Martinez assuages fears over Lukaku

Trying to be optimistic but this is getting ridiculous with hamstring issues. Surely there are rugby, track, swimming, baseball, football (American and Australian Rules), basketball and tennis trainers who could help with the hamstring issues.

Don't worry though because we have got Koné.

I can see how it is difficult to get the right balance in terms of volume and intensity during the build up to a new season, but do we actually have anyone who has particular expertise in training & injury prevention?

Surely we do. Don't we?

He was simply relaying what presumably Lukaku said to him -- that he was feeling his legs were heavy and he didn't think it was a problem; but in the interests of not taking any risks they took him off, which is of course the sensible thing to do.

Doesn't sound like a hamstring injury to me.

RM could equally look like a twat in Steve's words if he says he has a suspected hamstring injury, and then next weekend he plays the full 90 minutes in Ferguson's testimonial.

The problem is that the manager simply cannot be believed. I am starting this season right behind the man... but the fact that he talks total nonsense cannot be ignored.

"You get accidents in football, collisions that cause injuries that can't be avoided. But even then if your body is right it will react quicker to the treatment and recover faster. I don't believe in soft-tissue injuries. If you get a soft-tissue injury in football, a mistake has been made. It could be the training programme, a lifestyle problem. Whatever it is, it will be a mistake."

I can only assume you've never pulled a strained a hamstring. Because if you had, you would know that that is the exact spot you grab when you've done your hamstring.

You don't hold the back of one leg when your legs are tired, doesn't work that way. It's honestly one of the easiest things to diagnose off of video evidence. Not the severity, but the muscle. Player is running, player pulls up grabbing at the back of one of his thighs, hamstring.

Lukaku played almost a full game only 48 hours prior to this one, so in pre-season before he's fully game-fit, it's entirely possible he could have just been feeling his legs a bit.

We all think of the training methods because it's an easy target. But It's probably more complicated than that.

Grade 1's can get better in a few days, and it does not mean that he won't make the Watford game (I've had several during my playing days, and they generally got better within 1-2 weeks, even though they can stretch on for longer). It won't be worse than a grade 1, because a more severe hamstring would have likely been immediately apparent, and would not be confused with heavy legs.

We will see what happens here, and to what extent Martinez is embellishing, but I expect that Lukaku will start against Watford. I've also got no reason to believe that Martinez is lying about what Lukaku is saying. What would be the point in that?

Have I done a hamstring and is it serious? I'm thinking not because I just play on.

Obviously if I was a pro and in pre season I would have a rest as a precaution and point out the problem to my manager.

Which is all that's happened here so far isn't it?

Don't think that's going to prove relevant Craig, but it did make me laugh.

It's a blatant hamstring injury, but it's the severity of the injury that's the concern. The grading is the issue. Can be anything up to a few days to a few weeks. That is what we can't judge from the pictures.

Long has been sold, Kone wouldn't get into the Waterloo Dock team, and we are galloping towards the start of the season with just 2 centre halves…

I think if Lukaku has pulled his hammy and is out for say 4 weeks along with the other 4 players then his training methods will come to haunt him.

fair enough? anyway lets hope its a 'heavy leg', maybe the grass is very 'sticky' up in scotland

Supposedly Baines is our no.1 penalty taker yet everyone has had a go except him since that statement (there's been no update to say Rom is our penalty taker or that Barkely). RM didn't even need to say anything if he wasn't sure. But he makes a statement that turns out to be nonsense so ppl like me think 'hmmm, you talk crap' and start to disbelieve other things he says. He's proven himself to be untrustworthy

So I agree with the others: I don't have any confidence in RM's declaration it's not a hammy

Do YOU have faith in RM's words and if so, what's that based on?

I hear that at Finch Farm Roberto has introduced mosquito nets to all of the bedrooms.

I'm not saying this is definitely the case here, but there is a reason why Roberto is ambiguous and aloof in a lot of these interviews. We all want to know every last detail about our club, but so does our competition -- whether it be to gain an advantage in an upcoming match, or the upper hand in transfer negotiations.

When it comes to treatment, if you have had recurring injuries in the same area you will need severe deep muscle massage to break down all the built up scar tissue, and then possibly acupuncture using an electrical pulse through the muscle. It fucking hurts like mad but I had about five years injury free after this treatment in my mid thirties.

This season I broke down twice with a new physio. The new guy was young and stuck those tapes on my hammies and then had me doing resistance exercises with rubber bands. All I can say is that it was a piss take that I was paying him money! Apparently this is the latest most scientific method of treatment for mild hamstring injuries. So with two breakdowns a 3 week injury cost me 9 weeks, a fucking eternity at my age!!!

This experience does make me wonder what kind of treatment is being administered at Finch Farm.

If that sounds less than positive, at least we may get to see more of young Dowell (more likely Kone!)

Just imagine somewhere down the line if Lukaku does get some kind of injury that's lays him off for a month or two, but even if he if fit you can't just have one reliable striker, look at all the top clubs, why does it have to be us that doesn't sufficiently strengthen.

Naismith isn't really a striker, Kone is nowhere near it anymore judging by last season and McAleney is a squad member nothing more at Premier League standard.

I can't believe Martinez is willing to take such a risk and I also can't believe we have done so little to improve the squad that struggled so badly last season.

Its like getting back into a car that broke down a few months ago yet expecting it to all of a sudden be capable of doing things it couldn't when it was on its way out.

Re the Lukaku injury. It looked bad but I'm hoping he just didn't fancy exerting himself in front of a small audience with no TV coverage. As striker John Guidetti once said, "What's the use of scoring goals when they don't count".

Indeed, since young Lukaku attached himself to the notoriously manipulative money-mad, image controlling super-agent, he'll probably need permission to blow his nose in public and has almost certainly been measured for hidden electronic wiring which light him up like a jackpot winning pin-ball machine whenever he bangs one in.

I thought after the Hearts game there would be an announcement to say he had done something to his hamstring. So was relieved when nothing was forthcoming.

Its a tricky situation - really don't want him to play at the weekend if there is any risk at all of exaccerbating an existing injury/weakness. Then again, we really need him at peak condition for the start of the season because Kone is miles off it. Tough one. I think my inclination would be to take no risk with him though.

Which might have some basis in fact.

I thought Cleverley was our stand out and the more I see of Galloway the more I like him. He has got that edge about him that you need in the top flight. Something it would be nice to see in the likes of Stones, Barkley and Browning.

Still, soon be first league game, My season ticket has arrived so it's just a matter of taking my seat on the rollercoaster -- league and cup double would be nice!

UP THE BLUES

Premature, but I'm getting a bit excited about the young prospects.

Mirallas, played as a centre forward would be my option, but knowing Martinez, he would rather play Kone, hoping to get mid-fielders up to help. We really do need another striker. Apart from midfield, an injury or two really exposes the thinness of the squad.

Imagine if Jags, Coleman, or Lukaku get crocked. Our cover is Galloway/Browning, Hibbo and Kone. Hibbo looked awful in Singapore, Kone couldn't score in a crack-house and the two youngsters have had little experience at centre-half. In this league such deficiencies equals defeats.

The point I was making was I thought I had an hamstring problem, but it was my hip out of alignment. But the only symptoms I had, was a tight feel of pain down back of leg.

I'm not saying he as that, but who knows.

I'm just curious as to what would bring this on.

Thank you in advance.

He had decent record for the time he was there, now I haven't a clue who are our fitness coaches are now, but if they are the same as he had at Wigan its puzzling.

What about the players though, I know if I was a pro footballer and I knew hamstrings were a common injury I'd personally be doing all I could to avoid them. Stretching or whatever else is recommended.
Maybe that's too much to ask for players who are earning a small fortune each week, they still get paid injured or not though.

Chelsea medical team aren't doing too well with Mr Costa's hamstrings!

These big, powerful forwards seem to be prone to all sorts of injuries. Drogba is one of the only ones in Prem history that seemed to avoid them, though he still had more than the average footballer.

Regardless, I think we can all agree that we need another quality proven striker, and most likely another versatile forward on top.

It may just be mild at this point but I don't see him playing at the weekend.

Kone was lucky to score 0 the other night.