Looking back over our season we seem to have had more than our fair share of injuries. Starting at the beginning of the season with Lambert, Lallana, Barnard, Jaidi, Butterfield, Later there was Richardson, Connoly, Guly, Fonte, Hoover, Fox, Chaplow and Lambert again. Lee is only here a couple of weeks and he gets one, the same it seems with Sharpe. I have probably missed some out and the timings may be wrong but I think you get the picture. Comparing our injury list to some of the others ours seems to have been proportionately higher. With the length of some of the injuries being definitely longer. It raises the question for me at least, are our players targets for the cloggers? Are we just unlucky with injuries? Do you think we treat our players any differently than other teams do for injuries? Do you think NA's background has a bearing on how long players are out sometimes? Any other suggestions? What's your view?
There seems to be a high proportion of injuries incurred in training rather that in a match, perhaps too rigorous at times ?
The injury to Tadanari Lee which occurred in training is of particular concern at this time with all sorts of speculation as to its seriousness flying around.
Indeed. Something I have noticed aswell, Reading and Hull for example have had very few injuries from what I have heard/seen. Why that is...I'm not sure. Nige and the gang strive for highest levels of fitness and maybe all that hard work is taking its toll? Lambert is not an injury prone player and yet this season he has picked up a few knocks here and there. Hopefully this latest one is dealt with asap because we certainly need him back for the run in. Anyone heard if he missed out to on a semi-precautionary basis to enable him to play the final 6 games, or whether the injury is more serious than we first thought?
They were two of the teams I used for examples to compare actually........Along with Middlesboro and West Ham.
The fitness people work very hard to keep the players in good nick. Keeping up our intensity takes its toll, but the players on the pitch are fitter than ever.
Don't think we can blame other teams...matches haven't been dirty. Could be bad luck, but may be that Adkins rests them longer after injuries than other managers, because we have the squad to do it.
I think some of the other teams such as West Ham have had large numbers of injuries around Christmas time too at the peak of the fixture list intensity. Some reasons why teams like ourselves seem to have had more injuries than others eg. Reading may be to do with our intense fitness style of play compared to their discipline, the age and fitness of the players or it could be because both ourselves and West Ham have been near the top of the league most of the season and this has led to opposition taking note and giving us a hard/intense game. Personally though I don't think we have had many more injuries than other teams but we do have some aging/injury prone players like Jaidi and Connolly - is he currently fit as we may need him soon?
Adkins will not play and member of the squad if he is not 100% or thereabouts. He won't play anyone carrying a injury, because it just doesn't work out long term. In his way he is being fairer to the players and to the club than another manager might by risking the the aggravation of, or further, injury to a squad member.
