Martinez concerned by spate of hamstring injuries

, 9 January, 34comments | Jump to most recent

The worrying spike in soft tissue injuries that has befallen Everton this season has manager Roberto Martinez vowing to investigate the cause.

The Guardian's Andy Hunter reports that the club is revamping their "much maligned" medical department in the wake of 20 hamstring injuries to Blues players this season and the recent departure of head of medicine, Danny Donachie.

Hunter reports that Martinez rejects rumours that Donachie, who has been replaced by Matt Connery, left due to tensions over the treatment and use of players but the Catalan admits to concern over the frequency of the injuries.

“Danny had been here for a long, long time and he felt it was time for him to move on,” the Blues' boss is quoted as saying. “I wouldn't say it's the case he moved on because we had disagreements, not really. Matt Connery, who's been here for 12 years, is taking over but we're trying to bring more people on board.

“It worries me the number of players who have got re-injured and that's something we need to address.

“We need to get down to the detail of why that is happening. When you injure the right hamstring you've got a bigger chance of injuring the left hamstring and that pattern is worrying.”

James McCarthy has been the player hardest hit by recurring hamstring problems this season which is why the Irish international won't be risked against Manchester City this weekend.

Martinez suggests that McCarthy's international commitments have played a role in his problems this season even though he has only featured once for his country since the summer. Indeed, the midfielder's absence has been a source of frustration for Martin O'Neill who intimated that Everton were withholding their £13m signing from his duties with his national team.

"I'm not going to take a risk [with McCarthy against Manchester City] because he's 24 and still growing and I think this season is a time when his tissues need real care," Martinez continues.

“There have been two big changes with James this season, one is the amount of international football he's played, and that has brought extra work.

“The other is he is still growing. That means the tissues are more sensitive. It is important we find a way to help James in the future.”

Martinez claimed yesterday that the club have figured out McCarthy's problems and that it is now just a case of getting back to peak fitness before playing him again but gave no timescale on his return to the first team.

Reader Comments (34)

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Harold Matthews
1 Posted 09/01/2015 at 02:35:06

Well you can't do much about a kick on the knee or a twisted ankle but 20 hamstrings suggests something needs to be sorted.

Derek Thomas
2 Posted 09/01/2015 at 03:41:43

Didn't Distin or some one say it was all to do with playing on 'condensed' training pitches which restricted the opportunity to go full out. Thus the start of all the trouble between players and management.

Steavey Buckley
3 Posted 09/01/2015 at 04:15:27

Hamstring injuries have a lot do with how the players train. If the hamstrings are exercised well, they should not just keep going during matches. Although, warming up before matches will help as long as there is not too much stress placed on the hamstrings straight away.

Gary Carter
4 Posted 09/01/2015 at 08:09:59

This is what infuriates me about this man!!! Every time he opens his mouth pure stupidity flows from it. Let’s look at what he’s jut said

Two big changes for James McCarthy this season:

1) He’s playing more international football... Well, he’s played one game!!!!
2 He’s still growing this season at 24... Well, what the fuck is that supposed to mean? He stopped growing at 23 then started again this season???

Utter cretin who sounds more deluded and desperate every time he talks!!! Man up, Kenwright, and do what’s needed!

Gerard Carey
5 Posted 09/01/2015 at 08:02:55

Maybe, just maybe, a good solid pre-season would have helped. If RM is still here next season, let's hope he learns from his mistakes, all good managers do!!.

Sean Kelly
6 Posted 09/01/2015 at 08:26:07

This guy is just taking the piss. McCarthy played one game for Ireland and thatÂ’s too much football? What the hell does he mean when he says "not really" about disagreements?

His concern now over the number of hammies is too late. Twenty soft tissue injuries in half a season is far too many. Players like Garbutt and Distin who talk about the training regime should be listened to. Maybe they were dried for letting the cat out of the bag.

The more Martinez says, the more he looks out of his depth. That shite was okay over at Wigan but this is Everton. We can spot a spoofer a mile away. HeÂ’s just making OUR club look stupid. Would you hear Van Gaal or Pellegrini talking such shite? Never.

Shaun Laycock
7 Posted 09/01/2015 at 08:50:09

I agree, the pre-season could be a contributing factor but lets see what the change of staffing does, if it improves the beer, then well done Bobby. If not, then it brings his 'management' into sharper focus...

Paul Thompson
8 Posted 09/01/2015 at 09:37:35

I like Roberto, but the ratio of crap to good sense in his considerable utterances seems to be increasing. Still growing? WTF? How come he is 'discovering' or dealing this problem at this stage in the season? Merely adding to the sense of a dysfunctional regime.

Ian Burns
9 Posted 09/01/2015 at 09:37:21

I keep posting that this man is out of his depth and every interview he gives brings more embarrassment to our club.

How many more players have to come out and undermine this manager (Ossie; Garbutt; Rom and the interview with Jags after the WHU game) before he is asked to leave?

If it is not tactics; players out of position; wrong selections; wrong substitutions; a pre-season debacle then it is this interview spouting nonsense everybody can see through! 20 hamstrings is no coincidence.

Of course we all want him to succeed because he is the manager of our club but there comes a point when enough is enough.

Anthony Lewis
11 Posted 09/01/2015 at 09:24:59

It is getting increasingly worrying the way he is conducting himself at the moment.

He's looking more and more out of his depth.

The "not really" quote after talking about a possible disagreement. Says, yes we disagreed, but that's not why he left.
Are you quite sure Roberto? More likely you're either so blinkered that you can't see the real reason, or you're just spouting more spin to get yourself out of a hole.

What's the saying? "Fake it till you make it"?

Anthony Lewis
12 Posted 09/01/2015 at 09:59:02

Ian #9

What did Jagielka say after the WHU game? Haven't seen it and can't watch it now because I have no headphones in work :|

Paul Gladwell
14 Posted 09/01/2015 at 10:19:13

He's getting some stick and rightly so but some players like Distin are getting away with murder, this was a fella who got rightly bollocked after that inept display at Swansea and then it seems everything spiralled from there, one minute he's too nice and doesn't give the players stick yet when he does the dummies get spat out, these men who are moaning need to look at themselves, Richard Gough commented on this the other week when something similar happened under Smith and he had a go at his fellow players for basically being a gang of shithouses using the manager as a get out clause for their failures, I've never seen a man so not wanting to be on the pitch so much than Mirralas the other night but no one says boo about it, maybe these men should show more responsibility too most notably the captain who goes about his business like he's just another player both on and off the pitch.

Ian Burns
15 Posted 09/01/2015 at 10:30:21

Anthony - 12 - it wasn't so much what he said Anthony it was his hang dog expression; his mumbled responses to questions and the fact he stared at the floor not looking at the interviewer. It was commented on by the media and heavily commented on TW. It was the most odd interview from a captain whose team had just got out of jail!

Phil Walling
16 Posted 09/01/2015 at 10:27:35

It's now a situation as to for how much longer he will get away with the bullshit he has peppered us with since his arrival.

Win matches and he can spout as much crap as he wishes and people will buy into it. And they did last season. When results turn south every word he utters is analysed and rammed back down his throat. And is.

All we can hope for in the cause is that he starts winning again pretty quickly......starting Saturday.

Harold Matthews
17 Posted 09/01/2015 at 10:35:55

Ian / Anthony..This Jags interview was not a one-off. His interview for the official site before the Saints game was exactly the same. He stared at the floor throughout and kept mumbling "Hopefully." Needless to say, we didn't win.

Coming before the game, it was probably worse than his latest effort but it wasn't on national TV.

Anthony Lewis
18 Posted 09/01/2015 at 10:50:07

Thanks Ian.

Maybe he was just knackered! He certainly looked completely fecked as did Rom.

I guess we can blame Martinez for that too and the distinct lack of fitness training ;-)

I don't think I have ever been this concerned supporting Everton, even in the dog days of Walker I never felt like this.

I truly want Martinez to succeed, but the team look disjointed and distinctly fed up. Add that to the revelations of training, fitness and injuries and I feel we have a recipe for disaster. Along with a manager that doesn't seem to know how to fix it and is spouting some of the most unbelievable, blinkered and stubborn shite we've ever heard.

He either needs to change, or we need to get rid and bring someone in who understands the modern game

James Joseph
21 Posted 09/01/2015 at 11:30:26

Paul (8), and others, I totally agree about Roberto talking crap in his press conferences, but disagree that he's getting worse - he's always talked crap but when we were winning it was endearing crap and hardly anyone noticed. Those that did kept quiet and hoped he talked more sensibly and coherently in the dressing room and on the training pitch. Sadly, this season's evidence suggests that's unlikely, but I still hope I'm wrong.

Nigel Gregson
23 Posted 09/01/2015 at 12:39:33

Gary Carter #4 - while you don't appreciate Martinez's generally positive but opaque media commentary, at least you can appreciate that he's doing what needs to be done - i.e. investigating the root cause of these injuries, making changes where needed (i.e. medical staff).

Tony J Williams
24 Posted 09/01/2015 at 12:43:26

possibly Nigel, but why has it taken him 20 injuries and 20+ games into the season before he has started to think it was a concern?

I know he has to give the media their sound bites and it was probably in response to one of their many mundane generic questions.

He should have simply said, "it's getting looked into." unfortunately he likes to speak a lot so he looks a bit daft sometimes.

Nigel Gregson
25 Posted 09/01/2015 at 12:50:32

Tony J Put yourself in his shoes. Asking tough questions might mean pissing off long serving physios / part of the establishment. At 5 injuries, it's possibly bad luck. At 20, its clearly a problem and tougher actions can be taken.

Al Reddish
26 Posted 09/01/2015 at 13:18:01

Just did a quick google search on Wigan injuries and it was pretty much the same there while Bobby was in charge. Plenty of muscle injuries, mainly to defenders and some of the stuff he was spouting you can just copy and paste for any week of this season.

Al Reddish
27 Posted 09/01/2015 at 13:19:55

Nigel, if he is getting rid of the staff that have been here 12 years or so, why did we not have as many muscle injuries with Moyes? My guess is the players were a lot fitter and not having to stretch themselves at the end of games to keep up with play.

Al Reddish
28 Posted 09/01/2015 at 13:32:37

This is a good read. Apologies if it's already been posted.
http://saintrookwood.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/knackered/

Phil Walling
29 Posted 09/01/2015 at 13:46:26

Rather than sacking or manoeuvring the resignation of long-serving staff, perhaps Martinez should look in detail at the training regime now in force at Finch Farm.

I have never known a time when so many stories/rumours/quotes/revelations have emerged from the training base. Clearly something is amiss.

Patrick Murphy
30 Posted 09/01/2015 at 14:26:31

Phil #29 Perhaps you are a Voltaire fan? In his novel Candide, The protagonist of the novel, Candide is a good-hearted but hopelessly naÃ¯ve young man. After being banished from his adopted childhood home, Candide travels the world and meets with a wide variety of misfortunes, all the while pursuing security and following Cunagonde, the woman he loves. His faith in Pangloss’s undiluted optimism is repeatedly tested.

Pangloss and his student Candide maintain that "everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." By the novel’s end, even Pangloss is forced to admit that he doesn’t "believe a word of" his own previous optimistic conclusions.

Tony McNulty
31 Posted 09/01/2015 at 15:25:42

Patrick,

As I recall, the bit from the book you have missed out is the scene in which he observes the English executing several generals.

He asks why, and is told that every so often we English do this, "pour encourager les autres" (so as to encourage the rest of them).

The "Head of Medicinal Services" has now been hanged. I for one would be happy if this freed up a budget so as to enable the early appointment of a, "Head of Set Pieces and Special Defence Projects." At the moment Messrs. Laurel and Hardy seem to be responsible for these areas.

Ant Summers
32 Posted 09/01/2015 at 17:08:56

18 is a very worrying total. And the most worrying, it don't look like the problem is being addressed with any success. Mushrooms supporters, kept in the dark and Fed on scraps.

Anthony Lewis
33 Posted 09/01/2015 at 20:22:08

oh dear, just watched the Jagielka and Lukaku post match West Ham game.

They look seriously pissed of and disgruntled.

I fear this is only going to get worse before it gets better :(

Helen Mallon
34 Posted 09/01/2015 at 20:33:58

Some fans on here PHIL WALLING especially are just like the players mentioned by Richard Gough.

Matthew Williams
35 Posted 09/01/2015 at 21:45:08

#33 Anthony Lewis - after the run of form we have had I would be worried if the players were not pissed off, Ok we drew with West Ham and played quite well but I would not expect them to be happy with it.

On the article I am pleased there has been a shake up, I think it is slightly unfair to put all the blame of Martinez for injuries, he has always seemed over cautious to me when players are on the road back, Kone being an example, maybe that is because he has not had much faith with the medical team?? It is going to be interesting to see his next move but hopefully some good appointments will be made.

Alex Carew
36 Posted 09/01/2015 at 22:32:05

Martinez deserves criticism for the tactics and team formations that he has put out and for that, him staying concerns me. But as Paul mentioned above, the lack of heart and spirit from some of the players is sickening.

Mirallas has been an absolute joke and for me the biggest shithouse of the lot. Also Barkley looks like he is lost and totally unfit. Gough summed it up when he called them shithouses and this is what is happening now.

Realistically only Naismith in recent weeks can hold his head up and say he gives 100%. I find it funny how a bit of criticism a few weeks ago has generated so many injuries.....shithouses!

Brian Hennessy
37 Posted 09/01/2015 at 22:41:08

I take the "not really" comment as a certain they did fall.

On another note can anyone answer this for me.

On the very limited times I did get across the water to watch Everton when Moyes was in charge, one thing that really stood out was the very intense pre-match warm-up Moyes had the players doing.

Any Goodison regulars tell me if Roberto's pre-match warm ups are similar, if not it could say something about our fitness programme.

Nigel Gregson
39 Posted 09/01/2015 at 22:49:20

Al Raddish from what I remember we had plenty of injuries in the past too. Look at Rodwell - career destroyed by a spate of Hamstring injuries. No one questioned the incumbent staff back then.

Al Reddish
40 Posted 10/01/2015 at 11:10:24

Nigel Grogson, we always had individuals with long term problems but not so many all in one go.

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