I think it’s the modern football studs contributing to injuries. Generally elongated, they don’t give in the ground, so the thing that does give is the next flexible point - Knee or Ankle.
I don't think that proves anything either way. Poor conditioning could lead to injuries occuring in matches. Not saying I think it is the case. We have no way of knowing though really. Two years ago Rosenior called out the conditioning of the squad he inherited from Shota and pretty much blamed the pre-season. He vowed to improve our injury record and then did so. So I do think it's possible that poor conditioning from a pre-season can affect a team throughout a season even if the coaching regime changes. Again though, that's not to say it is or isn't happening here. We can't know really, but it's a possibility. This season I don't think we've had an unusual amount of muscle injuries, we had a bit of a spate of them in the autumn but overall it's not been terrible. We've obviously had an unusual amount of serious knee injuries and they've all affected our best players in attacking positions, which seems particularly unfair. But prior to Millar, we hadn't had a player suffer an ACL or similarly serious injury in years, which was probably an unusually lucky spell.
I thought poor conditioning leads to more muscular injuries, not ACL types? Happy to be proven wrong by those ITK though.
Agreed. Selles seemed to be talking up his return too, but we'll have to see what his involvement actually is when he's fully available. Over-training/inadequate recovery can increase the risk apparently, which may have been an accusation of Walter's penchant for double sessions and no days off, but given they've happened under Selles too I'm thinking in all likelihood it is down to luck.
We talked about this in the autumn when we had the first two. Obviously it's never good luck when it happens, but conditioning and fatigue can definitely be contributing factors, 100%. When the muscles are over-tired they don't stabilise the joint under stress like they should.
None of the four players with serious knee injuries this season took part in our pre-season training. So I think we can know on this occasion.
Well, we can rule out our pre-season being the cause of their injuries. But it could still be related to their levels of fatigue or condition. Barry seems to have had a month of fitness issues before getting this injury, perhaps that played some part. Millar going back and forth to Canada in the opening weeks of the season and being affected by it to the extent that he could never start the next game afterwards may also have played a part. Or they could just be a few coincidental occurrences. If we'd continued to pick up injuries at the rate we were around September/October time I'd be suspecting something more than just coincidence. But overall we probably haven't had a huge number of them, it's just that it's kept on hitting our best players.
TBF, a lot of pros are having what I could call "traditional" studs put in the boots by the supplier, replacing the one you describe and see on the boots you can buy these days.
Matazo’s injury happened shortly after he’d changed his boots to what looked like a pair with longer studs.
I think him changing his boots played a part. He probably thought the boots he started with were slipping on the turf so opted for longer studs so he’d get better foot-planting. Out of the chip pan and into the fire.
A friend of mine is an ex-pro, still plays semi pro and is a huge City fan, on Tuesday day time he was insisting to me that the injuries we’re currently seeing is down to too intensive training. Make of that what you will, but I’m pretty certain that Selles has been quoted as saying that he wants the players to train as hard as they play in a game.
And he's said that everywhere he's been, and plenty of other managers in the game have said the same. First of all, we don't know if Selles has had 2 ACL's. It's not confirmed what Matazo's is and Barry is said to be a cartilage as opposed to ligament injury, I guess time will tell whether that's just semantics. I do know that 'loading' has been far more conventional under Selles than Walter. And I do know we had 2 confirmed ACLs in quick succession under Walter, so maybe there is something in what your pal says. Maybe it's heavy pitches in Feb and players using longer studs. Maybe it's bad luck. Probably a combination of all of the above.
I doubt anyone can tell from either the away end or TV whether they were longer or shorter. But he was clearly feeling something wrong or unstable prior. Maybe it just wasn't the boots that were the problem in the first place?
If matazo is an ACL, that's just bad luck. Belloumi and millar were also just bad luck, with completely different training methods.
I’d just like to say that I said Barry’s injury looked like a cartilage tear and I was right . Which is a first for me LOL But then I had one on my right knee but , 4 over the years on my left - played til I was 38 - not sure I should have - my left knee is not great .
