Bristol City medical team in the spotlight over treatment of Joe Williams and other players 'Tension' between Robins midfielder and rehab staff at Ashton Gate. Bristol City midfielder Joe Williams has been reported as being unhappy with his treatment off the pitch since joining the Robins, and Bristol Live understands that he is not alone in feeling this way. City's £1.2m summer signing from Wigan is currently out injured with head coach Dean Holden hopeful that the player may eventually return this season. A report in The Athletic on Wednesday detailed 'Williams has a thigh injury which has kept the £1.2 million September signing from Wigan out all season and it is understood there is tension between the player and the medical staff regarding the treatment he has received.' And Bristol Live understands the report to be well sourced and true. Further, we understand that it is not just Williams: several players are in the same position and have serious question marks over the rehabilitation work they have been asked to do to come back playing. A workload of too stringent tasks has led to further problems being caused or a lack of progress, with players bemused and frustrated at not being able to regain fitness. Some of those affected have not had any serious injury problems before in their careers or at previous clubs. Bristol City are fully supportive of their performance department but will not comment on specific cases. Williams signed from the Latics in August and as Holden explained recently, the player passed his medical before becoming injured almost immediately. He did not arrive injured in BS3 though and passed his medical checks, but has been unable to play since the beginning of the season in an exasperatingly long absence from both training and matches. There is no time-frame for a return as things stand. "The truth is it’s not gone according to plan with Joe," Holden told Bristol Live last week when asked on the player, in reference to a further hamstring injury being sustained. "He’s suffered some setbacks along the way in his rehabilitation. We’ve not seen him with the first team group since the day he got signed and he got injured on the very first day. During his rehabilitation, he’s picked up a hamstring injury during that time." Williams played in 40 games for Paul Cook's side in 2019/20 and though he suffered a hamstring injury in 2019 he still played in 29 games, featuring in 34 while on loan at Barnsley the campaign before. City also have Liam Walsh, Nathan Baker, Alfie Mawson, Andi Weimann and Steven Sessegnon who have been long-term injured since before Christmas, with Jay Dasilva, Callum O'Dowda and Jamie Paterson adding to the numbers. Chris Brunt was released at the weekend following a calf injury that will likely rule the veteran midfielder out of the rest of the campaign. There is some light at the end if the tunnel for City fans and the affected players however as Mawson has returned to full training this week and may even be in the squad to play on Sunday. Andy Rolls was recruited as head of performance in the summer of 2018 from Arsenal after CEO Mark Ashton brought in a long-term acquaintance, with Andrew Proctor as lead physiotherapist. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...s/bristol-city-medical-team-spotlight-4864482
You couldn't make this **** up, Holden kept this bit of the jigsaw quiet when spouting what some of us believed was bullshit about Williams and maybe others, there had to be more in it than we were being told, it just didn't add up. Great having a disgruntled player who hasn't even kicked a ball yet.
Interesting last 2 lines of the article demonstates MA has got his hands all over it. 'Andy Rolls was recruited as head of performance in the summer of 2018 from Arsenal after CEO Mark Ashton brought in a long-term acquaintance, with Andrew Proctor as lead physiotherapist.'
This has the look of amateur hour and has one mans fingerprints all over it as usual. It was obvious from the way that no information was surfacing about Williams and Walsh and eventually questions when were being asked and answers came out like pulling teeth and Holden has spoon fed us company bullshit. There is a Guardian article doing the rounds about West Ham parting company with Rolls because of West Hams mounting injury list and specifically mentioning it's treatment of Andy Carrol, then he went to Arsenal in 2014 and 4 years later he departs another premiership team to join us?. You really couldn't make this **** up, BCFC need to bin Ashton and quickly, this is almost beyond belief, but the again it's BCFC. It looks as though they have tried unsuccessfully to keep a lid on this and Williams has finally had enough and who can blame him?. As I said to my son just now, what will uncle Steve do to not do right thing over this and keep the fans on board? bring back Nicky Maynard? I wouldn't put it past them.
Like the lesser spotted Walsh seen one years ago but that is it now waiting for the great crested Williams!!!
I would just like to point out to all those who slated our previous Head Coach for "waffle", that it is, as I and others pointed out, something that every manager does. DH is no different to the last guy, yet I don't see a fraction of the abuse aimed at him (which is a good thing btw)
Well you will from me. They are both as bad as each other for towing the company line, like they have and allowing the guilty to go unpunished. Williams was 100% correct to blow the lid on this, this is his health and career that we are talking about and even if the Holden line is true (and I am not so sure about that given todays revelations) that he was injured on day one, this is something just as Mcgregor has said in his piece needs urgent attention and no more sweeping under the carpet to protect the guilty. I could go on about perhaps out of all of the BCFC employees the manager has a total duty of care to ensure his players are professionally dealt with and if that is not the case, especially if there is 3rd party interference, perhaps they should make a stand and speak out. This is in short is not good enough, the club stance of not talking about individual cases sucks. My best guess would be Williams if the club do not act may have to leave the club never having played a game and it looks odds on that Walsh will be gone in the summer, what a mess.
Waffle and half-truths and lies are still exactly that though, regardless of the comprehension of the intended audience. DH is not coming clean on the Williams deal, I believe they (him and MA) signed him injured, and have now been caught out lying about it!
This problem with injuries is not new, I am fully expecting several ex players to come out and add to this story, I would not be surprised if Gary Oneil was next and I would be interested to know what Afobe might have to say, this was going on whilst LJ was in charge with several players and he never said anything about it either. Ashton has far too much power and 2 managers and the owner seem to be covering for him over several issues that appear to have happened over the past 4 years, probably knowing uncle Steve would always side with Ashton. Even going back to Brooker I believe he actually sued the club over his failed rehab before the latest team was even in place.
Williams signed from the Latics in August and as Holden explained recently, the player passed his medical before becoming injured almost immediately. He did not arrive injured in BS3 though and passed his medical checks, but has been unable to play since the beginning of the season in an exasperatingly long absence from both training and matches. There is no time-frame for a return as things stand. "The truth is it’s not gone according to plan with Joe," Holden told Bristol Live last week when asked on the player, in reference to a further hamstring injury being sustained. "He’s suffered some setbacks along the way in his rehabilitation. We’ve not seen him with the first team group since the day he got signed and he got injured on the very first day. During his rehabilitation, he’s picked up a hamstring injury during that time." I honestly can't read any waffle, half truths or lies in this statement and he categorically says, " The player passed his medical before becoming injured almost immediately. He did not arrive injured in BS3 though and passed his medical checks". Unless the man is a blatant liar there is no mistruths or lies stated and I can't see how he has been caught out.
So do you think that the first that Holden knew about Williams issue with the his failed rehab, was today in this article? Williams must have been totally desperate to go down the route that he has chosen and Holden must have known, but it would appear that nothing has been done, Ashton is still in place as are the medical team, Williams was summariser early in the season for a game it might even have been the Coventry and has not been wheeled out since, in fact hardly ever been seen. Because the fans were never ever kept properly in the loop over this and any questions brushed under the carpet, how do we know where the truth ends and the lies begin or vice versa.
I don't indicate that or think so, it would be stupid to do so, I'm suprised you would think that, I was merely pointing out that on this issue I don't think that DH is either a liar,tells half truths, waffles or has been caught out, I do think Williams started his rehab, after a period he must have consulted DH on the problem, he only signed in September, so not much time had elasped, DH has got to have trust in our medical team and their reports, he has had a lot to deal with and I reckon he is pissed off. I, like you think MA deserves a real overhaul over this, I agree with you, we fans have been treated like mushrooms over these problems but I don't think DH is the problem over medical issues but some of his weaknesses on team performances are becoming apparent, this is the area where truth and lies creep out from the head coach but we have experience with that.
The clues should be the amount of serious injuries, most of them occurring at AG and or Failand. The amount of players breaking in down in rehab and the amount of players returning from injury only to breakdown again very quickly. We have always thought Baker was just a sick note but even that must now be thrown into doubt, Kalas has had his fair share and DaSilva, Paterson, ODowda, Nagy and Pereira last season and others, Holden would have had been living in cave not to see a pattern.
As I pointed out I was responding to a single issue but I won't duck your broader comments, yes I agree and having suffered over several seasons, with the evidence becoming more obvious, the history of our continuing injury concerns, they should have been identified, DH was a number 2 but he inherited most certainly with prior knowledge most of todays problems, of that there is no denial.
Well should the medic team be regarded as not up to the job maybe they missed the obvious on his medical for the past couple of years training or suchlike has been questioned
It depends if you believe he was injured on Day 1 of training at BCFC, I don’t. I think he came with an injury that may, or may not have been aggravated on day1? I think DH wanted a holding midfielder and took a gamble on what he hoped would just be a minor thigh injury, and he concocted, or least embellished the day 1 injury story.
The issue with injuries is not right, not making excuses, but we seem to have more than most, season after season.
