in question… but you have to ask why consecutive Leicester managers have not fancied him?

Because he is young and there are senior internationals so they get to start.... All about keeping a job by pushing for promotion