Not at all - I have nothing against Sam or what he did for us - my bitterness is only towards the FA - but I can;t hide behind the fact that all of our other managers were **** at getting players fit (as were all of Kirchhoff's and Kaboul's - including Pep Guardiola) and Sam managed to keep players like this, who couldn't play half a season under any of their previous managers, fit for most of the season - it simply can't be natural finding a way to keep them fit where every other gaffer they've ever had has failed
I think the logic is built around the techniques used. Palace didn't use cryotherapy. Sam has it in there now though. Sam installed them here and we still have them, in fact there's been no change here to what Sam was doing. It's a technique which is hotly debated among professionals and has lots of pros and cons but a major con is it kills tissue cells. The whole thing is centered around quick healing and reduced swelling, but Sam's way is to use for general muscle fatigue for everyone following games and training. I'm skeptical over the whole treatment myself. They'll be gone in the summer anyways.
Of course, I wouldn't use it as a stick to beat him with anyway, even if it was directly responsible for the injuries. He had a task, which was to keep the team up at all costs, which he achieved. No doubt some of the players were playing through the pain barrier, with painkillers and so on. My gut instinct, from learning how muscle tissue develops when overtrained and not allowed to rest properly, is that it behaves like a well done steak, only it's reversible. When you then look at the muscle tissue after it's 'replenished' itself naturally, only then will you know what sort of condition it's in. Freezing will always have it's advantages, as well as heating, there's no denying the fact that athletes need it one way or another when schedules are demanding.
Personally I think cryotherapy is bollocks, you swell and inflame for a reason, it's your body doing it's natural thing to heal itself. Fair dos a good old fashioned ice packs but targeted probes and chambers are too cold imo. Rushing recovery is not what your body wants at the end of the day.
No doubt, but he'll know as well as anybody else will that it'll be to do with eating well, training well and sleeping well, more than an ice box. Otherwise, just give the ice boxes to all the chubbers, watch them turn into Mr Universe.
