What is the current injury situation?

[GBJ]

Not sure how you can say the team we put out on Saturday are not isn’t technically good enough/clever enough/experienced enough to compete. We have a young goalkeeper who was one of the better players out there and Elvis who is trying but isn't a wing back. All of the other players have either been signed by CP or been with the club for a number of years with the exception of Dru who most people would have said was a first choice as the beginning of the season.

See above, I don’t think that starting XI is good enough for the league.

To add to that, that team is currently being made up of reserves & kids, who wouldn’t be playing if we had our first choice players available.

If we’re forced to field a team made up of stiffs & kids, what else do people expect? We’ll win some, we’ll lose more. It doesn’t make it easier to accept, but It is what it is.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

Look at the subs bench we had on Saturday - four kids and two wingers who have been poor all season. Powell has no options and the teams he's putting out are teams you'd probably expect to be struggling. Oxley, Demetriou, Lennon, Coker and Hopper would all be in the team if they were fit at the moment.

There's no doubting injuries have played a big part this season, plus the declining form of the experienced players Brown signed on big contracts like Turner and Kightly.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think Powell’s first XI looks something like

Oxley
Demetriou Lennon Moore Coker
Mantom Yearwood Hyam Bunn
Hopper Cox

Out of that we’re currently missing 7 of 11. Of course that’s going to have an impact. It affects the balance of the squad when it comes to things like pace (White described Lennon as our quickest player and Hopper was quicker than any of our current forwards); leadership (Coker was Powell’s initial captain, Oxley started this season as captain whilst Demetriou is an international captain); work-rate (Hopper’s was excellent and forced mistakes high up the pitch, Hyam does the dirty work that lets others play) that we are currently lacking.

Now I have little sympathy for relying on Bunn and Hyam but even so that’s half the team and that’s not including Kiernan who must take up a substantial chunk of wage bill, Barratt who might have challenged Bunn, Kyprianou who’d offer has some much needed pace at the back and maybe even Gard who might have added some extra bite and work-rate in midfield.

That doesn’t give the manager a blank cheque but it does provide some extenuating circumstances. I can’t think of a worse year for injuries - not just all the ACLs which has been unprecedented but earlier in in the year when we had no fit midfielders, when we’ve been unable to field the same XI match after match (Saturday was one of the few times we’ve been unchanged).

Can anyone think of a worse season for injuries? 2012-13 is probably the next worst I can think of but our problems there were as much embargoes - I think this is unprecedented in my 30+ years following us and by some stretch.

 

[GBJ]

I think Powell’s first XI looks something like

Oxley
Demetriou Lennon Moore Coker
Mantom Yearwood Hyam Bunn
Hopper Cox

Out of that we’re currently missing 7 of 11. Of course that’s going to have an impact. It affects the balance of the squad when it comes to things like pace (White described Lennon as our quickest player and Hopper was quicker than any of our current forwards); leadership (Coker was Powell’s initial captain, Oxley started this season as captain whilst Demetriou is an international captain); work-rate (Hopper’s was excellent and forced mistakes high up the pitch, Hyam does the dirty work that lets others play) that we are currently lacking.

Now I have little sympathy for relying on Bunn and Hyam but even so that’s half the team and that’s not including Kiernan who must take up a substantial chunk of wage bill, Barratt who might have challenged Bunn, Kyprianou who’d offer has some much needed pace at the back and maybe even Gard who might have added some extra bite and work-rate in midfield.

That doesn’t give the manager a blank cheque but it does provide some extenuating circumstances. I can’t think of a worse year for injuries - not just all the ACLs which has been unprecedented but earlier in in the year when we had no fit midfielders, when we’ve been unable to field the same XI match after match (Saturday was one of the few times we’ve been unchanged).

Can anyone think of a worse season for injuries? 2012-13 is probably the next worst I can think of but our problems there were as much embargoes - I think this is unprecedented in my 30+ years following us and by some stretch.

Excellent post.

When you put that projected XI, next to the XI who’ve started the last 2 games, It’s basically what you might find during a training ground match if the first team took on the reserves/kids.

 

[defender05]

I think Powell’s first XI looks something like

Oxley
Demetriou Lennon Moore Coker
Mantom Yearwood Hyam Bunn
Hopper Cox

Moore and Bunn wouldn't be here if Lennon and Barrett were not injured. Turner of White would have been along side Lennon and either Barrett/Kightly or McLaughlin would have been on the wing possible even two of the three if the early games were anything to go on.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Moore and Bunn wouldn't be here if Lennon and Barrett were not injured. Turner of White would have been along side Lennon and either Barrett/Kightly or McLaughlin would have been on the wing possible even two of the three if the early games were anything to go on.

I think Moore replaced Anton whose legs had gone and was released and/or the perennially injured Kiernan in the squad but either way he’s played himself into Powell’s first choice side and is one of the few there that is fit!

Another way to look at it is to consider who our top paid XI is (some educated guesswork is required) and who is fit from them

Oxley
Demetriou Turner Kiernan Coker
Kightly Mantom Dieng Bunn
Cox Hopper

That’s 6 of our probable top XI paid players currently out with a further two whose legs seem to have gone and they can’t play week-in, week-out when we’re presumably still paying off a manager and a player.

@rigsby regularly points out how much of a financial disadvantage we are within this division. Imagine this on top of that. We must be currently mid table in L1 on effectively a L2 budget

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Nobody did!

Quite right but you can see quite clearly form the match highlights (and on iFollow at the time) that Deng was the only midfielder trying to catch the guy who got Brizzle's second.

 

[Fairport]

I would dearly love to know what CPs Assistants do apart from chat to him during game time. I wonder if the Club is getting value for money?

Maybe we don't need or can't afford to have two assistants, releasing one of them would at least take some pressure off the wage bill.

 

[Shrimper Neil]

Of course the injury situation has been unfortunate. However, the issue for me has been the midfield...the area least affected by injuries. Without one central midfielder that can tackle, we're always going to struggle.

I haven't seen Hyam yet but from what I've heard he's not the answer either

 

[Microbe]

I agree with Neil above.

Saturday showed clearly that the midfield was not working. We could not win a ball and if we occasionally did we then gave it away again with 1 or 2 exceptions.

I feel for Cox and Humphries who lack service to allow them to do their job. We saw both of them comi g back into midfield and out to the wing to try and get the ball but then no one was in the middle to get on the end of anything.

With Humphries and Hart secured a midfielder who can feed the strikers would have been my next target. But we are where we are and need to use what we have fit to try and develop a pattern of play that gives the front 2 a reasonable chance to score.

Survival in L1 this season is a must with a clear out in the summer in midfield and defence areas. The keepers are ok with Bishop and Smith +/- Oxley if he stays and is fit.

UTB

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Of course the injury situation has been unfortunate. However, the issue for me has been the midfield...the area least affected by injuries. Without one central midfielder that can tackle, we're always going to struggle.

I haven't seen Hyam yet but from what I've heard he's not the answer either

Hyam has been hit and miss. I think his main issue has been fitness and he's played several games where he's only been half fit.

But I think that applies to all of our central midfield - Dru missed all of pre-season, Dieng picked up an injury in pre-season and wasn't fully fit to start the season, I think Mantom might have picked up an injury early in pre-season and Hyam signed late as he was injured. So I don't think any of them were where they wanted to be fitness wise at the start of the season and by the end of August they were all injured/ill anyway. We ended up patching up Mantom and Dieng and sending them out there but they weren't fit (it was painful watching Mantom try to run). I think they've been playing catch-up fitness wise ever since, whilst no doubt nursing the usual knocks you pick up over the course of a season.

Putting aside any issues of quality and fitness Hyam's certainly the style of midfielder we need. Someone who can shield the defence, hold our shape in midfield and put a foot in where necessary. He's the type of player who makes others look better - I think Dru's best performances this season have tended to be when he's in the team - and we may notice his absence more than his presence.

Hopefully they all get a full pre-season in this summer. I'd also like to see a fuller pre-season programme: this is one area where I thought Powell got it wrong over the summer (although it wouldn't have made much difference to the midfield seeing as they were already out injured).

 

[Chrisb]

Hyam has been hit and miss. I think his main issue has been fitness and he's played several games where he's only been half fi

Putting aside any issues of quality and fitness Hyam's certainly the style of midfielder we need. Someone who can shield the defence, hold our shape in midfield and put a foot in where necessary. He's the type of player who makes others look better - I think Dru's best performances this season have tended to be when he's in the team - and we may notice his absence more than his presence.

Hopefully they all get a full pre-season in this summer. I'd also like to see a fuller pre-season programme: this is one area where I thought Powell got it wrong over the summer (although it wouldn't have made much difference to the midfield seeing as they were already out injured).

Dru's best performances last season were alongside Michael Timlin and that is what we are missing in my opinion, a tough tackler and leader on the pitch.

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

Dru's best performances last season were alongside Michael Timlin and that is what we are missing in my opinion, a tough tackler and leader on the pitch.

very good point that...

 

[Jay_SUFC]

Hyam has been hit and miss. I think his main issue has been fitness and he's played several games where he's only been half fit.

But I think that applies to all of our central midfield - Dru missed all of pre-season, Dieng picked up an injury in pre-season and wasn't fully fit to start the season, I think Mantom might have picked up an injury early in pre-season and Hyam signed late as he was injured. So I don't think any of them were where they wanted to be fitness wise at the start of the season and by the end of August they were all injured/ill anyway. We ended up patching up Mantom and Dieng and sending them out there but they weren't fit (it was painful watching Mantom try to run). I think they've been playing catch-up fitness wise ever since, whilst no doubt nursing the usual knocks you pick up over the course of a season.

Putting aside any issues of quality and fitness Hyam's certainly the style of midfielder we need. Someone who can shield the defence, hold our shape in midfield and put a foot in where necessary. He's the type of player who makes others look better - I think Dru's best performances this season have tended to be when he's in the team - and we may notice his absence more than his presence.

Hopefully they all get a full pre-season in this summer. I'd also like to see a fuller pre-season programme: this is one area where I thought Powell got it wrong over the summer (although it wouldn't have made much difference to the midfield seeing as they were already out injured).

I don't buy the fact that they are unfit due to lack of pre-season. We're in February now, they should be fit enough.

My concern is the fitness of the whole squad seems far worse than previous seasons - so could it be the coaching.

Look at the energy the side had when CP first took over last year, compared to this year.

 

[Zeuss]

Dru's best performances last season were alongside Michael Timlin and that is what we are missing in my opinion, a tough tackler and leader on the pitch.

I’ve watched two ex-Blues central midfielders in away fixtures this season against the same team,with the same final score 1-0, and whereas Timlin gave the ball away as frequently as ever for Stevenage,the other-Cambridges team captain = leader- didn’t do so once!.I give you: Gary Deegan,definitely the tougher tackler.

 

[shrimpled]

I don't buy the fact that they are unfit due to lack of pre-season. We're in February now, they should be fit enough.

My concern is the fitness of the whole squad seems far worse than previous seasons - so could it be the coaching.

Look at the energy the side had when CP first took over last year, compared to this year.

I think a lot of this is due to the fact we haven't had the numbers in the squad to rest and rotate players.

 

[Chrisb]

I think a lot of this is due to the fact we haven't had the numbers in the squad to rest and rotate players.

Yes definitely the case, plus those playing are holding back, in my opinion, so as not to get injured which, to us watching, looks like a lack of effort.

 

[mfurok]

Or Deng,as he so noticeably didn't do for Rovers second on Saturday.

Dieng doesn’t race anywhere.

He is talented but far too lazy.

A poor signing.

 

[mfurok]

Of course the injury situation has been unfortunate. However, the issue for me has been the midfield...the area least affected by injuries. Without one central midfielder that can tackle, we're always going to struggle.

I haven't seen Hyam yet but from what I've heard he's not the answer either

Spot on.

He’s not.

Another poor signing.

 

[WestStandBlue]

Hendrie now potentially out for the rest of the season, surely we need to be looking at why we are getting so many injuries? Is it really all just down to luck?