Echo News Arsenal midfielder will need surgery

[Evening Echo]

JAMES Olayinka will delay an operation on his groin injury in a bid to help Southend United stay up.

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[Chris Powell's mate]

So long, James - and thanks for the fish!

 

[Rob1920]

I bore myself going on about it so I'm sure I bore everyone else just the same, but when you look at our predicament, you can lay blame at RM, MM, formations, tactics, embargo's and so on. But the shear mind boggling bad luck we have had with injuries to key players over the past 2 1/2 years is to me still the main reason we're where we are. This season alone, our best player early on, Ralph, gets a season ending injury. Our most reliable defender JW, out for months. Then Lennon. Just when we hit a bit of form, the two most attacking in-form players we had Egbri and Olayinka, both get long term injuries & suddenly our good runs stops in its tracks. Taylor & his long Covid, never been the same since. Ranger, 20 minutes, out for the season. I mean is Fossets Farm on top of some sort of ancient sacred burial ground or something? I truly believe aside from whatever else has gone on, we would not be in danger of relegation if we'd just had an average run of injuries.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

I bore myself going on about it so I'm sure I bore everyone else just the same, but when you look at our predicament, you can lay blame at RM, MM, formations, tactics, embargo's and so on. But the shear mind boggling bad luck we have had with injuries to key players over the past 2 1/2 years is to me still the main reason we're where we are. This season alone, our best player early on, Ralph, gets a season ending injury. Our most reliable defender JW, out for months. Then Lennon. Just when we hit a bit of form, the two most attacking in-form players we had Egbri and Olayinka, both get long term injuries & suddenly our good runs stops in its tracks. Taylor & his long Covid, never been the same since. Ranger, 20 minutes, out for the season. I mean is Fossets Farm on top of some sort of ancient sacred burial ground or something? I truly believe aside from whatever else has gone on, we would not be in danger of relegation if we'd just had an average run of injuries.

Like the idea that Fossetts could do with a bit of feng shui or something.
Less sure that Egbri's ever been in form, but it would need an impressive trawl through the FL to see where we stand in comparison with others.
One hears bits on EFL highlights about how this or that club, Accrington Stanley comes to mind, have been plagued by injuries.
Again, I'd have to go and check, but PL clubs don't have anything like our litany of knocks.
Fulham, which I do know about, have ONE longterm injury.
Better conditioning, better recovery programmes? I wouldn't bet against it. And that IS something we could improve.

 

[Whispering Bob]

I mean is Fossets Farm on top of some sort of ancient sacred burial ground or something?

Yep, a Bronze Age one! A little birdie told me that someone at the club was complaining about our training pitch resembling a 'ploughed field'. Could that be a reason? Can anybody verify that?

 

[rigsby]

Like the idea that Fossetts could do with a bit of feng shui or something.
Less sure that Egbri's ever been in form, but it would need an impressive trawl through the FL to see where we stand in comparison with others.
One hears bits on EFL highlights about how this or that club, Accrington Stanley comes to mind, have been plagued by injuries.
Again, I'd have to go and check, but PL clubs don't have anything like our litany of knocks.
Fulham, which I do know about, have ONE longterm injury.
Better conditioning, better recovery programmes? I wouldn't bet against it. And that IS something we could improve.

Better refereeing would have saved Ralph, Green, Clifford and Olayinka. Every one of them a minimum of a yellow but none given......Dieng should take legal action against the EFL and use these 4 as evidence.

 

[in the know]

Yep, a Bronze Age one! A little birdie told me that someone at the club was complaining about our training pitch resembling a 'ploughed field'. Could that be a reason? Can anybody verify that?

Was it the groundsman? :)

 

[LBBlue]

Better refereeing would have saved Ralph, Green, Clifford and Olayinka. Every one of them a minimum of a yellow but none given......Dieng should take legal action against the EFL and use these 4 as evidence.

It wouldn’t have saved them - it would have just punished the culprits - deservedly so.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Better refereeing would have saved Ralph, Green, Clifford and Olayinka. Every one of them a minimum of a yellow but none given......Dieng should take legal action against the EFL and use these 4 as evidence.

Actually, that's a good point.
The skill level in the lower leagues is lesser than the Prem, so more chance of a bad tackle or ill-timed challenge leading to injury.
It strikes me as a reason to be all the more careful signing players with an injury history knowing they're going to get clattered in the fourth tier.

 

[rigsby]

It wouldn’t have saved them - it would have just punished the culprits - deservedly so.

The Grimsby players tested the ref early on and realised he did not have a clue in what was a tackle or a foul. Its the same in many other games. How much can I steal on each throw, a nudge in the back on the first header becomes two handed whiplash by the second half with some refs.

When Humphrys got a deliberate elbow in his masked face after 20 minutes, the culprit had tested the ref with 2 light ones before. So he knew he could get away with a red card offence.

We have been losing that side of the game for 3 years now, not just our players, the bench and our fans. Sadly some want to slag Macca, JD or JW for not being Sam Mantom and happily stand and watch whilst their own players get bullied, booked and sent off by the opposition collectively surrounding the ref and influencing him.

 

[Holy Joe]

Sounds quite promising, hopefully he can play is most of the remaining games