Branthwaite withdraws from England squad

Seems like more than a niggle, sometimes it takes a long while to get fully fit after a long layoff.

Or it's good news if Jarrad has time to prepare for the next Premier League game.

Who knows? … Who really knows??

Hopefully he'll be okay for Brentford; I'm surprised it wasn't copped before he joined the England squad?

Anyone who has had one will know. It impacted Calvert-Lewin's career for nearly two years.

Every time you think you're ready to go is a gamble and only extended rest heals. You don't know you're okay until you've come through a few games and it hasn't gone again.

He is a very important player for us so I am quite happy to have him back to try and recover.

Twice!

Agreed - I've never had one but I am a runner / triathlete and was always led to believe that it impacts the mechanics of the leg and puts strains on the other one.

In contact sport, that must be more severe, right?

This latest news will of course be meat and drink to the Dyche - Keane conspiracy theorists which will lead to weeks more of tedious debate.

Because there were those on here who stated as fact that was the case.

Next….

With other injuries, you could test yourself and know you were good to go. With a quad, you could give yourself more time than you thought you needed and then pass everything you put yourself through. Then, in one slight movement in a match, it would strain again and put you right back to the start of the process.

We already went through this with Dom.

It seems nailed on Dyche slipped the England medical set up a few quid and Branners is really as fit as a flea just awaiting his Man Utd move.

Seconds Out! Round Two! (Or is it Three… or Four, or Five!!!)

They use the word "niggle", but as others have already said, there's no such thing as a minor injury in that area. You can grit your teeth and play through a sore ankle, but that's a bad idea with something like this.

First and foremost, his club need him fit and ready in what is a crucial period of games coming up to start moving away from in and around the relegation zone.

Yes you have been calling this for weeks.

We had to put our toe in the water with Jarrad sometime but, before that game against West Ham, he had started one competitive game since May. A massive gamble.

Good job it was during an international break because he wouldn't have been fit for our next game. Hopefully your fears will prove to be groundless.

Let's hope he makes a quick recovery for his sake.

Not Keane as the alternative if Jarrad is unavailable.

Hopefully a different injury to Dom, but the only worry is that the original operation was in that area, Myers said it was minor?

This is awful news for us. If he is unavailable for us, then our defence becomes leaky again when last season it was so strong. It means we play at the back with no pace and makes us vulnerable: changes our whole game.

We're so so unlucky aren't we? Puts us back in the mire. Last time we had a dominant centre-back was Mina and he barely played due to injury too. Bad news.

Everton players always seem to have a botched rehabilitation after an injury. Sorry but I do put it down to the rest and recovery regime of medical services which does not build resilience to keep players fit or as part of recovery.

Hope it is better than it seems.

I have seen you refer disparagingly to the ‘rest and recovery regime' previously. I am curious to know why you think rest and recovery should not be an important part of any athlete's regime.

Is this something of which you have personal experience or knowledge?

That Jarrad could be outjumped and bowled over by a guy 7 inches shorter and 10 years older looked like a massive mistake, a lack of preparation for the challenge that I've never seen in Jarrad before. It bewildered me.

Now it looks completely understandable. He simply had no lift and no balance in that injured leg.

He shouldn't have been in the game, and I hope not to see him again until he is 100% healthy.

Moyes also used to frustrate the hell out of me, and came across as ultra cautious when it came to bringing players back from injury, but he usually got it right.

People still dreaming that we should be playing front-foot football with the players that Dyche has (or has had) available this season need to reset their expectations. As frustrating as it is, survival in the Premier League is the mantra this season also.

We have a paper-thin squad as it is and I shudder to think how it will look after about a dozen players are out of contract in the summer.

Medical Services at Everton is based on a narrow rest and recovery regime. Any footballers amongst us can identify with this who have had an injury. Our first solution is rest. Everton have built a significant professional structure around this, which has not changed, unlike all the other clubs in the Premier League who have developed high performance as an addition to rest and recovery.

The bases of the high performane approach is:

In the living laboratory of sports, we learned that the real enemy of high performance is not stress, which, paradoxical as it may seem, is actually the stimulus for growth. Rather, the problem is the absence of disciplined, intermittent recovery. Chronic stress without recovery depletes energy reserves, leads to burnout and breakdown, and ultimately undermines performance.

Rituals that promote oscillation — rhythmic stress and recovery — are the second component of high performance. Repeated regularly, these highly precise, consciously developed routines become automatic over time. — The Corporate Athletics: Harvard Business Review.

In the high performance pyramid, the development of physical resilience is seen as the foundation. In football, this is seen as hard training targets where the footballer is pushed to develop physical and mental resilience. It particularly involves training that reflects the matchday demands.

The objective is to build resilience to avoid injury. It is not only an objective on the training ground, but an integrated objective of the Medical Services of the club.

The orientation for recovery is on the training ground rather than the couch. Recovery being from the physical demands of playing, as well as recovery from a injury.

Naturally enough, players find this hard going but, with Medical Services of the same mind, they have to engage. But at Everton, Medical Services have a bigger say and players spend more time on the couch and rest is more of a priority.

Naturally enough, an injured player would prefer to rest and even some would prefer to rest rather than train. But at Everton, Medical Services can decide whether they train or not. They can even decide what surface they train on.

Everton is the only Premier League club to now employ these methods, and they have not developed the high performance methods.

It was Arsene Wenger who introduced this change when he employed Darren Burgess, a Performance Coach from Australian Rules football who then moved to Liverpool after Wenger retired. The unusual thing is that Burgess encountered resistance in both clubs, but his high performance regime prevailed after he left.

This is I believe why Everton have so many long-term injuries – some genuine and some swinging the lead. The mouthy Mina being a case in point, though he did save Everton in the end

It is often posted that Everton seem to have a problem with long-term injuries: Mina, Coleman and Calvert-Lewin all had botched rehabilitations with recurring hamstrings being the reason on top of the orignal injury. A hamstring can result from a lack of resilence work in a training regime.

The problem with not having physical resilence as the foundation of a training and recovery regime, putting an emphasis on rest, is that psychological problems can develop as they did with Calvert-Lewin and are a real anger for Branthwaite. If the physical resilence foundations are weak, there is more pressure on the psychological bands further up the high-performance pyramid.

In the case of Coleman, this was countered by his going through a brick wall mentality. In Mina's case, by being a devout Christian.

I found in life, and I include myself, that the problem with devout anything is what appears to be the necessary hypocrite aspect.

John, this is just a gist of where I see the problem lies. There are reams of backup material and podcasts on the subject. Arsene Wenger lectures on it regularly now to corporate clients. Hopefully in this short post, you can get a idea of where I am coming from.

Michael asked for facts.

Branthwaite had a minor groin operation in the summer, suffered a quad injury after the Palace game, missed the Ipswich game as a precaution to give him time to recover fully from his quad issue and has withdrawn from the England squad with another groin issue.

Dyche said after Branthwaite missed the Ipswich game: “He [Keane] deserved to stay in the team I thought and I kept him in. Jarrad is close to being fit and possibly could have played but I feel he needs another week's training to make sure his body is right. But I though Keano delivered a very good performance today. It was an excellent goal but he is a very good finisher.”

My diagnosis is a severe case of confirmation bias all round – including me.

But yes, I found the play startling when it happened -- I instantly called it a mistake on the Forum -- and illuminating in light of subsequent news. So watch it back and tell me your view of it. And then tell me if you can ever remember Jarrad being aerially overpowered by anyone, let alone an elderly dwarf like Ings.

BTW, as far as I'm concerned, the only "minor" groin surgery is a vasectomy.

Players and clubs should be empowered to simply say No to the England set-up for these types of fixtures.

‘BTW, as far as I'm concerned the only "minor" groin surgery is a vasectomy.'

MINOR!!!

My ‘minor' surgery involved a team of eminent surgeons, toiling deep into the night and using the latest medical science could offer, they eventually got my kecks off, which allowed the scaffolders to start work. Minor indeed!

Steve we know what Dyche said after the Ipswich game, he came on against Fulhsm and Southampton and the full game at West Ham, but as another Comment from Ben King ‘the numpties questioning Dyche can now shut up', sums up the ridiculous argument, nothing to do with him getting a niggle in the Hammers game.

So Dyche saying he was fit is now our fault. I hope for Everton it is a minor injury, because Branthwaite makes us play more offensive, and is so important to have him playing.

The first message I see when I log on this morning!

Any chance you could just give the whole thing a rest now???

Enough already!!!

He's still an Everton player. Just play him if he's fit. The only question will be who makes way, because if Jarrad is fit, he has to play.

Which bit of what Dyche said is so difficult for you to grasp? He told you both before and after the game that Branthwaite needed more training. He told you Keane scored a cracking goal. He also told you Keane deserved to stay in the team. Which bit of that is not true?

Jarrad is the better player. Nobody who follows Everton seriously believed he wouldn't be back in as soon as he was deemed ready – by people who count. Not you.

People on this website who have had this kind of injury have been talking about the possibility of a breakdown for weeks.

This argument was settled once and for all when Branthwaite was was ruled unfit after just one match back. Dyche's concerns were completely vindicated. The people who chose to use those concerns as a stick with which to beat him have had their judgement well and truly exposed.

You invited them to carry on the debate @(14), make your mind up!

Also, he didn't train with the rest of the England squad, and was sent home 2 days after arriving.

Teach me for poking the bear with my searing sarcasm!

But half of them still can't spell his name right!

It's Jarrad — not Jarred or Jarrod, for fuck's sake!

"And half of them still can't spell his name right!"

At least they get your own surname right! Unlike somebody I know!

Tsk, I heard they used a pair of nail scissors and a magnifying glass...

Those ladies from Scotty Road certainly knew how to twist a knife!

Dyche has a lot to answer for. 😃

He who pays the piper…

How many games did Giggs pull out of, only to be fit for his club's next game.

Chances are he has got a slight injury, or maybe Everton have got smart and need him more for the tough December fixtures.

It means Branthwaite will miss both England games this week but, with over a week's rest, has a better chance of making the Brentford game.

We should know a lot more come next Saturday on team selection.

My Nan could humble burly docker with a one liner delivered faster than the 44D!

They made me smile. Human nature is fascinating. The desire to be proved correct. The "I told you so" syndrome. The need to correct poor use of language and grammar. The need to pick at and interpret a poster's intentions and inference. All because Jarrad with an A has a niggle.

I can't run today because I have a niggly hamstring and I may be a doubtful starter for this Saturday's Parkrun. All advice welcome. Definitely a slow news week with no weekend game to look forward to.

It seems you only have to play half a dozen games (especially if your with a London club) and you'er picked. Many of those players haven't proved themselves and don't rise to the occasion.

Meanwhile I am laid up in bed, after having a second shingles jab on Monday. Bloody nurse didn't warn me about any side effects which would kick in 24 hours later, and last for between 2-3 days! I do literally feel like a bag of shite!

Hopefully you'll be fine after 2/3 days, which is a lot better than shingles itself, I had it in my early 20's, I can still remember the severe pain and a burning feeling for around three weeks. Get well soon.

I sincerely hope your great country goes around fixing everyone's mess, but I definitely think you're gonna have to look in the mirror first though!

I was astonished when Trump, got back into the White House, Christy, but I had a feeling a few days before the election, when I put on the BBC News. The BBC News seemed very impartial to me after reading a lot of stuff on the internet and watching other news stations, giving out reports which hadn't been verified, and it got me thinking that the legacy media were absolutely terrified of Donald Trump regaining power.

Let's hope he doesn't turn out as bad as many are predicting, even if he does remind me of Bill Kenwright!!

I certainly don't need your “intepretation” of Dyche's quote when I have the ability to read it myself. And to think you had the nerve to call Christy's posts embarrassing and demand an apology –an apology! How embarrassing.

You also complained that Christy was posting repetitively on the same topic, when in fact it is you who seems to be tipping into obsession. You endlessly repeat the same points and bore us all to death.

So to summarise, I do not agree with your argument about Dyche's intent in not selecting Branthwaite, no matter how many times you repeat it.

If you find that difficult to accept, please seek help.

That's very hurtful.

I'm disappointed in you. Below the belt….

I'm sorry for making such a cutting remark...

No you're not!😁

Couldn't he have just brought Jake O'Brien on for 5 minutes if Jarrad was still not right? Coming on cold for the last 5 minutes can't be advisable anyway for a player still recovering?

If he had brought O'Brien on, it would have backed up his argument that Jarrad wasn't right. All he ended up doing was offering more 'evidence' to those who think he favours Michael Keane.

Maybe he was putting Branthwaite in the Shop Window.

The lockdown season started in September, so if you include the first 3 games of that season (a usual number to be played in August), his record reads 3 wins in 28 games!!

I know this has nothing to do with the thread but I felt like posting it, I mean, surely that tells you something is wrong with pre-season preparations???

Or is it just the smell or feel that I'm misreading?

I know I've met a few like your nan and lived with some. My uncle said to my auntie Anne, during one of their many arguments “You'll cry bitter tears when I go!”

Quick as a flash, she replied “Well, I'll have to bring an onion with me and peel it in the church!”

I was just making an observation that his late substitution looks odd and allows people to read into it that Jarrad was fit but he favours Keane.

Many thanks for your detailed reply. So if my reading is correct ,the approach you advocate is that a hard training load creating stress followed by rest and recovery, followed in turn by more hard training is what is required to build resilience. That all seems to me eminently sensible. The minor tears and strains resulting from a peak training workload ultimately strengthen the athlete's ability to perform at peak levels.

What I find surprising is that our club has not adopted this approach despite over the past seven years having three Directors of Football and seven First Team Managers who have worked at other Premier League clubs and/or in other top leagues in Europe. You would have thought one of them might have identified what was going wrong and put it right.

b) In the Fulham game, he was on the bench and hence was fit to play but not used.
c) For Southampton, he was on the bench and fit to play but not used.
d) For West Ham he was started and hence fit to play. He picked up an unspecified knock and hence wasn't fit to join the England team in Greece.1

Sorry if that isn't 100% correct but see what I mean? Everything else such as he was really fit before West Ham and that Dyche wouldn't play him are opinions, as is that being injured after the West Ham game meant that he was injured before it? If so the arguing is pointless as nobody on either side is correct?

The correct resolution I would say is that, everybody in the discussion having made their point once should then say, sorry but I don't know.

Not stirring honest. I'm really interested in the process and result. The worst result is that everybody goes away without taking anything on board, convinced they are correct in their opinions or facts.

Watching the CONCACAF Nations League game tonight, USA vs Jamaica, and starting on Jamaica's backline is... Mason Holgate.

That's right, Mason Holgate.

I had no idea.

PS... Demarai Gray is in there for Jamaica as well.

In my admittedly limited knowledge, the theory is to build muscle you first need to stress it then let it recover and it 're-builds' stronger. So train arms and upper body one day, the next day lower body and alternate each day.

Of course the trick is not to stress so much that it breaks down so it's a long-term process — unless steroids are involved.

That's right. Sent off.

Should have gotten a straight red for his first yellow... studs into the knee... and then necktied a guy for his second yellow.

Not a great night for Demarai either -- missed a pen on a great save by the keeper.

Mike, please confirm you didn't dream it!! Everton's last 10 years is captured in 90 minutes.

I'm not sure if it's all true Jerome, but it got me thinking about how Martinez was talking about building apartments on Finch Farm.

Because football is such a demanding sport both mentally and physically nowadays, it must be good to get away and get some downtime. But these players are earning absolute fortunes and they should be putting absolutely everything into their profession to be the best they can.

It would not have been a surprise to me that Burgess encountered resistance, Jerome, even though his methods have impressed people enough, so they have kept them on once he left. Maybe Coleman would excel in this department?

Well, I suppose the pelvis is adjacent to the groin, which is adjacent to the quad, which is adjacent to the shin, which is adjacent to the foot, which is adjacent to the ground.

Sports journalist from The Mail said it's now a pelvic injury?

Jamaica was dominating, pressing for an equalizer (Holgate missed an absolute sitter off a set piece).

The fans were chanting and dancing and raising a din. His red card silenced them, sent them flooding to the exits.

And as I said, he should have been sent off 10 minutes earlier after one of his trademark studs-first high tackles.

I usually wish our former players well after they depart. Not Holgate. I revel in his constant failures.

Wasn't that when Everton gave him his bumper contract?

I pray for the day he is a distant memory.

More than most other clubs… right?

Hmmm… seems we're not even in the Premier League Top 10 when it comes to Days Lost from Injuries so far this season:

Premier League injuries: Which sides have been most affected?

Or is this more lies we're being told by the corrupt Premier League via their odious lackies at Sky Sports?

The basic weights mantra is: high weights plus low reps equals muscle mass and explosive strength; low weights plus high reps equals stamina and endurance. Individuals will have their own needs, strengths or weaknesses depending upon their inherited physical traits (mentality in the form of discipline is an overarching factor).

The mixed reports about Jarrad's ongoing injuries makes me think it could be good old ‘footballer's groin' or otitis pubis, which essentially comes down to simple lack of relative core strength in otherwise very fit and active sports people.

Top-level athletes should have very precise regimes and close monitoring. Even with that, one thing that the trainers can't ever control is how diligently their charges will follow their instructions. Someone may find certain exercises less comfortable and so they only ever put 80 per cent (for example) into them. Who would ever know?

Footballer's groin is a nightmare. I know about that because I suffered from it when I got as fit as the proverbial. I wasn't exercising the core muscles at all evenly (lower abs are easy to overlook) and the physios at the club gave me a diagnosis of recurrent groin strains when things started to ‘fall apart' (stronger muscles above and below the pelvis basically distort it out of true). Eventually, the best sports physio I ever met came along and diagnosed it correctly in about 2 minutes.

9 months to recover, most of that pure rest because any exercise just throws out something else. But the pros have a much quicker fix. Basically a surgeon goes in and strengthens all the weak points around the pelvis. Alan Shearer definitely had it and perhaps Michael Owen as well. Out for a matter of weeks.

So I worry when people say "just a groin strain… bit of a pelvic injury." I know those don't ring the same alarm bells as ‘cruciate', 'fracture' or 'dislocation' but they bother me. I'm sure he'll recover eventually (he will have the best care, attention and advice) but, if it's a multi-faceted injury, then it could take a while.