So it begins. Our small squad gets smaller. Sick note Ben Reeves has picked up an Achilles injury and will be out till September. Oh dear.
If we are going to run the season with a threadbare squad then we can't afford one of those to be Reeves and I'm afraid Solly may be a problem for exactly the same reason.
Injuries in pre-season training aren't uncommon. Presumably just rotten luck but it happens. Doubtless happens to other Clubs as well. The only disadvantage of having a lean (low-mid 20's) squad of quality players rather than a flabby (30+) squad padded out with fringe players who aren't much good is that when you have five or six of your best XI out injured the lean squad will begin appearing at games with fewer than 7 substitutes. But a subs bench with four or five decent players on it is no worse off than a full bench of no-marks. Just the opposite in fact. OK, so Reeves is out for a couple of months. Not good, but not a disaster either. For the present we have to trust that the training and fitness regimes are set up to minimise avoidable injuries occurring, or the aggravation of existing knocks. Lee Bowyer strikes me as a pretty thorough sort of character. I would guess the players are keeping fit and training in a manner he approves of.
