What is it with modern strikers and injuries...

The Antikythera Mechanism · Apr 3, 2014

... bearing in mind the problems we've had this season with CMS, Hoskins and Ulloa?

In six seasons between 1966 & 1971 Kit Napier made 256 appearances, an average of 43 games a season, and was top scorer in all but one season! This was the era when I first started watching the Albion, as a boy, and I remember how physical the game was. I think it was only one substitute in those days as well. The pitches were like bogs when it rained and as hard as concrete in the winter, but the players turned out game after game.

Where did it all go wrong?

Diego Napier · Apr 3, 2014

The Antikythera Mechanism said:
... bearing in mind the problems we've had this season with CMS, Hoskins and Ulloa?

In six seasons between 1966 & 1971 Kit Napier made 256 appearances, an average of 43 games a season, and was top scorer in all but one season! This was the era when I first started watching the Albion, as a boy, and I remember how physical the game was. I think it was only one substitute in those days as well. The pitches were like bogs when it rained and as hard as concrete in the winter, but the players turned out game after game.

Where did it all go wrong?

Good post. Players nowdays are much fitter but also much more injury prone.

BLOCK F · Apr 3, 2014

The Antikythera Mechanism said:
... bearing in mind the problems we've had this season with CMS, Hoskins and Ulloa?

In six seasons between 1966 & 1971 Kit Napier made 256 appearances, an average of 43 games a season, and was top scorer in all but one season! This was the era when I first started watching the Albion, as a boy, and I remember how physical the game was. I think it was only one substitute in those days as well. The pitches were like bogs when it rained and as hard as concrete in the winter, but the players turned out game after game.

Where did it all go wrong?

You are absolutely right;there never seemed to be the amount of injuries we have now.
Don't know the reasons,but I think that in times gone by,quite a lot of use was made of steroid type jabs ' to get players through'.They may have done that but in a number of cases,masking the pain eventually caused nastier effects later down the line.That old warrior Tommy Smith of Liverpool is a case in point I think.
Today's modern footwear doesn't offer much protection either.
Other than that,I don't know,but don't think players in Kit Napier's era were quite so precious as some of today's lot.Hard nuts like Dave Turner,Stewart Henderson etc.......although those two weren't strikers!

The Antikythera Mechanism · Apr 3, 2014

BLOCK F said:
You are absolutely right;there never seemed to be the amount of injuries we have now.
Don't know the reasons,but I think that in times gone by,quite a lot of use was made of steroid type jabs ' to get players through'.They may have done that but in a number of cases,masking the pain eventually caused nastier effects later down the line.That old warrior Tommy Smith of Liverpool is a case in point I think.
Today's modern footwear doesn't offer much protection either.
Other than that,I don't know,but don't think players in Kit Napier's era were quite so precious as some of today's lot.Hard nuts like Dave Turner,Stewart Henderson etc.......although those two weren't strikers!

Compare the physique of Stewart Henderson, a right back, back then, to Bruno, now. Henderson was a stocky player and had huge thigh an calf muscles, while Bruno is stick thin. Complete opposites.

Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ · Apr 3, 2014

Players used to play through the pain too, I remember reading an interview with Mark Hughes where he said he twisted his ankle in a match, went in for a scan after. He got the all clear on the ankle, but they discovered a broken bone in his foot (think it was metatarsal) that he'd been playing with for the last month or so, aware of a mild discomfort, but playing on nevertheless.

Geriatric Seagull · Apr 3, 2014

Give me Dave Turner and Stewart Henderson for Andrews and Bruno any day.

Creaky · Apr 3, 2014

Makes you wonder if the amount of training the modern player undergos compared to yesteryear has a detrimental effect.

Then of course there are the improvements in medical technology such as MRI and ultrasound scans that can detect problems that used to go untreated.

Finally the biggest change has been in footwear where boots with high sides and hard toecaps have been replaced with little more than slippers which give the player more flexibility but do little to protect the toes or support the ankle.

Stat Brother · Apr 3, 2014

Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ;6270924 said:
Players used to play through the pain too, I remember reading an interview with Mark Hughes where he said he twisted his ankle in a match, went in for a scan after. He got the all clear on the ankle, but they discovered a broken bone in his foot (think it was metatarsal) that he'd been playing with for the last month or so, aware of a mild discomfort, but playing on nevertheless.

Which rather backs up the silly glib comment I was about to make.

Half the time the players didn't know they had something wrong.

Buzzer · Apr 3, 2014

Stat Brother said:
Which rather backs up the silly glib comment I was about to make.

Half the time the players didn't know they had something wrong.

Bert Trautmann was the ultimate silly billy in that regard.

smiler · Apr 3, 2014

The Antikythera Mechanism said:
Compare the physique of Stewart Henderson, a right back, back then, to Bruno, now. Henderson was a stocky player and had huge thigh an calf muscles, while Bruno is stick thin. Complete opposites.

Bruno wont go into a tackle if he thinks he will get his boots dirty . If he thinks he will get injured - no chance

drew · Apr 3, 2014

The Antikythera Mechanism said:
Compare the physique of Stewart Henderson, a right back, back then, to Bruno, now. Henderson was a stocky player and had huge thigh an calf muscles, while Bruno is stick thin. Complete opposites.

Think it is a bit unfair to pick out two individuals from the different era like that. Look at Wardy who was far from being stocky which probably suited his game but you still heard people saying he should drink stout to build him up!!!

I agree with others that players probably played through the pain barrier more than they do now but the game was slower so there would be less pulled muscles and the like. Also, back in the day, if you had a serious injury, such as ACL or broken leg, then that was it, career over. Now, players come back from that. Plus of course, back in the 60s, footballers were more likely to be anaesthetised by alcohol!!!

Spider · Apr 3, 2014

Other reasons -

- players have all the power now, and their value as an individual is far more important than their value to a team. Therefore, players are likely much less inclined to play. Because players have all the power, clubs are in less of a position to insist see RVP this season for how pissy a player gets when he is playing against his own diagnosis.

- players are saleable assets - and just like your most valuable possessions, you're inclined to look after them.

-

Brighton Mod · Apr 3, 2014

BLOCK F said:
You are absolutely right;there never seemed to be the amount of injuries we have now.
Don't know the reasons,but I think that in times gone by,quite a lot of use was made of steroid type jabs ' to get players through'.They may have done that but in a number of cases,masking the pain eventually caused nastier effects later down the line.That old warrior Tommy Smith of Liverpool is a case in point I think.
Today's modern footwear doesn't offer much protection either.
Other than that,I don't know,but don't think players in Kit Napier's era were quite so precious as some of today's lot.Hard nuts like Dave Turner,Stewart Henderson etc.......although those two weren't strikers!

Kit Napier did not like the physical side of the game, avoiding much confrontation, however he would have been on the receiving end of some heavy tackles.

The Antikythera Mechanism · Apr 3, 2014

drew said:
Think it is a bit unfair to pick out two individuals from the different era like that. Look at Wardy who was far from being stocky which probably suited his game but you still heard people saying he should drink stout to build him up!!!

I agree with others that players probably played through the pain barrier more than they do now but the game was slower so there would be less pulled muscles and the like. Also, back in the day, if you had a serious injury, such as ACL or broken leg, then that was it, career over. Now, players come back from that. Plus of course, back in the 60s, footballers were more likely to be anaesthetised by alcohol!!!

I was only comparing the physiques of two players from different eras who both play at right back.

Icy Gull · Apr 3, 2014

Clubs basically patched players up and gave them cortisone injections or pain killers and made them get on with it. How many players from the past eras played into their mid 30's at a very high level?

These days players are rested as soon as they have a niggle it seems and can play for much longer because of it

Fitness levels required these days are much higher too imo. The more tuned an athlete is the easier he seems to get injured, and not just in football

The Optimist · Apr 3, 2014

Plooks said:
They were probably no where near their physical limits back then and so would have been less likely to pick up all the niggley injuries and tendon/ligament damage.

I've heard this argument before. The analogy used was a Volvo and a supercar. The Volvo will perform well and be very reliable, whereas the supercar is capable of fantastic performance but is less reliable. The analogy being today's players are supercars and the players of the past are Volvos.

With regards to the decreasing physicality of the game how often are injuries caused by tackles? Buckley, for example, struggles with injuries but how many of them are caused by tackles and how many are caused by asking his body to do too much?

drew · Apr 3, 2014

The Antikythera Mechanism said:
I was only comparing the physiques of two players from different eras who both play at right back.

I appreciate that but the point I was making, although probably not very well, was that you could pick different players and have the opposite result. Look at Roberto Carlos, his thighs are probably bigger than the combined thighs of the entire brighton team.

Blue3 · Apr 3, 2014

Life on a knife edge

London Irish · Apr 3, 2014

It was madness to offer Hoskins a new contract? Noble, generous yes

GT49er · Apr 3, 2014

Three reasons, I think - 1 The pitches. These days players play mostly on near perfect pitches - firm, grippy, etc. Playing on the old pitches somehow caused fewer twists and strains - there always used to be more injuries on the perfect surface at Wembley. Secondly, the boots - no support or protection, and thirdly the fact that players are bigger, taller, faster, stronger and fitter than ever in the past - but still using the same skeletal structure, which is put under more strain than ever before.

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