I think 1 of our best recruits of the season might actually turn out to be Greg Luer, if he's given the chance. Already kicked 2 goals for us. This kid looks the goods
Diomande can't be great for us all season as he'll be out for at least two months. Hernandez is running about a bit but still misses sitters, Luer would be interesting but I think Bruce is always likely to put his most expensive purchases on the pitch first, as we've seen in the past.
Do you think that medicals can be so precise and predictive? Have you ever wondered why folk don't always die as quickly as medics predict? Sometimes the body will heal itself, sometimes it won't, it is a difficult call; surgery be a last resort because of the problems of scar tissue, etc.
I was quite clear this was AFTER he comes back. If I could pick any moment for him to have to miss two months of this season it would be now. Gives him a rest after almost playing a full Norwegian season. Gets to know the players etc. Also... at least two months?? It claims 6-8 weeks.
We do seem to have a poor record though, we signed Bullard, Snodgrass and Diomande with pre-existing injuries that turned out to be worse than we thought, but rejected Austin, who's not had a problem since.
Still, it says 6-8 weeks. So that's what we've got to go on. Can't just go making stuff up to suit an argument now can we.
Have we had any statement from the club on the injury and as to how much of a surprise the delay caused by this injury is? Or are people just guessing it was all part of the plan?
I think you had it right in a previous post when you spoke of there being an element of gamble (I think it was you). Knee injuries are a difficult shout for everyone, knees, previously injured or not are a common problem; I don't think Bullard and Snodgrass had injuries that were worse than we thought, they simply returned, which was always a likelihood. Austin had three shoulder dislocations in 2011 and before and in 2013 his medical must have raised a high risk of re-occurance; this hasn't happened, which may be luck or the player learning to protect the shoulder, or both. Medicals vary, clubs use a number of different medical facilities and will receive a final report, but, unless they have been told to look for something specific, it is not a pass or fail report. They will gather as much of the players medical history (including scans, etc.) as they can, but the current club can often be uncooperative or the medical history be inadequate or lost in translation. I think Diomande's groin tear is something that would easily be misjudged (if it was) during a limited dead-line day medical. Spending more on Gray, with time to assess him properly, might not have been so daft after all. For me this is about management decisions, using the medical report as one of their decision making tools. The players you mention were the result of two different management teams and I do wonder how many other risks have paid off. If we have problems many, if not all clubs may share it with us. This might be of interest
He either has or he hasn't. There is no technicality to think about. I never stated in what competition he kicked the goals, i just said he had kicked 2, which he has. Not that hard to work out when you think about it