Medical/Fitness Department

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by hornetboy1, Jan 12, 2018.

  1. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    I struggle to comprehend how our medical team can be that bad it’s them to blame. Surely as costs go in football their cost would be minimal, so easy to replace them with better/different ones if there was a hint of an issue. Of course I might just be completely naive.

    I think one issue though is definitely the type of player we buy, for example Hause, Nkoulou and Rose were all very likely to get injured or not be fit to play, that was obvious to everyone and that’s exactly how it turned out. I’m pretty sure we also had the oldest average age team in the PL last season, so older players will get injured more and take longer to recover. Gino ignores past injury records to save money and hope for a bargain but invariably it blows up in his face.
     
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  2. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Probably doesn’t help we potentially get a different set of fitness coaches each time we sack a manager .

    Or the medical team have to report to a different guy every so often .

    Sometimes I wonder if they must get a bit fed up with the the management changes ?
     
  3. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Someone I coach has a pal who was a physio at Villa.
    He works with the women's side now.
    He said it's refreshing as they want to play and will do anything to be on the pitch whereas the men will use any excuse not to.
    Hugely different mentalities.
     
  4. HampshireHorn84

    HampshireHorn84 Academy Graduate

    I think you've hit the nail here, we have been bringing in players often who have had injuries related to the knee which (speaking from a first hand ongoing issue since 2015) tend to have a chain reaction and, unlike a break, never heal any stronger (ligaments in particular).
    Beyond this our current squad is filled with players who have been getting reoccurring injuries which with each event get longer in layoff time - some then further compounded by their age.

    The recruitment of players is in such a poor state (add it to list of things Gino gets involved in and f*cks up), and I have it on fairly good authority from someone who has been involved in the medical team as a 3rd party, that unless an Injury is a real deal breaker we've been taking punts against medical advice that they players were expected to break down again.
     
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  5. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    Everything we hear, it just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

    Similarly, I was at a wedding last weekend where I met a friend of the group most of us hadn't seen in the last 2 or 3 years. He's an accountant, and head of finance for a football-related business. One of the first things he said to my brother and I, knowing we are fans, was 'you guys support Watford right? Yeah, tell your club to pay their bills'. Went on to explain how in his company's experience dealing with us, we're always messing about when it comes to paying what we owe/paying late. Another ringing endorsement.
     
  6. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Probably a few clubs trying that on so wouldn’t be surprised.
     
  7. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    This comes back to bite you on the backside.
    The club where I coach didn't pay the air hall provider last winter until very late as the deeply aggressive woman who "pays" the bills* had the hump that the company kept cancelling the dome inflation date.

    When the club tried to book a date for late October the company said "Nothing until December" which will mean,due to electricity costs,it will be pointless putting the ruddy thing up at all!

    * This woman isn't the treasurer and won't let the actual treasurer have access to the bank account.
     
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  8. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    We have had this lack of fitness issue for the past 3 to 4 seasons and it still hasn't been resolved.
    Could it actually be that the players are just not good enough?
    It doesn't matter how much training you do, if you lack the skills then nothing changes.
    The squad is weak and doesn't have the ability to compete at Championship level.
    It is one of the worst squads we have had for many years..
     
  9. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    Fitness degrade and mental fatigue have a massive effect on a player as they age. It's a natural process but it affects our squad a lot more due to what seems to be a lot of very unfit and under coached players who will crumble at the slighest knock. You cannot put new batteries in a car with mechanics that are worn out and expect that to solve the problem. Either that, or our medical team is just not very good.
     
  10. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Sorry, don't buy your first sentence.
    Again it's all about fundamental application.
    Numerous examples of strong willed characters,way past our so called gerontons who are still playing.
    Milner and of course the doyen of professionalism Ronaldo to name two.
    This begins in youth and proper training,diet and all round sensible attention to detail set longevity in place.
    Of course in a contact ( ha,my phone wanted " contract"!) sport players can be cast down,**** Van **** at Liverpool seems to be scuppered now. However the fact remains players can continue into their late 30s if they plan and are vigilant.
    It's not the steak and pint of lager of Joe Corrigan and Kenny Burns these days!
     
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  11. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    Can imagine Kenny Burns tackling any of the Prima Donna players of today.
    The A&E would be full.
    Now, l would pay to see that.
    Burns never said much on the pitch, he just welcomed a player to the game in a different way.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2022
  12. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    I agree with most of your points.
    The lack of fitness is just not good enough. It was bad enough that it is alledged that the players just played 5 a side pre-season under JG.
    It looks as if the players are unfit, not bothered as they know that the side is weak and coasting through their contracts.
    Mental issues or not, l feel that the majority of the players are just not good enough at Championship and are a spent force.
     
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  13. Halfwayline

    Halfwayline Reservist

    Is there a list anywhere on who are currently out injured and their latest assessment?
     
  14. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    You'd think, but then, there's little evidence that our club sees the value in investing small amounts in those sorts of incremental gains. eg. a set piece coach and a sports psychologist could be hired for a fraction of the cost of a 3rd choice centre back, but we decide time and time again to ignore low hanging fruit in favour of or tried and tested (and failed) player recruitment model.
     
  15. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    [​IMG]
     
  16. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

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  17. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    Bilic said after the game that he's having to play players that can only do an hour. We're in November, it's a shambles.
     
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  18. Robert Peel

    Robert Peel Squad Player

    It certainly looked that way. Second half was abysmal.
     
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  19. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    GT had players who litterally run through brick walls for him, fight through a slight knock and get on with things. Compared to those sides, the general fatigue of this squad is alarming. It's little wonder teams can beat us so easily when they put a good defensive line behind the ball, we don't have the strength to break it down or want to.
     
  20. RS2

    RS2 Squad Player

    This is what happens when you build a dog dirt squad. If any of our better players are needing a rest have we got adequate replacements for them? Bayo for Davis? Lol. The alternative to Choudhury or Kayembe is Gosling at the moment! Who comes on to give Sarr or Sema a rest? Kalu who is made of wet paper? Eventually these players are going to run out of steam because head coaches don't have good enough players to replace them with and are reluctant to give them a rest here and there.
     
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  21. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Can’t be true - we’ve been reliably informed this is one of the best squads the Championship has ever seen.
     
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  22. Jumbolina

    Jumbolina First Team

    Edwards was out of his depth. Nothing to do with Pozzo/Giaretta. If Bilic had been here since the summer we’d have got 110 points apparently.
     
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  23. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Of course, we are being sarcastic.

    But we are only being negative because we lost a game. That’s how it works.
     
  24. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    Not a jot of self awareness above whatsoever
     
  25. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    We can at least check their previous injury record or get someone who isn't recovery from an operation.

    Players get injured and maybe sometimes it's just bad luck but we seem to pick up too many of the same for it just to be that.
     
  26. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    By who? Because I don't think anyone on here has said that but happy to be corrected!
     
  27. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    You!
     
  28. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    I said this current squad? Or said before we sold 2 Premier League-level players, including one who just got 16 G/A in a relegated side...

    Not to mention the constant injuries to all the actual good players we have!
     
  29. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Cucho and Dennis ?
     
  30. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Not sure you said it before we sold Cucho?

    And if it’s what you think, you consider taking out Dennis and adding Davis means it’s no longer one of the strongest ever? Just one deal?
     
  31. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    Dennis and Samir. Plus to a lesser extent, losing Quina as a squad player. Not replacing Samir was a huge error.

    I see Dennis as a significantly better player than Davis, yes. Before getting into Davis' lack of availability
     
  32. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Wasn’t Samir found out a bit at times but maybe still better then what we have at the back now for this level ?
     
  33. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    Samir never showed he was a PL-level player let’s be honest. But I doubt you’ll agree.

    But it was still a wild statement to make.
     
  34. WatfordTalk

    WatfordTalk First Team

    I think he did, but was surrounded by ***** at that level. Either way he certainly proved himself at Serie A level.

    In your opinion. I'm sorry my previous opinion based on a previous squad, before it lost its best attacker, and it's best midfielder (Louza) and it's best defender, differs from yours.
     
  35. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

    Injuries are a huge issue for us. I think they maybe training too hard, or maybe not enough. I dunno.

    In all seriousness, unfortunately our budget/owners will not stretch to players that have skills, application, consistency and fitness. Our best players appear to have 2 or 3 of the 4 and either be young & raw or old and slowing down/injury prone. Players with all 4 qualities in the age sweet spot are too expensive or snapped up by teams which are less chaotic.

    So we need a larger squad and a manager that can rotate skills/form/fitness and motivate as required. Bilic is good enough, we just need to boltser the squad this Xmas. We've shown flashes of what we should be able to do, we need to slowly build the squad with Bilic over a couple of seasons. What we don't need to do is get another manager if Bilic is only able to scrape mid table this season.
     
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