ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Injuries

I am fed up to the very BLUE soul of me about injuries, injuries. That's all you get from our very frail squad. What are they, f.......g old age pensioners (no offence, I'm 72)? The money these guys are paid they should be super fit. It's just a joke now, every game somebody's poorly sick. I know, I shouldn't mention his name but Bill Sh......y never spoke to an injured man. We never seem to have a full squad fit! Will we ever go to the match and hear a full team called out? I'm fitter than five or six of the lazy b.........ds.
Edward Draper, North Wales Posted 19/09/2007 at 17:07:11

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Peter Singer
1 Posted 19/09/2007 at 22:46:02

We play five-a-side at a local ground every week and we rarely have injuries and even then, only light ones.

It’s easy to tell why. Because we lack pace, aggressiveness and most of us don’t have to carry the burden of past injuries.

Today’s players are brutally overworked, and their body is never given enough time to regenerate. Have you noticed how the nastiest injuries are not caused by tough challenges and rash tackles but by simply putting a foot wrong? (Silvestre just the other day or McFadden, Tiny, dare I say Owen.)

And to make matters worse, strained or torn ligaments are more susceptible to future strains and ruptures, and although broken bones heal completely (actually, they become tougher than before), muscles protecting those bones do not grow back quickly.

In fact for many players life quickly becomes a vicious circle of injuries causing other injuries.

roy coyne
2 Posted 19/09/2007 at 23:04:14

Peter if today’s players are over worked the guys from 60s onwards must have been worked to death no rotation and no one wanted to miss a match now I accept to days game is faster but they dont get the tackles the old guys got If Hunter,Smith or our own gabby or Sandy Brown or moggsey on the wing who used to get the retaliation in first tackled todays players most wold run home to mummy today’s players get paid play or not the older ones relied on appearance money hence the would play with one leg

tom morris
3 Posted 19/09/2007 at 23:10:32

Footballers with injuries ! Whatever next ?

It’s probably Kenwright’s fault. Or Wyness’s.

This mailbag has become a whinger’s paradise.

Andy McAdam
4 Posted 20/09/2007 at 00:13:13

It says on Everton website that Moyes is ’guarded over the nature of injuries’ to Pienaar & Gravesen. They were in the Sports Bar in town on Sat and Pienaar was absolutely bladdered after spendin the whole afternoon on the wine. Injuries my arse.

mr werthers
5 Posted 20/09/2007 at 00:08:17

In my day we played in hob nail boots & never once did you hear anyone whinge about studs up & all that mullarky!!
There was this one time... Christmas Day I think? We were facing ’Gerry’ & we all all thought ’sod it, lets have a knock about’... I think someone wrote a song about it... anyway I sat the kid on my knee, popped a toffee in his mouth & he shut right up.... all this super nanny business... I mean really! A good clip...

M.S.
6 Posted 20/09/2007 at 01:22:19

Ed your talking absolute nonsense. As a sports physiologist I work with injured professional footballers day in day out. It’s not because they’re unfit, players eat more healthily and train more effectively nowadays than they have ever before - as a result you’ll see players going on much longer. Just look at Evertons injury’s - Vaughan dislocated shoulder (would a couple have extra shuttle’s in training have fixed that?); Cahill fractured metatarsal - a result of the mechanics of the movement of the movement between the bones in his feet during take off/landing probably - also possibly not helped by the lack of support in his footwear. Also, the reason players can ’rest’ if they’re carrying a knock which they might have played with 20 yrs ago is because their is bigger squads and also because of the financial value of players - who is going to risk a £10m asset who is half fit when there’s a fully fit alternative on the bench.

My main concern with injuries in top class football is when players pick up needless strains early in pre season.

There’s previously been a habit to run players into the ground the first week back to get them into shape - not the most sensible thing to do after they’ve been drinking ale and lying on a beach for the best part of two months and that’s when silly injuries come about.

There’s certainly more top quality sports science support nowadays thanks to the likes of Big Sam - and this is doing something to reverse these old trends - but while the ’jobs’ for the boys attitude continues with ex players getting a poncy sports therapy diploma or ’not worth the paper it’s written on’ degree and then walking into a training position at a club, - no offence intended to Baz but thats the way it is - the problem is not going to go away.

M.S.
7 Posted 20/09/2007 at 01:42:11

I’ll just follow that by adding that our bodies aren’t designed to support the repetitive strain that footballers are placed under - nor are they designed to deal with extrinsic shocks which can cause things like dislocated fingers (Howard) so injuries are always going to part and parcel

Stan Sheppard
8 Posted 20/09/2007 at 09:47:45

I know where you?re coming from Ed, even this morning we hear that poor Alonso and Agger have come down with the now infamous metatarsal injury. However injuries of this nature are not caused by lack of fitness or laziness.

Sports medicine/training and nutrition have come a long way over the last decade and I’m sure things will continue to change. Perhaps the spate of foot injuries are caused by the new boot designs and the amount of strains and tears suffered are due to over work on specific muscle groups. Maybe some are just more prone to injuries than others.

For me the problem with the modern professional is not the fact that they get injured, it?s more of a technical one. They are paid thousands a week to do a job most people only dream of yet many cannot kick any better with their weaker foot than I can, nor cross or head a ball to the level of someone of their professional level.

I’m not saying every player should be a beacon of perfection, I am saying that sometimes I expect a lot more for 20 - 40k a week

Edward Draper
9 Posted 20/09/2007 at 12:08:36

sorry to be a bit of an arse on this subject, but i reserve the right to reply toTOM and M.S. its not just the injuries, as a true supporter for 61 years, idemand to see the best possible team on the park EVERYtime they play. I am totally peed off listening to exuses about how we COULD have won, not because one player is out, in some cases two or three. I dont think i am talking rubbish, i am very passionate about every match we play, and like you all i want us to win every one!!!