Acording to Jol he will be out for the rest of the season. A great pity - not just the misfortune of the injury but since is takes away the chance for him to get a decent run of form. No credit to the Bolton fans however who of all fans at the moment really should have been more aware/sensitive.
Not nice for him but, seriously, this is no great loss. He is still too easily knocked off the ball as far as I am concerned. Maybe it won't do him any harm to sit out the rest of the season, get into the gym, build himself up a bit during the summer and come back next year a much better prospect.
I would never wish an injury on someone, but I do feel he is the weakest attacking link in our lineup. He does have his moments of genius, but those are few and far between unfortunately. I'd like to see either Davies or Frei given more of a runout from now until the end of the season.
He had a good game yesterday and I think it's a matter of time of him getting used to the league. In a similar way probably not good for him as now the team are more relaxed and could afford to give him some time to demonstrate his skills and find his position. If Dembele and Dempsey are off in the summer this could have been time to try the team with different formations...
This is sad news for Ruiz. Love him or hate him, he has started to show some signs of quality just recently. He may not be scoring loads of goals but his statistics are pretty decent. I was surprised to read some stats recently: Bryan Ruiz - played 15, scored 2, 3 assists overall rating 6.71 Damien Duff - played 14, scored 1, 1 assist overall rating 6.49 I read this on another forum that unfortunately does not show the source and obviously the stats will have changed from yesterday. The point is though that Ruiz has been quietly adjusting to life in the premiership and has been more effective than we give him credit for. I do agree that he will benefit from time in the gym to bulk out a bit, but feel for the guy. Get well soon. Coyw
I think this is a real blow for us - he's getting better and needs the games, especially now the pressure is off. Our attacking options are getting very limited with AJ still not fit and no word on whether Pog will be back on Monday.
I'm not doubting those statistics, but I find them genuinely hard to believe. I know Duffers doesn't have world class games like yesterday week in week out but for me he has been one of our best performers this season, and I'd like to think he's had a hand in more than one goal. I think if you were to ask many FFC fans their opinion over who has been the better player for us this season, Ruiz or Duff, I think a lot of them would side with Duffers, which would make those stats all the more confusing.
Likewise Bandit. I would have put Duff ahead, but that is partly due to the statistics not including the number of times Ruiz has caught in possession, bundled off the ball etc. He has had some excellent moments, but not enough yet. Still I wish him a good recovery.
I too struggle to believe those statistics. I'm almost certain Duff has had more of an impact in the goals we have scored this season, maybe not in direct assists but in the build up and general play. I think Ruiz will come good eventually, and this run in could have done him the world of good but now it's a chance for Kaca and Frei to get more game time, or even possibly Ryan Williams who has been playing very well for the Development Squad since arriving.
This is true. I really do want to like Ruiz and genuinely hope he comes good next season but his physique remains a big problem. So many times he was just shoved off of the ball yesterday, a summer of bulking up will do him the world of good I think. Not having much muscle is fine if you have the tricks of Messi but Ruiz doesn't.
The fact remains that Ruiz, for all his shortcomings, has stepped up from his first 45mins on his debut when he looked totally blindsided. Still, we have loads of players who can take his place, so it's an opportunity for Kaca, Kasami, Frei etc to show what they can do.
This is bad news. I think he was just coming good and was starting to grow in confidence. Real shame.
Kasami is the real one we should question as well as Ruiz...what has he done this season....i know he hasn't played but all that nonsense about wanting to go back to Italy in January
The only thing I remember hearing directly from the player was his tweet saying he was happy at Fulham etc. Besides that, he put in some very good performances at the beginning of the season, but since Jol fined him for taking a penalty he hasn't played. Again, he's shown he can be useful, he's on our books, he's young - lets use him.
I'm sorry that Ruiz is injured, because the pressure-free run in could have been important in putting down roots for next season. That said, if we were going to have someone get a significant injury, the week we pass 40pts is a good time for it to happen. As others have said, it gives us plenty of options to try others out and it doesn't put us in any real danger. Most of his recovery time will be close-season, which is a considerable silver lining. I still rate Ruiz and have high hopes for him next season.
Yeah I've seen more than enough of ruiz this season to believe he is worth persisting with. I think however while I would like to see him get more games at this (relatively speaking) relaxed stage of the season for us, the position in the team that it opens up for the likes of Kacaniklic and Frei could be invaluable in grooming them for next season, particularly if dempsey was to leave in the summer. Even fringe players like sa and kasami may get an opportunity to try and prove they justify being part of jol's plans next season as they were both on the bench tonight.
I'm agreeing with everyone else really but I'll make the points anyway: to be out for "the rest of the season" when we've only got 5 games left isn't the end of the world, Ruiz can work on his upper body strength whilst resting his foot and we'll (hopefully) get to see more of the youngsters. Overall Ruiz has had a funny (as in perculiar not ha ha) first season - hopelessly out of his depth at the start, some amazing brilliance at times and annoying anonimity at others. I think we all wish him a speedy recovery from the injury and feel there are signs that he'll have a good (and more consistent) next season.
