Injuries, no signings, too many fixtures etc

Eggs66

Eggs66

Roofer
It is quite clear to everyone that this season is taking it's toll on all clubs...with ours suffering as badly (if not worse) than most others (apart, of course, from Liverpool who have had it worse than most battalions at The Somme if you believe Klopp & SSNs).

Other threads have discussed this, and whether we should have let some players go in January...on whether we should have tried to get one or two in...and on whether FFP is killings us...


...but on a very simple practical level, could/should we have done something different. Personally I think our squad has been managed well....but the problem with "managing" is reflected on the constant stream of injuries which now threaten to destroy our season. If it is simply a case over over-working the players...maybe we should have just rested them. Almost all of them. For say, 2 weeks. Played absolute b-team and an academy player or two. Given 8, 9, 10 of the first team two weeks off. No starts, no sub appearances.

Yes - we might have lost those games. But we are losing games anyway whilst we patch up players...PLUS we are incurring yet more injuries. It is ever-decreasing circles of pain. Complete rest would be like the circuit breaker. You take the hit of losing 3 on the bounce...but the players are fit and rested and rearing to go for the rest of the season.

This slow drip drip drip of exhaustion's knock-on effects is so desperately frustrating to watch....
 
Kind of agree, only issue is that players that don't play would probably need longer than the 2 weeks to obtain 100% fitness on returning. They soon lose peak fitness unless they continue training.
 
You make some good points, but can you imagine the uproar on here and everywhere else if in doing so we got absolutely dicked in those three games. Also what would happen if after resting all the first teamers we then went and lost the next couple of games.
There would be calls for Brendans head, all if's & but's i know, but i don't think any manager would ever dare to try it.
 
Only a matter of time before YT goes the same way as Barnes, JJ, Little Wes, JM etc...

JV is faacked too. He’s no threat at the moment and short of pace that showed yesterday against the Arsenal defenders.

We all want to see football but there’s too many games being played and nothing to do with how fit they are or how much they’re paid.
 
Brauny said:
Kind of agree, only issue is that players that don't play would probably need longer than the 2 weeks to obtain 100% fitness on returning. They soon lose peak fitness unless they continue training.
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Dunno matey - it is only 2 weeks....not the 7-8 for the current types of injury - it is about rest. So match sharpness shouldn't leave...just a rest from the physical and mental intensity of actual matches
 
Lonesome Crow said:
You make some good points, but can you imagine the uproar on here and everywhere else if in doing so we got absolutely dicked in those three games. Also what would happen if after resting all the first teamers we then went and lost the next couple of games.
There would be calls for Brendans head, all if's & but's i know, but i don't think any manager would ever dare to try it.
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I think that was the point I want to make - should we be doing something different?? "Managing" the situation - no matter how shrewdly, clearly isn't working for us or any other team.
 
Eggs66 said:
Dunno matey - it is only 2 weeks....not the 7-8 for the current types of injury - it is about rest. So match sharpness shouldn't leave...just a rest from the physical and mental intensity of actual matches
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Would be a good theory to try when we play Man City, a game where we would need a miracle. Nothing much to lose with that fixture.
 
For us with Europe, yes....but didn't the season start late too...thus the increased congestion?
 
Might as well go back to letting them go out on the piss on a Friday and having a fag and a pie at half time.

This sort of thing never happened in my day
 
I think the Premier League have some sort clause in contracts that say teams have to "play the best team available" to dissuade cries of match-fixing and favouritism etc. I love the fact we are often seen as the upstart club who don't agree with the cozy cartel (pay per view for example)...and I would like to see us put this one to the test. The PL is running players into the ground. Someone needs to say this ain't right - would love it to be us giving them two fingers. Again.
 
Eggs66 said:
Managing" the situation - no matter how shrewdly, clearly isn't working for us or any other team.
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I don't think it's done us that bad, or do you think we should be higher than 3rd in the table, only 1 point behind 2nd? Everyone seems to be panicking since losing last Thursday and on Sunday. yes we've incurred more injuries but we would likely be in a much lower league position by resting most of the 1st team for 3 games, then be playing catch-up and needing to win every game.
 
It's all very frustrating and definitely magnified by x2 games every week for months on end.
I don't understand why Rodgers refuses to have an "old school" centre forward in reserve.
When on our knees we have no-one to hold the ball up as a target man and just as important we hardly ever score or even pose a threat from a set piece. Ulloa especially gave us that sort of option.
I know the problems are more complex but an Antonio, Crouch, Giroud type character would surely be worth experimenting with? We have zero physicality up front right now and if the pass, pass, pass scenario fails then what? There really is no Plan B.
Remember when we were running on empty with MON and Matty Elliot played a few games as centre forward.
 
Hampshirefox said:
It's all very frustrating and definitely magnified by x2 games every week for months on end.
I don't understand why Rodgers refuses to have an "old school" centre forward in reserve.
When on our knees we have no-one to hold the ball up as a target man and just as important we hardly ever score or even pose a threat from a set piece. Ulloa especially gave us that sort of option.
I know the problems are more complex but an Antonio, Crouch, Giroud type character would surely be worth experimenting with? We have zero physicality up front right now and if the pass, pass, pass scenario fails then what? There really is no Plan B.
Remember when we were running on empty with MON and Matty Elliot played a few games as centre forward.
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BR clearly doesn’t subscribe to the big CF tactic. He would rather we piss around at the back for half the game rather than try and find a target man who can hold play up or at least play the big and little combo.

The possession thing only works if you’ve got movement in front of the back two and players who can receive and hold a ball up .
 
This isn't just about league position - it is basic player welfare too. (report I noticed in one of the papers today about footballers taking sleeping pills...the well known gambling problems....and now tons of injuries). Not all of this is connected of course...but I still wonder if unfair demands are being placed on the shoulders of (mostly) youngsters.
 
you could throw the kids in for the FA Cup 6th round match against ManU. Then with the International Break (and a few sick notes) everyone gets 3 weeks off
 
NorthwestFox said:
you could throw the kids in for the FA Cup 6th round match against ManU. Then with the International Break (and a few sick notes) everyone gets 3 weeks off
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I was thinking the same about the cup. It’s getting silly.

Pep today replying to how many injuries they had. ‘Oh just Ake’ ( who he’s hardly played). ‘ that’s it’.

We can only dream.
 
Club_B00k_Crutchless said:
Yeah it's been shit. get rid.
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I never said get rid silly bollocks.

Sometimes we’ve looked great but other times it’s clear we need an outlet and pissing around at the back tippy tappy between Cags and Evans doesn’t cause anyone any problems.

Evans keeps looking for the killer ball but he’s not got the vision so someone to target would help as an out ball.
 
Scoops said:
I never said get rid silly bollocks.

Sometimes we’ve looked great but other times it’s clear we need an outlet and pissing around at the back tippy tappy between Cags and Evans doesn’t cause anyone any problems.

Evans keeps looking for the killer ball but he’s not got the vision so someone to target would help as an out ball.
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It's the modern way, all about keeping possession. A punt up front for the big man is a 50-50 ball. Call it tippy tappy but that's how they all play, that's why there's so many dodgy moments with keepers and defenders passing it around rather than good old Row Z.
 
Eggs66 said:
I think the Premier League have some sort clause in contracts that say teams have to "play the best team available" to dissuade cries of match-fixing and favouritism etc. I love the fact we are often seen as the upstart club who don't agree with the cozy cartel (pay per view for example)...and I would like to see us put this one to the test. The PL is running players into the ground. Someone needs to say this ain't right - would love it to be us giving them two fingers. Again.
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I never get how they say ' play your best team '
It can't be right that the PL can pass judgement on a clubs players by saying a certain player in your squad is better than another.
 
Club_B00k_Crutchless said:
It's the modern way, all about keeping possession. A punt up front for the big man is a 50-50 ball. Call it tippy tappy but that's how they all play, that's why there's so many dodgy moments with keepers and defenders passing it around rather than good old Row Z.
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I get it but how is Kaspers out ball anymore than 50/50. Generally it’s pinged at head height like a faackin missile and most times straight out of play.
Same with Evans straight ball after 5 mins of tippy tappy. It generally goes straight through to the keeper or pings back off our forwards into Midfield.
I’m not saying revert to the hoof but Ulloa gave us an option that we no longer have available to us and could have used yesterday.
 
To cheer all of you who are concerned about the welfare of our delicate heroes take some solace from the fact that they will get paid more for two hours on the treatment table than you will for forty hours grafting your nuts off
 
We have to try & get through these next 3 league games & play the best team we can & get as many points as we can. After that there is no league game for 3 weeks & hopefully by April 3 we shall have some players back & the majority rested. As for the cup match, well I never thought I would say this but I'm not bothered. We would beat Manure with a fully fit team, with what we have at present we have no chance. Even if we play to miracle proportions they will cheat us in some way & get a dodgy pen. So play anybody, put up the shutters & hope we get through on pens.
 
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