What can the Newcastle Jets expect from Nigel Boogaard?

What can the Newcastle Jets expect from Nigel Boogaard?

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On February 16 this year the Newcastle Jets announced the signing of Adelaide United centre-back Nigel Boogaard.

The move surprised many given the contrast in style and A-League status between the two clubs but make no mistake about it, this is a very good piece of business for the struggling Newcastle franchise.

Boogaard, like so many others, has come into his own in the two seasons under Josep Gombau and now that he is entering the prime of his career, there is plenty of excitement about the second generation footballer returning home to the Newcastle Jets this season.

The 28-year-old Novocastrian spent five seasons in the city of churches and spent another five at F3 rivals Central Coast Mariners before that. With over 150 appearances to his name, Boogaard knows a thing or two about the A-League. This experience will help strengthen the Newcastle defence that leaked 55 goals last season – the second highest in A-League history – and will also help the younger players in the team.

Over the course of the past two seasons, he has become one of the league’s best and most consistent central defenders. Last season he made 1372 passes (the highest in his position), 37 tackles and 115 clearances. Standing at 6’2″, he is also a handy player to have at attacking set pieces.

Newcastle constantly changed its formation last season which resulted in a lack of consistency and at times, cohesion at the back. However the former Mariner is the man who can help the Jets become a lot stronger in the back line where he will likely  link up with former teammate Daniel Mullen.

Mullen, formerly of the Western Sydney Wanderers, joined the club under Phil Stubbins in February and made an immediate impact on the side, thus earning a new contract with the club.

The duo will reunite after last playing with each other at Adelaide from 2010 to 2012 and they have the calibre to become one of the strongest centre-back pairings in the competition, something the Jets have lacked in recent seasons.

Boogaard blossomed under Gombau at the Reds, transforming from a no-nonsense hard man to a ball-playing central defender. That has been the style Newcastle managers have tried to implement in the past but never really had the type of player at their disposal. Now that the former Red is at the club, other players in the side will benefit from distributing skills.

A focal part of Gombau’s philosophy was for the ball to either be played out from the back or for the number three to spread the ball to the pacey wingers. Players such as Awer Mabil and Fabio Ferreira greatly benefited from his deliveries last season, creating many goalscoring opportunities.

Whoever manages last season’s wooden spooners will have a difficult task on their hands so they will be wise to play to their player’s strengths, especially early in the season. Newcastle has lost the attacking presence of Andrew Hoole and Edson Montano but there is still plenty of time for it to recruit players who can play off the Newcastle junior.

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What made the Newcastle Jets so great in the early years of the A-League was the small community that supported the club. While not all players were born in Newcastle, it certainly felt like it. A great example of this is how the Wanderers are currently run. A great deal of their success was down to the support of their fans; the players were representing the community.

The Jets lost this aura in recent seasons, despite having a large number of local players in the side. The former Australian youth international was part of the youth setup with the Newcastle Breakers and made an appearance for Newcastle United in the old National Soccer League before local state league side Weston Workers Bears. His father Michael also represented Newcastle at senior level with the Newcastle Rosebuds.

The born-again Newcastle Jets outfit needs to bring the pride back to the regional New South Wales town. The signing of Boogaard is a step in the right direction to achieving that. After enjoying a successful stay with Adelaide, you can expect the 28-year-old to be eager to help his home town club bounce back to the club it once was.

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