The other day Portsmouth had three games in hand on us, but the two they've played since have just pulled them down towards and now behind us. So much for that being a big problem.
Millwall Stoke Burnley Middlesbrough, and wets brom away, not what you would call banker games….and the mighty tigers on the last day……
Oh cock... Here's a look at the current injury situation at the MKM Stadium.... Liam Millar Injury: Anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) Expected return date: Millar is out for the season Mohamed Belloumi Injury: Anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) Expected return date: Like Millar, the Algerian ace is out for the season Kasey Palmer Injury: Ankle issue Expected return date: Towards the end of next month Charlie Hughes Injury: Hamstring Expected return date: Towards the end of next month Fin Burns Injury: Head injury Expected return date: Unclear after going off against Doncaster Rovers Matty Jacob Injury: Small hip issue Expected return date: Should be fine for Millwall Steven Alzate Injury: Back spasm Expected return date: Hoping to be OK to travel to The Den on Saturday Gustavo Puerta Injury: Ankle knock Expected return date: Will be monitored after picking up the injury against Doncaster Rovers Abdus Omur Injury: Knee problem Expected return date: Should be back for the weekend Oscar Zambrano Absence: Suspended Expected return date: Unclear
City will have Alzate, Jacob, Burns, Longman and Puerta all available for the trip to Millwall. Abdus Omur sidelined with the knee issue which kept him out of the FA Cup game last weekend. Matty Jacob will be assessed before the game but has a good chance of being involved after his hip problem.
If we are trying to get rid of Giles, we won't want him injured. I assume the same applies to Longman.
We need the win, but I don’t see it at Millwall, 1-0 or 0-0, is me being optimistic, but if they score early, I think they’ll nick a second one when we’re chasing.
Belloumi is absolutely class. Hopefully this injury doesn’t disrupt him too much, it’s all but ended the career of many a player before him. Some that were absolutely on the path to the top of the game. Tough one to recover completely from. Millar I always thought people were getting too excited about. Decent player, great work ethic, but very frustrating.
Everyone always makes this comment about ACL injuries but I can't think of too many in the last 10-15 years whose careers have ended because of ACLs. Medical technology has come a long way.
The biggest concern with wingers especially is the lost of explosiveness when sprinting and twisting and turning whilst dribbling. Belloumi isn’t really an explosive winger but he’s a very good dribbler in tight spaces so if he becomes more wooden on the ball as a result, that’s unfortunate. However, even saying that, I think hamstring tears are worse for really fast, explosive wingers. It really did affect Allahyar both mentally and physically. He never sprinted as quickly as he did before that Burnley game ever again.
Agree, hamstring injuries tend to be a lot worse as they end up being recurring and much weaker. ACLs so long as the recovery is carried out appropriately should in theory just about fully recover.
