Blackburn's Ryan Nelsen to visit earthquake-devastated Christchurch home

Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen will have time off to visit his devastated home city of Christchurch this week. The New Zealander's red card against Aston Villa last Saturday means he will be suspended for this weekend's trip to Fulham. The defender, who captained his country in last year's World Cup finals in South Africa, expressed his shock after the disaster last week. He said: 'If my family wanted me to go back I'd go back tomorrow because it puts everything into perspective. Shock: Blackburn skipper and New Zealand defender Ryan Nelsen (right)'It's horrible. When your parents and your friends are talking to you and you hear the stories, you kind of want to be there. Being over here there's just an absolute helplessness. 'I grew up in Christchurch. I played in the parks, I ran around all the monuments. To see all your memories destroyed is surreal.' Blackburn's Nelsen expresses relief as family survive Christchurch quakeAston Villa 4 Blackburn 1: Young impresses Capello with two-goal salvoWatch all the Premier League goals every week on our brilliant video playerAll the latest Blackburn Rovers FC news, features and opinion  Explore more:People: Ryan Nelsen Places: Christchurch, South Africa

Source: Daily_Mail