New Zealand skipper Ryan Nelsen says he always knew Town defender Tommy Smith had the skills required to be a captain. Smith stood in for the Tottenham centre-half during the All Whites’ friendlies in the US last week and could be formally named Nelsen’s vice-captain and likely successor by coach Ricki Herbert this week.
Nelsen says he’s pleased for the 22-year-old, who became New Zealand’s youngest-ever skipper when he took the armband for the 2-2 draw with El Salvador and then the 1-0 victory over Honduras: "You could always tell that Tommy would have leadership qualities; he's a sensible guy, he's got a good presence about him and everything about him steers toward being a captain.
"At such a young age to be captain, it will be a great experience for him, and it's such a fantastic honour as well. I'm really happy for him, because he's a lovely guy.
"Some people become better players when they become captain, and I think he'll take that extra responsibility and love it."
Nelsen, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, says Smith can be a role model for other younger players coming into the All Whites side: "The New Zealand team doesn't really have very many players at the age of 26-to-29 at the moment; it's the young guys and then old guys.
"Hopefully, all those young players can learn from Tommy. He's a very good professional and he's far more sensible than I am."
Smith and the rest of the New Zealand squad, minus Nelsen, will arrive in the Solomon Islands for the Oceania Nations Cup on Wednesday where they take on Fiji (June 2nd), Papua New Guinea (June 4th) and the hosts (June 6th) with all the matches played in the capital Honiara.
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