Injuries

[Sutton_Chris]

A brilliant, tenacious display last night that was deserving of all three points let alone one.

However the frequency of injuries we are picking up (last season and now continuing into this season) is alarming to say the least.

Do the coaching and fitness team need to consider there could be an issue with the body conditioning of the squad, which is leading to an increase in victims for the treatment table, or do we still keep putting it down to "bad luck"?

I’d be interested to know what everyone thinks.

[stagmanrob]

I'm sure after the game last night and casting our minds back to Bradford away last season, they'll definitely be having a look at the way we are warming up in games and how we are preparing in the days before.

Although I think some of the injuries sustained at Bradford were more impact injuries if I remember rightly.

[Tippy Tappy Football]

What are the injuries to date this season?

Elliott Hewitt (ACL)
Stephen McLaughlin (Ankle and Knee)
John Joe O'Toole (Ankle)
Ollie Clarke (Calf)
Will Swan (Groin)
James Gale (Hamstring)
Alfie Kilgour (Achilles)
Hiram Boateng (Groin)
Callum Johnson (Hamstring)
Aaron Lewis (Calf)

Have I missed any?

[Cleveland_Stag]

What are the injuries to date this season?

Elliott Hewitt (ACL)
Stephen McLaughlin (Ankle and Knee)
John Joe O'Toole (Ankle)
Ollie Clarke (Calf)
Will Swan (Groin)
James Gale (Hamstring)
Alfie Kilgour (Achilles)
Hiram Boateng (Groin)
Callum Johnson (Hamstring)
Aaron Lewis (Calf)

Have I missed any?

George Williams picked up something in pre-season didn’t he? Not been in any of our matchday squads yet this season has he.

There’s obviously something wrong with the way we do warm ups/strength and conditioning/training. As fans I think we’ve just got to come to terms with the fact that we’re going to suffer a lot more injuries than all of our promotion rivals. It’s so incredibly frustrating because we look absolutely fantastic this season and we’re more than good enough to finish in the top 3, but there’s always a sense of impending doom regarding injuries derailing our chances again.

Despite all the good players we’ve brought in and talking about how good our depth is now, we’re going to go into our 4th league game of the season on Saturday likely with 3-4 kids on the bench
Really can’t imagine there being another team in the EFL who have 9 players out injured this early in the season like we do.

[BH_Stag]

Clough said at the end of last season that they looked in to all of the injuries and there was nothing that they could have done to prevent them. That said there has to come a point where it can’t all just be bad luck/impact injuries because it’s almost beyond belief now how many we have picked up since January alone!

Might be worth having a look at the strength and conditioning/fitness coach? Maybe bring in a second pair of eyes for a bit? I know a lot will say there’s nothing that can be done and I get that to an extent, but at this point anything is worth a try!

Or it may just be something we have to accept with this crop of players being a bit injury prone? Boateng, Swan, Clarke, Oates, Maris, Macca … they’re always picking up knocks. Kilgour had a serious injury prior to joining us, Johnson has now had a couple with us, Williams has signed off the back of an injury.

[marksay]

I agree these injuries are mot knocks they are major long term. At this rate we can’t send anyone on loan in my opinion by the end of sept the squad will be on its backside again.

[Richard Cranium]

Mystic Mark

[part time pete]

I think it has got to do with the intensity we play the game.

We must have better statistics of winning the ball back off the opposition than Man City.

Running about at break neck speed must take its toll on highly tuned physical machines.

[MHStag]

Would be interested to see if other teams at our level rotate their starting team more when playing sat-tues-sat-tues-sat, and whether us not doing so has contributed, especially right at the beginning of the season.

[MTFCMusings]

Just watching the footage of Kilgours injury it’s so innocuous, back pedalling with nobody near him and then you see him hop off his left foot.

[cassellswasmagic]

I’m sure fans of nearly every other team are bemoaning the same sort of injury lists.

[The One]

I’m sure fans of nearly every other team are bemoaning the same sort of injury lists.

Doubt it

[Chris M]

When I started watching football in 1977 it was unheard of for players to warm up on the pitch at all. The teams would trot out a couple of minutes before kick off and have a quick jog or kick a ball around. I understand that some players would have a soak in a bath before the match but that was about it. Nowadays we have players warming up 45-60 minutes before the game. If this exercise is intended to prevent injuries, clearly this is not working.

Back in the 1970’s many teams including Stags fielded the same team almost every week. There was only one substitute. If a player was injured and the substitute had already been made the player would either leave the field altogether or play out wide on the wing to avoid physical contact. The game allowed far more physical contact than today. Tackles were brutal, but considered fair. Despite this, it was not unusual for players to play several hundred games for a club. Indeed, Sandy Pate played 366 consecutive games for the club before missing a game through injury.

Of course players years ago did succumb to serious injuries too, but muscle strains and knocks were recovered from quicker than today. Perhaps players played through injuries and were more likely to have a cortisone injection to allow them to play more frequently than today?

I have heard it said that the game was slower in the 1970’s played by footballers who were not as fit as they are now. I recently spoke to a former Stags player from that era who told me that theory was nonsense.

We seem to have had an abysmal injury record in recent seasons, but I wonder is this worst than any other club?

Something does not seem right, but it may just be coincidence. Let us hope that this awful run of injuries comes to an end.

[MansfieldMick]

A lot of our injuries seem to occur in the first half, Bradford away last season and last night 2 that spring to mind. Anyone else think the same or am I miles off?

[Cleveland_Stag]

I’m sure fans of nearly every other team are bemoaning the same sort of injury lists.

I’d bet that there’s not a single side in the EFL with as many players out injured as we have currently. I think only Northampton will have been able to say they had as many injuries as us last season too.

[Jamie]

I have heard it said that the game was slower in the 1970’s played by footballers who were not as fit as they are now. I recently spoke to a former Stags player from that era who told me that theory was nonsense.

Clearly its not nonsense though. You only have to watch football from that era compared to now to see its slower. Its absurd to suggest the fitness, speed and strength of footballers hasn't improved in the last 50 years...

That said, when you push the human body to peak fitness clearly some of them break. As you say they train hard 5 days a week, warm up for an hour before games, play twice a week etc. They're doing way more work than back in the day and despite improved methods and medical advances that seems to take its toll on some of them.

I liken it to an F1 car, when you tune something to the max and extract every last drop of performance, it can break easily and doesn't last long... Whereas ya average run around goes and goes and goes with regular servicing.

Part of it is bad luck, part of it is we love to sign players with previous. Maybe it training methods, you'd like to think the club has looked into that.

Gutted for Kilgour, wish him all the best. Clough needs to get out and sign a replacement ASAP. No point using the squad, he was first choice and is out for a long period, we need a replacement.

[Chrisuknottm]

Before people forget its not just last season and now this.....its the last two seasons and now this.

[WoodhouseStag]

Achilles Tendon Rupture (Alfie): A ruptured Achilles is a severe injury. If surgery is required, which is often the case, recovery can be anywhere from 4 to 12 months before a player can return to competitive play.

Hamstring Strain (Callum Johnson): Hamstring strains vary in severity. Grade 1 strains (minor tears) might see a player out for a few days to a couple of weeks. Grade 2 strains (partial tears) can take from a few weeks up to 2-3 months. Grade 3 strains (complete tear of the muscle) can take several months to heal.

Calf Strain (Aaron Lewis): Calf strains, like hamstring strains, vary in their severity. A minor calf strain might require a rest of 7-10 days, whereas a more severe strain could sideline a player for 6-8 weeks or longer.

Groin Strain (Hiram Boateng): Groin strains can be a bit tricky as they can sometimes be more severe than initially diagnosed. A mild groin strain might see a player return in 1-3 weeks, a moderate one might require 4-6 weeks of recovery, and a severe groin strain could mean 8 weeks or more out of action.

[zod]

Gutted for Kilgour, he's a rate player

[Dave Wayne]

When I started watching football in 1977 it was unheard of for players to warm up on the pitch at all. The teams would trot out a couple of minutes before kick off and have a quick jog or kick a ball around. I understand that some players would have a soak in a bath before the match but that was about it. Nowadays we have players warming up 45-60 minutes before the game. If this exercise is intended to prevent injuries, clearly this is not working.

Back in the 1970’s many teams including Stags fielded the same team almost every week. There was only one substitute. If a player was injured and the substitute had already been made the player would either leave the field altogether or play out wide on the wing to avoid physical contact. The game allowed far more physical contact than today. Tackles were brutal, but considered fair. Despite this, it was not unusual for players to play several hundred games for a club. Indeed, Sandy Pate played 366 consecutive games for the club before missing a game through injury.

Of course players years ago did succumb to serious injuries too, but muscle strains and knocks were recovered from quicker than today. Perhaps players played through injuries and were more likely to have a cortisone injection to allow them to play more frequently than today?

I have heard it said that the game was slower in the 1970’s played by footballers who were not as fit as they are now. I recently spoke to a former Stags player from that era who told me that theory was nonsense.

We seem to have had an abysmal injury record in recent seasons, but I wonder is this worst than any other club?

Something does not seem right, but it may just be coincidence. Let us hope that this awful run of injuries comes to an end.

The reason players played every game back in the 70s is because they were treated like pieces of meat, and any minor knocks meant a pre-match cortisone injection. That's why most of them couldn't walk properly in their 50s !!

[yorkshire stag]

i’m sure we will get an update in the next couple of days, i fear it’s a season though! gutted for him he was so upset he knew straight away

[Martin Shaw]

Really can’t imagine there being another team in the EFL who have 9 players out injured this early in the season like we do.

McCann says 7-8 out including some long term.

[Amber Andy]

Before people forget its not just last season and now this.....its the last two seasons and now this.

Forget the conspiracy theories, we are just plain unlucky. We have always have been.

[zod]

McCann says 7-8 out including some long term.

Taking training advice from Cloughie

[Ralphy]

Fantastic performance last night and one to be proud of but still folk in here just want to the team and Clough to bits - shocking really. At least the team stood up to be counted last night unlike some in here today