Maarten Stekelenburg has been quoted this afternoon in the Dutch press as saying: âItâs a relief that the injury isnât that bad. A scan has shown that it is a bruise and it shouldnât keep me out for too longâ . Heâs expected to be sidelined for around two weeks, with Stockdale to deputise in goal for Saturdayâs home game against Arsenal. please log in to view this image
Good news indeed. I did worry that his shoulder had popped out when I saw him walking off on Saturday.
We are somewhat fortunate in that Stockdale has a legitimate case for starting in this league anyway. I don't think he's as good as Stek, but he's certainly not a bad player at all. As for the injury, it never looked like a dislocation. My concern was that it might be a muscle tear, or ligament damage. A deep bruise should heal up in a few weeks, and won't require any surgery.
Arsenal, Burton, Newcastle: after that we've got a weekend off for the International break. With a bit of luck, it'll be just those three games that Stekelenburg misses. I agree that Stockdale isn't a bad back-up to have, but I hope we don't have to rely on him for too long.
To be fair, Ipswich fans at the time said that the hammerings were in spite of Stockdale rather than because of him - as I recall they felt he was playing out of his skin while his defence were as much use as a hairdryer in Pajtim Kasami's bathroom. The first couple of runs Stockdale had when Schwarzer was injured, he did great, it was only in the last year that he hasn't looked so good for us. I'm hoping that he'll have one of his inspired runs and then Stek comes back before the wind changes. Stockdale is a better option than most Premier league clubs (Champions League sides apart) have on the bench.
Think this is the better summing up of Stockdale. It was really only in the Swansea game he let us down last year and he did well at Hull. So long as he keeps away from the pies and yorkshire pud he'll be fine.
