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Nsiala: I’ve Come Back Different Mentally
Thursday, 17th Sep 2020 10:26

Central defender Toto Nsiala feels he benefited from having a break from football during the lockdown and says he’s come back “different mentally” this season and with a changed perspective on the game and also any criticism that comes his way.

The 28-year-old had a difficult 2019/20 campaign having suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season which sidelined him for the first few months. When he returned, he was unable to match the form which led Paul Hurst to take him from his former club Shrewsbury along with Jon Nolan soon after he took over at Town in the summer of 2018.

A loan move to Bolton followed in January and the DR Congo international’s Town career looked likely to end this summer.

However, he impressed during pre-season and has continued that renaissance now the campaign proper is under way and was handed the captain’s armband for last night’s Carabao Cup tie against Fulham with regular skipper Luke Chambers on the bench.

Reflecting on that game, which ended 1-0 to the Premier League side, Nsiala said: “It was a good challenge, I think we stepped up well. They played great football, they did it in the Championship and they’re doing it in the Premier League as well.

“I think we were really disciplined in the way we went about the shape. They were always going to have most of the ball a team like Fulham.

“I think the boys coped really well. Everyone that played in this team tonight stuck to the game plan and what the gaffer said and came out feeling proud of themselves.”

The Kinshasa-born, Liverpool-raised defender hopes it’s a performance which he and his team-mates can take into their League One fixtures.

“That’s always the idea, when you come off the pitch after coming up against a team like that and coping,” he reflected.

“But league games are completely different in terms of the style of play you come up against.

“If you can keep your discipline against the likes of Fulham, you’ve given yourself a great chance to do it in the league.”

"Nsiala has played alongside James Wilson for the last two matches and the two have formed a solid central defensive partnership. He says that’s the result of work on the training field and everybody in the squad knowing how the team is expected to play.

“Anyone who plays will do well in this team,” he insisted. “It’s just what’s being driven in every week of this season now, the shape and the way we play and that you’ve got to stick to it. No matter how it’s going, just stick to a game plan.

“Everyone who comes in knows exactly what they’re doing. JD [Janoi Donacien], Willo [Wilson] and just anyone who comes in will do well. I’m just buzzing to be playing really.”

The one-time Everton trainee says it’s key for players to be ready to come in when required, while at the same time those in the team trying everything they can to keep hold of the shirt.

“I didn’t really play that much last season,” he continued. “Myself personally, I’ve got to try and stay in the team as long as possible and keep putting in the hard work. If I’m out of it then I’ll be putting in the hard work just to get back in it.


“It’s a long season, but there are players who are going to come in, play for a long time and then come out of it as well.

“I think the main point is to get promoted and if we stick together and support each other in the downtime when players aren’t playing or are injured, we’ll do well, we’ll build a good team spirit, which is exactly what we want to do this season.”

Nsiala said he enjoyed the responsibility of captaining the team for the first time against Fulham but he says plenty of other players are also showing leadership on the pitch this season, including some of the younger members of the squad.

“Yes, but it’s just an armband, everyone in this team are leaders, even the younger ones like Doz [Andre Dozzell],” he said. “I’ve heard him abusing the referee a lot lately, so everyone seems to have a voice in the team right now. I don’t know whether that’s because it’s a bit quieter that you hear it more.

“In training everyone’s pushing each other. Obviously you’ve got Skip [Chambers], who’s just a born leader and someone that we look up to and takes the armband with pride. But in terms of anyone else, it’s there for anyone really, everyone deserves it, everyone is a leader in the team.”

Looking back at his tough 2019/20 campaign, Nsiala says even from the start of pre-season all wasn’t well.

“When I first started pre-season I didn’t really feel myself in terms of weight and the way I came back,” he recalled. “I probably overworked and I got injured and then I just couldn’t get a rhythm, didn’t do myself justice.

“It’s one of them this season where I’ve just tried to shut out the noise and not really listen to anyone, any sort of messages or anything else.

“Let’s be honest, I’ve had a lot of them, but it’s one of them where I enjoy them really, just keep them coming, it just pushes me to do well, it pushes the boys to do well.

“Whatever gets said, whatever gets published around the club, we as a club, we as a team put it behind us and just perform and do our job, and that’s exactly what we’re going to try and do. Put it all behind us and do well this season.”

Nsiala admits that criticism from supporters on social media got to him last season but feels the lockdown and the months away from football have given him a different perspective.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it did bother me, but the time off I had was probably the best,” he said.

“I was away from football and just got to spend a little more time with family and found myself mentally and I’ve just been thankful I’ve had God on my side and I’ve come back different mentally and whatever gets said now literally doesn’t bother me anymore because I’m not really playing for anyone else apart from God.”

He says it was a period of reflection: “I think it was just the time away from football and spending time with my family, just acknowledging in life that there are better things to worry about in terms of your family and whatever’s been going on around us in these hard times. There’s more to life than just football.

“It just made me think that I was worrying about things that might not mean as much as staying alive and being around family, it was a good moment for me.”

From the start of pre-season this summer manager Paul Lambert has praised Nsiala’s performances in training and in games and the defender feels he and the rest of the squad were able to start again with a clean slate following last season’s disappointments.

“When we all came back the message to us was ‘Boys, it wasn’t good enough last season, obviously this season we have to put it right’,” he said.

“And the message was that everyone will play, if you do well you play, you’ll get to keep your shirt. And I think it was a freedom to have a fresh start and to start again.

“The club have really helped me with things like sitting down with the owner [Marcus Evans] and [general manager of football operations] Lee [O’Neill] and the club have really helped me to get settled again.

“There have been a lot of personal things that they’ve really been [there] to sort out for me, which has made it easier for me to be around and do OK.”

He admits there were times he thought his Town career would be coming to an end with Dundee United among the clubs understood to be interested in signing him earlier in the summer.

“At the start of the season I thought I was off,” he said. “There was a lot of news around that but I was always hoping, and am still hoping, that I stay and just get on and, it might sound wrong, but just shut a few people up.”

Nsiala says he’s enjoying his football again but is aware there will be bumps in the road at some point in the season.

“I’m always going to enjoy my football when I’m doing well but there’s always going to come a time where we as a team won’t be at our best,” he said.

“There are going to be games where we’re not at our best, but I’m pretty sure the team that I’ve got around me and the players will always keep me going and keep me happy, and I’ll do the same for them and keep them motivated and stay in a good mood.”

Is there plenty more to come from him as a Town player? “There’s much more to come from the whole team really. Honestly, I’m not just saying it because they’re my team-mates but what I see in training and the ability of some of the players here, Bish, Nolo and Judgey and others, it’s a joke.

“It’s a really good and I’m hoping that they’re able to showcase it more this season so the fans and everyone else around this club can see what they can achieve, what they can do because the talent we’ve got in the squad is unbelievable.

“I feel challenged being around such good players. There’s more to come from everyone in the team.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s League One match at Bristol Rovers, the Blues’ first away game of the season, he says it’s important to add to the three points gained against Wigan last Sunday.

“Every game is vital to us, literally every league game is vital to us,” he added. “We’ve just got to play for a win. We’ve got to go into every game and get those three points as early as possible.

“If it’s not meant to happen then it doesn’t happen, but we’ll put in a good fight to get every three points.”"


Photos: Matchday Images/TWTD



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cat added 20:03 - Sep 17
Thing I find funny Arnie is you're more than happy to refer to fellow fans as “a bunch of knobs” etc etc but when it comes to them dishing it to our over paid and underperforming players you take offence, or maybe you have just got out of the positive side of bed this morning. Fans will be around a lot longer than the Chambers etc (well hopefully lol) of this world so maybe you have your priorities wrong. It's a forum for fans to vent their frustrations, if players choose to read this site (mainly for vanity I'd imagine) then all fool them.
I've had this very conversation with you a couple of seasons ago, maybe you have forgotten that!
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TimmyH added 20:15 - Sep 17
@ArnieM - to be honest at the back end of last season the vitriol was coming out left right and centre.

My first post was never intended to wind anybody up or be irrational but my own thoughts on Toto and where I believe he is right now at the club (amazed at the 29 down votes, maybe many feel sorry for him?) but there is another side of me which thinks it's more than about football...
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midastouch added 20:33 - Sep 17
We all want to see our players succeed. Last season Nsiala was well below par (he seemed reckless at times) but hopefully he's found a new lease of life. Yes the early signs are certainly positive. However, it's too early into the season to get carried away just yet with where we are. So far we've beaten Bristol Rovers and a Wigan team that was assembled at 2 minutes to midnight. Fair play to Toto for wanting to fight hard to win back his place in the starting line up, all credit to him there. Nonetheless, can't see what a crime it is for anybody to say they would rather see Woolfenden starting than Nsiala. If Nsiala maintains his recent form then maybe he would make a nice pairing with Woolfenden as the season develops. TimmyH currently prefers Woolfenden to Toto, what's so bad about that? I'm sure if Toto steps up this season and continues to put in solid performances TimmyH might be won around but he's simply saying that he's still not quite certain just yet if Toto will be up to the job this season. What's the crime in that? Really don't see the need for people on here to be calling him a muppet just because he has a preference for one player in a certain position over another. It's not necessary.
3

cat added 20:59 - Sep 17
Nicely put Midas and I'm sure those that actually pay any attention to posters comments and thoughts might well remember Timmy's had a tough time recently.
It's not so much the ‘muppet' which was the out of order piece, but referring to him as a Norwich fan, that's simply unforgivable, hey Brixtonblue? Shame on you! Lol Keep off the bandwagon cause your the one looking like a complete ass now!
-1

midastouch added 21:18 - Sep 17
@ Cat. I've enjoyed reading TimmyH's comments on here in recent seasons. He might sound a tad pessimistic but I would argue that's totally understandable given the last time we beat a team of any worth was Leeds (in what was effectively a dead rubber). Getting your hopes up over ITFC these last 20 years has been fraught with danger and disappointment! I'd love to think we're about to turn the corner but I need to see a lot more evidence first, after all, we've only played one league game so far. My heart is saying maybe just maybe this time, but my head is saying don't be so daft! :-)
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ArnieM added 21:33 - Sep 17
Cat . Yes I have forgotten that conversation. But don't you think some fans can be a bunch of knobs? I just get cheesed of Iwith the constant sniping at the players. We are meant to back them, yes that doesn't mean they're immune from being critiqued but some of what's said to / about players is ( IMO), way over the top and it's CONSTANT. The vitriol as TimmyH mentions is mostly one way from certain sections or certain fans and is constantly directed at one or two of our players. I honestly don't see what purpose it serves. It certainly tends to make everything else feel demoralised I think. As for TimmyH saying I'm the worst at vitriol comments on here, I find laughable tbh . The abuse levied by certain individuals on here towards other posters makes anything I may have said pale into powderpuff tame ness as an extreme.

I guess we will just have to differ in our view of things.
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cat added 21:34 - Sep 17
Midas, I always start a season (or game) full of optimism, it's like a default setting in my brain (lol
The role of a supporter is to have an opinion and this site gives us a platform, whether it's POS or Neg. If we all start agreeing and back slapping then this site will simply die on its ass, bit like brixtonblue! 😂😂
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midastouch added 21:40 - Sep 17
Great to hear you're feeling optimistic Cat.  However, I know who's leading the race as the most optimistic about our chances this season, the one and only Dolphinblue!  :-)
0

BrixtonBlue added 21:41 - Sep 17
midas - if Timmy JUST said he preferred Woolfy I don't think he'd have got so much grief. It's the fact that it's the first post under a story about a player suffering because of criticism from his own fans - where he's being criticised by one of his own fans (put directly to Toto, saying it's only 1 game in and that at times YOU looked a bit edgy). It seemed to massively miss the point.

No-one's saying Toto's become a world-beater, we're just trying to reverse some of the negative stuff that's clearly got him down.

cat - I have no idea who Timmy is (I don't usually frequent the news story comments, I post on the proper forum) and I stand by my comments, for the reasons stated above.
0

Terry_Nutkins added 21:44 - Sep 17
Timmy you wrote "I wouldn't want him to be a regular starter". I think on the back of a positive story about a guy who has worked really hard and forced his way back into the team and quite frankly has played 4-5 games in a row in really good form.

I think it's the timing of your post being straight in with a negative but also the wording why you got 30 downvotes. It says it's doesn't matter that he's playing well I don't want him in the team. It doesn't matter how well he plays he's not for me. I think maybe that's not what you meant but it is how it comes across. Surely if he's playing better than others he plays! Simple.

Anyway keep it up Toto!
2

Terry_Nutkins added 21:48 - Sep 17
Arnie you've done well to get 62 likes on a post given you're apparently the 'most vile poster' on here. :) Fair play by the way, I've never seen that many on a post but that probably speaks for the standard of my posting haha.
3

KiwiBlue2 added 21:50 - Sep 17
In relation to the question of when this site started I think that it was c1995. I recall coming across it when I googled ITFC so it has been going c25 years which is a great effort.....
1

midastouch added 21:53 - Sep 17
Fair points BrixtonBlue and Terry_Nutkins.  I personally thought it was a bit of an over reaction / backlash towards TimmyH.  But I understand you see things differently as you've explained.  If his post had not been the first then I don't think it would have been received so badly.  But being at the top of the Xmas tree it almost certainly got more attention than it would usually.  Anyway, Timmy has credit in the bank with me as I've enjoyed his comments in the main.  I recall he was one of the few on here that wasn't keen on Hurst right from the word go so he's made some decent calls in the past.

Toto or not Toto, that is the question. :-)
0

cat added 21:56 - Sep 17
Best you go back to the ‘proper forum' then B.B, what's today's big topic (lol) whiskey, price of cheese or some other totally boring non footballing relating subject. The treatment the well respected Timmy got was nothing short than ‘herd mentality', I'm just glad my name it ain't on that illustrious list and are now contemplating a serious piece of backtracking!
-1

Terry_Nutkins added 22:05 - Sep 17
Calm down Cat. Didn't understand the last bit but Timmy was hardly on the end of a torrent of abuse. Plenty have defended him and I think he's entitled to his opinion if even I don't completely agree with what he said. BB who is a good guy like I said made a comment out of frustration I reckon and thats about it. Other than that he has a load of downvotes which people are entitled to do. I'm sure Tommy can handle it!

Let's move on eh. Hopefully a good season ahead (the eternal optimist side of my brain says).
0

cat added 22:07 - Sep 17
I'm calm T.N, just enjoying a bit of banter!
0

ArnieM added 22:14 - Sep 17
Terry Nutkins, lol yes , not a bad response really was it 👍. One mans banter is another mans vile post I guess .

COYBs all said and done ! Keep posting
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Terry_Nutkins added 22:21 - Sep 17
Fair enough Cat.
0

peaky69 added 23:57 - Sep 17
Already been plenty of plaudits for Toto's attitude here and deservedly so. I'm not sure he is first or second choice still but clean sheets will keep him in the team.

What I took out of the article also was the fantastic job Jewel, Evans & O'Neil are doing leading this group of young people in the right direction hopefully. Clearly they have had a huge impact in rebuilding Toto's confidence and giving him the arm band is just one more example. Some players need to be pumped up, some need to be told lift your game. Great leadership.
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Saxonblue74 added 07:17 - Sep 18
Football, despite all it's riches and glamour, can be a pretty tough business. These guys need to be tough on both sides of the white line. I have been critical of Toto in the past, but constructively so. He is showing signs of regaining the form he showed at Shrewsbury but like many others I do still feel a little nervous when he's put under pressure. I really do hope he gets back to his best, both for club and for him personally as he does seem like one of the good guys. Make no mistake, those who feel he's getting a tough time at the hands of town fans should take a look at other club forums. We really are quite a friendly bunch compared to most! Good luck Toto, keep on the upward slope.
1

tractorboybig added 07:49 - Sep 18
Sir Alf is the only God at Portman Road
0

worker added 09:02 - Sep 18
2 decades I think but then Iam 82 yrs young I could be wrong ! !
0

Linkboy13 added 09:03 - Sep 18
I take these statements from players with a pinch of salt, having said that he seems a likeable guy so i hope he does well.
0

TR11BLU added 09:48 - Sep 18
Well done boy. Head up, prove all the doubters on here wrong
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Billybobblue added 10:01 - Sep 18
Wasn't convinced with Toto last season, but glad he has taken the time to sort himself mentally during lockdown as getting the abuse I saw on social media isn't great to see from our fans especially. I thought Toto was good against Wigan and hopefully a few more games he will get better and better. I'm sure we are all hoping the team will gel and improve with each game this season unlike last season.
New season, new attitude and hopefully a new division next season (championship not league 2 for those pessimistic fans). Good luck Toto, keep grafting and prove the doubters wrong
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