NEW Blackburn manager Paul Ince met up with his players for the first time yesterday when they reported back for pre-season training.

After spending the summer sunning themselves in various exotic locations around the world, the vast majority of the first-team squad – including David Bentley – were back at Brockhall for the start of pre-season.

Ryan Nelsen and his Blackburn team-mates had an extra spring in their steps, such was their determination to impress the club’s new Guv’nor.

A fortnight after being officially installed as Mark Hughes’ successor, Paul Ince took his first training session as the new manager of Blackburn Rovers at the club’s Brockhall training base.

However, a mini monsoon almost threatened to put a dampener on Ince’s first proper day in charge, with the players and coaching staff forced to do most of their morning session indoors.

Nevertheless, with a new manager at the helm, Nelsen and Co were still eager to make a good impression, knowing that previous reputations count for nothing in the battle to be on Ince’s first team-sheet for the opening game of the season at Everton on August 16.

The Rovers skipper said: “I think change is always good. It’s exciting and I think everyone is looking forward to it.

“The great thing about it is everyone starts off from the same position, and reputations are out of the door.

“I love that kind of situation, to be honest, because it’s a fresh challenge, and it’s a fresh start, and it’s something new, so everyone is excited to be starting training again.”

Like the vast majority of the senior squad, Nelsen was disappointed to see Hughes and his backroom team leave Rovers for Manchester City earlier in the summer after nearly four years of unbroken success.

Hughes was the man who plucked Nelsen from the relative obscurity of the MLS in America three years ago and gave him the chance to prove himself in the Premier League.

But, while Nelsen admits he will be forever in Hughes’ debt because of that, he insists everyone on the playing staff at Rovers must look to the future now and concentrate on the challenge of winning over his successor.

“Obviously, I owe a lot to Mark Hughes and his staff because they helped my career immensely,” said the Kiwi.

“But that’s in the past now and I’m just looking to the future, and the new staff coming in.

“There’s a lot of new faces and new names around the place, and they’ll be wanting to get to know us as quickly as possible, so it’s exciting times.

“It’s always good when change happens like that because it’s a bit of fresh air, and some players will have some points to prove.”

Nelsen and his team-mates will spend the next seven days training in England, before heading to Germany, and then Portugal, for a couple of pre-season training camps, which include friendlies against top continental opposition.

Then, when the rest of the squad returns to England for warm-up games against Wolves and NAC Breda, Nelsen will jet off to China to take part in the Olympic Games with New Zealand, after Ince gave him special permission to play in the opening two matches of the tournament.

“I’m extremely grateful to the club for allowing me to do this,” said Nelsen.

“I put the new manager in a pretty difficult position in all honesty, and I really appreciate him being flexible.

“New Zealand don’t get to go to many major tournaments and the Olympics is obviously a major one, so I really wanted to play.

“Thankfully, he’s met me halfway and allowed me to go for the first two games, which will be a great experience.

“I’ll still be here for the vast majority of pre-season though, when the bulk of the hard work is done, which is what I wanted.”