Injury crisis
We've got to be in the realms now of more than coincidence. When ten of your players have either been injured in training or withdrawn through injury by the end of the first two matches, there are legitimate questions to be asked of training techniques. And given only two of the eight players signed this summer have been able to last the first four days of the season without getting crocked or withdrawn as a precaution, there may also be questions for how we conduct medicals. Though I must say I'm impressed Akinfenwa is one of those two, I never thought he'd play a full match for Wycombe, especially one so well, so hats off to him for that.
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What do you suggest? UN observers at training? Public medicals? Getting rid of the current manager and coaching staff?
What 'legitimate questions' should we ask? Do they wear shin pads? Have the players considered taking multi-vitamin supplements? Should people play in suits of armour?
I suspect we've probably just been a bit unlucky, but where's the drama in that?
It probably is one of those things. Presumably we haven't done anything different this close season but the last couple of seasons were noticeable by how free of injuries we were at the start.
Perhaps we'll have a reverse this year. Injuries and poor form at the start followed by an injury free and good run in at the end
Arnos, I don't know whether the coaching staff have introduced new forms of training this summer but if so, I would hope they'd like to review its effectiveness at least.
The problem isn't the number of injuries, it's the small squad not being able to cope with those injuries - which has been a potential issue ever since we decided to go for the quality not quantity approach.
To be honest, it leaves me more encouraged than discouraged. That, despite having a tiny squad and so many injuries we were still able to put on a performance like last night's.
Couldn't agree more @TheatreOfChairs . As I said on another thread, that was the best performance since I don't know when. Something similar on Saturday would be wonderful (with a win, however narrow) but I know better than to expect that. But you never know!
@Chris The number of injuries and the small squad are two parts of the same problem. The third element is the style of play Ainsworth adopts.
This means players are pushed to the limits physically in training to get to the fitness needed to play the high energy pressing game Ainsworth demands. Then they play too many matches when not quite at 100% and then get injured as a result.
To be fair the injuries haven't been so bad in the last two seasons so I wonder if something has changed. Maybe they are getting injured trying to break the glass they are putting in front of the goal?
You always find something to moan about, Righty. its August, the sun is out and you are alive and hopefully healthy - try to enjoy it while you can.
I had a rather enjoyable late afternoon and evening. firstly with a couple of hours to kill, I had a wander round the town centre and up to Loakes park , first time I have been in either for over 25 years (!) Interesting.
Then an enjoyable game. Not sure you can tell much from a below fullpace game with lots of injuries affecting the team choice, but there were some encouraging signs. I hope young Southwell gets a goal soon to maintain his confidence and then we may have a decent player on our hands. personally I still think we will finish somewhere around the middle (10-15th).
Hope the bird is OK - star of the evening for me.
They could have a problem bouncing off each other on a smaller pitch?
2 questions are the goal posts closer on a small pitch(the reason for no goals perhaps)
The other question if I'm told the area of a building is the size of three football pitches how doe's that help me if they all vary in size ,have a nice day.
If you're somewhat lukewarm about that display @DevC, I strongly recommend that you don't attend any home league games.
As I've said elsewhere, that was the best performance since I don't know when.
Not lukewarm at all, I enjoyed the game and my evening. Just a slight caution that playing attractive football will not be quite so easy in a full paced lg 2 game.
Rather fond of the bird who starred too.
Am rather lukewarm about the town itself tbh.
I don't think we tend to have any more injuries than other teams, but the injuries we do have have a disproportionate impact because of the size of the squad - which may make it feel like we've had more injuries.
I suspect the 'something changing' is down to chance.
I agree with you @Chris
I do though think the cumilative effect of the high energy football is it's toll on the longer serving players and the new guys will have a problem getting used to it if they haven't played it before.
Hi @DevC Since when have you earned the right to tell me when or not to have a moan. For the record the post above wasn't a moan but this one certainly is.
Righty, you are of course free to express whatever opinions you wish , even if they are invariably negative and whiny. I have no right to tell you not to express them (nor have I done so). I have the right to see you as a moany negative whiner and am free to express my opinion that you might be a little happier seeing the upside from time to time. Your call though.
I enjoyed a game of football last night, I would have enjoyed it more if we had won but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Even if we had played badly I would have found some enjoyment somewhere, for example from the adventures of our avian friend last night that made me smile. You no doubt would instead be moaning about the loss of the two minutes of your life that it took to sort out the problem when he moved onto the field. Lets hope after his virtuoso performance he was just tired or pining for the fjords rather than anything worse. Your call what outlook on life to hold.
On the long trip home last night, I chatted to a handful of Plymouth supporters at a service station. OK they lost and played badly but jesus guys, no your players are probably not lazy b*stards who don't care about the shirt, the manager is probably not
tactically clueless and not interested now he has a long contract and for sure its not a disaster, its just a fairly insignificant game of football that you chose to go and watch. if more often than not you don't enjoy it, don't bloody go.
Re the injury crisis, it happens, it's chance when it does, its a pain in the proverbial, eventually it will pass and another problem will no doubt occur. It did give Southwell a chance to shine, DeHavilland a chance to make a promising debut and the loan keeper a chance to make his professional debut.
Injuries are not always coincidences. When you see a team with a lot of muscular injuries that have come from non-contact situations then the training method or schedule can be called into question.
However this doesn't appear to be the situation here. Its been a combination of knocks, pulls and simple bad luck.
Bloomfield and Wood are our longest serving players and both are fit.
@banterking True, and I feel they are more injury/fitness prone than many others.
Incidentally, the obvious but nonetheless worth noting point that came out of yesterday is the clarity that Richardson does not count as a "experienced goalkeeper" and hence we don't need more than one GK on the books.
transfer window isn't closed so that doesn't tell us anything.
Err well it does given that the loan keeper was signed on a seven day emergency loan.
Not quite sure how they've managed that one but it does appear to be the case.
I would suggest that it rather proves we do need more than one goalkeeper on our books. If Scott Brown is as susceptible to injury as he appears to be (did anyone see him go down hurt during the Crawley match, when he injured himself?) it would be jolly helpful having a back-up on the bench and in the squad for if and when it happens again.
We don't want to have to keep relying on Baz during matches. Nor do we really want to have Gaz spend a matchday desperately calling in favours from other managers, hoping a player gets to the club in time, the paperwork goes through and they get a good enough understanding with our defence within a few hours to give us a fighting chance that match. It happened yesterday - but we were helped by it being an evening match. Will there be enough time if Brown realises he can't play on a Saturday? Will we be so lucky next time with a goalkeeper putting in as impressive a debut performance?
According to his tweet Scott brown has never previously missed a professional match to injury. rather suggests he is not that "susceptible to injury".
BR is adequate in the very rare event of a goalkeeper being injured in a match.
While of course it would be nice to have a herd of back up Gks just in case, any spare resources would appear to be much better used on an outfield player with a chance of playing than a GK who doesnt.
Should SB again get injured (or banned), I would have thought the likelihood is that a short term loan replacement guarenteed a game is likely to be of better quality than a guy happy to sit on the bench at a Lg2 club as second choice all season
Very rare? It happened to Alex Lynch in his one and only league match for Wycombe last season and it's happened to Scott Brown in his one and only league match for Wycombe this season.
Can anyone name a single other professional club in England who has only had one goalkeeper on their books? Even 'small club Wycombe' had two last season - and three the year before. And no, I don't count Baz Richardson as a goalkeeper, nor, would I hope, does he.
Plus if you have a second goalkeeper you have a training partner for Brown and competition for him too. I don't think any player should have a guaranteed place in the team and I certainly don't think it helps not having a colleague to compete against and motivate you.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Dawson's loan extended for half a season. I'm sure he or a similar player would be more than happy to sit on Wycombe's bench ahead of playing for a Championship's youth team.
Plymouth away was not Alex lynch's only league game. Scott Brown played the full 90 mins at Crawley. Facts not your strong point?
Injuries to GKs during matches requiring a substitution are very rare.
Considering we had Ingram taken off injured against Northampton in May '15 and Lynch taken off injured against Plymouth in January this year, it's not that rare.
It is at
When was the most recent occasion before those two?
Whoops, Don't know how to delete that. As I was saying, I think it is (rare) generally speaking. Also, I think In the nature of the goalkeeper's role, the element of competition is much less of a factor. They aren't forgiven for lapses in concentration to the same extent as outfield players and pressure to perform also comes from the knowledge that supply exceeds demand. I'm not convinced that the level of risk justifies paying a player to sit on the bench.
It shows the jinx we're currently under fitness wise, when a guy who hasn't missed a game in his 10+ year pro career gets injured after 1 game!