Another game, another 2 players out, this is getting ridiculous! It seems to happen every year to us, when was the last time we could play 3 games in a row without haing to make changes? Every club has injury problems, but this year we've had one of the worst I can remember - and that's saying something! In pre-season and 6 weeks of games we've had injuries to Bassedas, Cort, Dabizas, Goma, Barton, Lee and Glass which have caused significant lay offs. Lesser injuries have occurred to Harper, Gallagher, Given, Charvet and Shearer. We've no idea how significant the knocks to Griffin and Dyer are going to be. Add to that Nobby's trips across the globe and it's a bleedin' miracle we're in 4th position. Of course We managed to get rid of 3 crocks over the summer and I'm not going to mention Marcelino the Malingerer....

What's going on? Personally I don't believe in luck, good or bad. There has to be reasons why we get so many injuries during games, are we not warming up beforehand properly? Something has to change. If it wasn't for this 2 week break we'd really be in the poo for the Boro game.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

Answers

It could've been worse. I'm surprised Dyer's not been rested considering the recent batterings he's had. Just after the triple substitution vs Charlton he went down with a bad knock, and hobbled about for 5 mins. Then vs Orient a similarly tough challenge gave him a temporary limp. The amazing thing is that he's continued to play. He may need some advice on playing, but I reckon he's got NUFC in his heart.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

The thing is - look at the rest of the PL. Injuries all over. I watched some Italian and Spanish stuff over the weekend and they have loads of injuries too. What's happening?

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

It's too cold for all the foreigners if you ask me, so they have a few months off with things like broken fingers.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

That's right Rik. I blame the hole in the ozone layer.

Actually, perhaps it's a combination of things. Are players getting softer? In the good old days, when real tackling by real men was still alowed, we didn't see do many injuries - or perhaps they just played on with the injury as there was nobody to take their places. I'm not sugggesting that's a good thing, but I reckon that injuries were a more accepted part of the game in those days - just like the miners accepted their ailments as part of the job. You don't get that attitude any more (and rightly so).

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

The other thing is that clubs now pay so much for players and have such strictly controlled insurance policies that they can't really risk playing players who have even small injuries in case they get worse. Look at Ronaldo - he has to be the best example.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

The other thing is that clubs now pay so much for players and have such strictly controlled insurance policies that they can't really risk playing players who have even small injuries in case they get worse. Look at Ronaldo - he has to be the best example. In the past, this wasn't really an issue. It's easy to praise to Stuart Pearce who wanted to play on with a broken leg last season, rushed his return and broke the leg in exactly the same place almost as soon as he came back.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

errr...maybe i'm missing something here but isn't the game faster, more competetive, more professional and physically more demanding than it used to be.....? Not an excuse, just an observation....

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2000

I blame the hole in the ozone layer.

Was that the hole that Marcellino got his finger caught in then?

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

Min's near the mark: all the fitness coaches say footballers are now training so hard (most of 'em anyway) that they are constantly susceptible to strains, illnesses, muscle tears, etc. The experts say this is very much the case in athletics, and now footballers are beginning to push themselves to nearer that level. Obviously we are more aware of our own side's injuries than those to other sides, but even so we seem to have more than our share. It can't be the cold or poor training techniques, can it? Bassedas has never had a serious injury, but he pulls on the black and white stripes and immediately breaks his foot. In the USA. In the summer. As long as we don't buy players like Ferguson, we have to simply conclude we are cursed. Bugger.

Hope Griffin is OK, I'd like to see him have a run in the team and eventually replace a Neville in the England squad.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

I hope Kieron isn't telling porkies just so he can play for England

Robson said: "I've just spoken to Kieron and his knee has settled down.

"It's better. He's not going to train for two days and then they're going to assess him after that.

"In two days, he'll either be able to put himself up for selection or he won't.

"I'm not really making any comment about that because that's up to Kevin Keegan. All I'm saying is I've just come off the telephone to him and he's feeling a lot happier and his knee has settled down a bit."

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

I'm worried about Griffin's injury. He was out all last season with a back injury. It's his back again this time. I hope it's not a general weekness that will flare up regularly. If so, we can forget about building a side around him (as one of the youngsters) for the future.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

I believe Griffin's back injury goes back to that car accident about 18 months ago when he had an argument with was it a railway barrier or a train (Metro?)?
Regarding Dyer's 'improvement' - I guess a few bevvies and a couple of hours dancing at Legends and Julies on Saturday night must have done the trick! I'm still wondering how he managed to dance with the 'ice pack' that BR reckoned he had on his knee all weekend.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

Dyer was seen walking into the tunnel after the match and he wasn't strapped up in ice at that point. He may have had some ice on it in the dug-out but as we see so often, other teams don't hesitate in icing the injury.

Our injury records show that some of our methods may not be all correct and could be well worth reviewing. If they haven't been done already. Surely Bobby has come across a wonder physio along his path.!

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

>>> Surely Bobby has come across a wonder physio along his path.

I seem to recall that a certain Dr Frankenstein had remarkable powers with the human body - or was he working in the West Hammer House of Horrors?. Might be worth a try.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

Just a note on ice packs for injuries....a physio mate tells me that iceing a knock is only really effective for the first ten minutes or so after it happens.

After that, it may help swelling, but won't do much more than that. The recommendation now is that the swelling is left to go down naturally.

There was a report today of someone who had to have a skin graft because of frostbite from a bag of frozen chips applied to a bruised foot.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

LOL - you're supposed to take them out of the freezer first, aren't you??

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

I read that article about the woman who left the frozen pack of chips on for 40 mins instead of the recommended 30 and had to have a skin graft.....stupid bint! didn't she read the instructions on the bag!!

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

I heard about that one on R5L at about 6.00 this morning. She was out running, stepped on a can and twisted her ankle (Steve Howey sister's by any chance?)so she put this bag of frozen chips on her ankle because of the pain, but then she dozes off to sleep and was out of it for about 40 minutes.....bliddy excruciating pain that must have been eh!

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2000

There was an article, I believe in The Ronnie, a couple of days ago about Warren Barton's expected return from a groin injury. Apparently, he's running again and expects to be fit for the Everton game.
He explained that most groin tears are about 3cm long, but that his was 12 cms (almost 5 inches)!!
Call me a cynic, but I find it difficult to believe a 12cm muscle tear can heal itself properly in 3 weeks, and without surgery.
I'll be watching this one very carefully, and if WB comes back in only to aggravate the injury, and THEN require surgery/rehabilitation and another extended lay-off, I'll be pretty brassed off.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000

Morning Mr Clark
Maybe he's like the rest of us and uses wishful thinking in his idea of how long twelve cms is.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000

PB, you talking about cm's or inches????

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000

It's mintimperial Kegsy, you ony need one in, one out, and one gannin in and out :-))

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000

That's brought a smile to my face, not sure how your lass would take it mind :-)

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000

Any way you care to mention, Kegsy as long as me wife doesn't find out. ;-))

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000