Friday 17 October 2014

Injuries and Tiredness

Injuries are part and parcel of football, no matter if you are playing on the park on a Sunday or turning out for Liverpool in the Champions League you would be silly if you didn't expect to get a knock over the course of the season it doesn't matter if you are professional or having a kick about with the kids in the garden everybody is at risk and you will no doubt feel a little stiffness afterwards, it's all to do with relative fitness, both the park player and the pro put in everything they have its just that generally the pro has a bit more to give or they should they have dedicated their lives and train every day to be able to give that bit more.

Now injuries are annoying we invest so much as supporters in our team that it hurts when a star player is missing through injury it, it seems unfair when you have to play full strength opponents with six or seven regulars missing.  We have to accept them, or do we?  Some injuries are part and parcel of the game and we do have to accept them but are all injuries like this or could some be prevented?

Would Sturridge have picked up his recent injury if The England manager and staff had listened to the experts at his home club and allowed him the recovery time he needs, we will never know, but I doubt it, I believe he would have been available to play for both club and country instead of kicking his heels.  Would Michael Owen not have been so badly effected later in his career if he had not be so overused when younger, again I doubt it.  Are Arsenal correct to change their training pitches when so many of their players have suffered muscular injuries over the last couple of years, probably. I can't prove any of the above but there is a good chance that these injuries could have been prevented and that is why they are annoying.

Many injuries aren't preventable so we should be concentrating on those that are, it beggars belief that when a young, star player such as as Sterling turns to the manager of his national team tells him that he is to tired to play and perform at his best, he is then widely criticised.  Why would we make the same mistake with Sterling as we did with Owen, we have to learn our lesson, he is to young to have the fate of Liverpool and England on his shoulders let him develop naturally, keep as much pressure of him as possible and keep him as low risk as possible with regards to injury, invest in his, the clubs and the countries future.  I hear comments such as its "only bloody October" from Stan Collymore, the boy and he is a boy has played at the very top of the game week in week out for over a year, with, because of the World Cup, hardly any break and under huge and growing pressure all that time and does it really matter when it is, if he is tired , he's tired, let him rest so we get the player we all hope he will develop into.  If he says he is tired and needs a break then bloody well give him one if he is the saviour of English football and Liverpool then he deserves a couple of weeks rest now and again.  After all Ronaldo was given several weeks off by Alex Ferguson whilst he was still developing at Manchester United and it has appeared to have done him no harm, in fact, again we can't prove it but it looks like he has actually benefited from this small rest period.

I hear the comments, when I was a kid I played every night and was fine, I loved it, these professionals need to toughen up, the money they are on they should be able to play every day. Rubbish when you played as a kid you were not playing under the pressure these young players are and to be honest when you were tired you probably did have a rest.  Yes they are pampered professionals that are probably over payed but that doesn't mean we should be risking injury, when players from my club are injured I'm disappointed I want us to win games and trophies we need the players fit,  so when they need it, give them a rest!

I fully expect our clubs to be up to date with training methods, recovery, diet, medical treatments, have the best facilities all win the aim of helping players reach their potential but also to keep them on the pitch performing at the highest level possible, I'm sure that's what the players want as well and certain that as the clubs are paying the wages they want to see a return in that investment.  Making it all the more frustrating when we are let down by international managers and staff.

in short injuries are frustrating, for everybody concerned, But with a bit of forward thinking I'm certain can be reduced, give young players the correct advice, give them the rest they need and we may just see some of our young players develop in to world beaters rather than spending time on the treatment table

@lfclumo

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