All Whites great in awe of Wood

By Michael Burgess

All Whites legend Ryan Nelsen believes Chris Wood has placed himself into a new echelon of footballers, after another remarkable season in the English Premier League.

Nelsen feels that the 32-year-old is getting “better and better”, though laments that his goal-scoring deeds still go under the radar here, as we struggle to understand the significance of what he has achieved.

Despite being an optimist, Nelsen concedes that it is something that we may never see again from a Kiwi player, or certainly not for a few generations.

When the Premier League season wrapped up two weeks ago, Wood was again prominent on the goal-scoring charts. After a couple of difficult campaigns – with injuries and lack of game time – Wood bounced back in his first full season with Nottingham Forest.

He scored 14 league goals from 31 matches, a massive factor in their top-flight survival.

It was the fifth time he had recorded 10 goals or more in the Premier League, since his move to Burnley as a 26-year-old in August 2017. The Aucklander now has 69 Premier League goals, more than the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Danny Welbeck, Anthony Martial, Stan Collymore and David Beckham.

Talking with the Herald, Nelsen struggled to find the superlatives to put Wood’s deeds in context.

“To get double digits as a striker in the Premier League consistently is unbelievably rare,” said Nelsen.

“It just doesn’t happen. You are in a certain echelon of player. It’s a credit to his perseverance, from when he started out, to be in this situation.

“What he is doing is one of the most difficult things in football. It’s the hardest league to score goals in, you’re up against the best defenders and goalkeepers in the world. I don’t think people realise what he has achieved and what he is still achieving.”

As Nelsen points out, Wood’s feats are even more noteworthy given he has mostly played for lesser teams.

“They don’t generate a lot of chances – so it is even more difficult.”

Only 12 players scored more than Wood last season, many among the biggest names in the sport. But the New Zealander was ahead of plenty of other superstars, including Kai Havertz, Julian Alvarez, Darwin Nunez, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.

And the former Onehunga Sports and Cambridge FC forward was incredibly efficient. He averaged a goal every 129 minutes – only three players did better (Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak) - and his tally came from just 41 shots, with his goal conversion rate (34 per cent) second among the league’s sharpshooters.

Wood also performed when it mattered, as Forest faced the spectre of relegation for most of the season, particularly after their four-point deduction in March.

“He gets important goals – they are needed,” said Nelsen. “It’s not the fourth goal in a 4-0 win.

“You can see it in the British media; they really respect what he has done. Strikers can do it for a couple of years but he has done it consistently and it’s not a fluke. Especially when your club is down the bottom. The pressure is on, it’s intense when you are down there and he delivered.”

Wood grabbed the decisive goal in both 1-1 draws against relegation rivals Luton. There was the spectacular hat-trick at Newcastle, the late headed winner against Sheffield United and the brace at Burnley, along with the brilliant looping header against Crystal Palace.

Wood’s goals directly contributed 12 points (of 32), while his tally represented almost one-third of the club’s goals (49).

Nelsen blazed the trail for Kiwis in the Premier League. He accumulated 198 games between 2005 and 2013, mostly at Blackburn, where he was captain for an extended period. Like Wood, he arrived relatively late, signed from the MLS as a 27-year-old.

Wood toiled for almost a decade – across nine different clubs – before establishing himself at Turf Moor, following the move from Leeds United in 2017.

“What I love about Woodsy’s story is that it hasn’t been all roses,” said Nelsen. “It was tough at the start but every year he has adapted and improved. And you have to. Every club, every player gets better every year so if you don’t, you fall behind, so he has had to keep get better and better. If you don’t deliver you are out; goodbye, godspeed and they will replace you. It is cut throat.”

According to Nelsen, the hardest aspect of life in the Premier League is the mental side, with the constant pressure and unrelenting focus.

“You can’t have a day off. You can’t be at 95 per cent and expect to excel. The game is too ruthless.”

Nelsen feels it is hard for Kiwis to fully appreciate Wood’s exploits, as our major sports (rugby, cricket, league and netball) are almost impossible to compare in terms of a global footprint.

“Every year there are so many people around the world that want your job,” said Nelsen. “Everybody loves the notion of being in the Premier League, playing at that top level. But the reality of it, it’s hard work, it’s pressure, it’s tough.”

Wood has accumulated 229 Premier League appearances, ahead of Nelsen and Winston Reid (166). Simon Elliott (12 games, Fulham), Danny Hay (five matches, Leeds) and Lee Norfolk (three games, Ipswich) are the other Premier League Kiwis.

It’s hard to see Wood’s top-flight longevity being matched and even more difficult to imagine another New Zealander replicating his feats in front of goal.

“We might not see it again,” agreed Nelsen. “But you might not see that from an Australian footballer again, or bigger football markets. This is a level of play that a lot of countries might not get a player to, even though there are hundreds of millions of young boys around the world that want to do what Chris has done.

“Obviously, I hope it does get beaten. He has done things that people thought were impossible for a New Zealand striker. But it isn’t because he has done it.”

Chris Wood goals per Premier League season

2017/18 - 10
2018/19 - 10
2019/20 - 14
2020/21 - 12
2021/22 - 5
2022/23 - 3
2023/24 - 14

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission