Crocks

[spanishal]

Younger fans will no doubt disagree and perhaps I’m old fashioned, well just old, but I simply do not remember players of yesteryear getting injured so regularly as todays bunch of , dare I say it, wimps. Yes the game is faster and more technical with players apparently toned to perfection making them as fragile as glass. On the other hand they are also much better protected than previous generations. Roberts, Johansson top the list now Paal with a disgraceful display of shithousery against Hull and we were losing as well.

I met Gary Micklwhite once on holiday and the state of his legs were appalling but he rarely went off injured and said it’s just the way it is but we are well paid so no complaints.

Today any hard tackle causes uproar no matter how fair it is and shoulder to shoulder now appears to do the same. Think I’ll jump back in me Tardis and go back to a time when the game was played by men of steel and not balsa wood.

[robindubois]

I agree that in pastimes players did not seem to get injured so frequently or for so long. I recall seeing Rodney Marshes legs after a game - he used to coach at my school - they were cut bruised black and blue but he took it as part of the game and a sign that the only way players could stop him was to kick him. Then there was Jim Langley who I only recall going down injured once in his time with us after a really bad knock - he crawled along the pitch beating it with his fists - then got up limped a few paces and got on to finish the game. Today from a similar knock a player would probably be stretchered off on oxygen.

But that is different to the injuries we see now. Knee ligaments with players out for a year, hamstrings that once torn recur again and again, ankles etc and all taking longer and longer to heal.

I would but this down to a number of possible factors.
1. The game these days is often played at a higher pace, players covering much more ground and pushing them selves to the limit - in short the game is physically more demanding.
2. A bit like thorough bred horses players are now trained and fined tuned and a slight knock or strain takes them over the edge.
3. Players and medics and coaches just give in too easy and cry off with slight knocks to "protect" a player for future games and not risk making a minor injury worse. Probably combined with well paid players just not being prepared to play through a bit of pain
4. Increased and better medical facilities and knowledge with MRI scans etc that pick the slightest problem and wrap the players in cotton wall.
5 Squad sizes - in the good old days I do not recall carrying so many "squad players" so those we had played even if not fully fit.

But the point is it does tell on teams. Lossing Willock (not to mention keepers) last season had a terrible impact on the team even though not the only cause of our collapse. Same this season we lose Willock Johnsen, our 2 "big" loan signings have hardly kicked a ball and our back-ups have not been good enough.

I made the point recently that in this division we need some experienced players who have been round the block and will get stuck in - relying on light weight youth alone will not work.

So I will join you in your Tardis if there is room

[Lonegunmen]

In the "old days" there was little gym and weight lifting training. running up sand hills and cross country to fitten up. You see the same thing in rugby today. Gym bunnies getting hurt at the slightest touch. It might make them, bigger, quicker, stronger allegedly but it also gives players the same resistance as a bet tissue.