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Episode 323: Why are they always injured?
0 Playsin 11 hours
Southampton – Let's talk about injuries, and why it is they seem to be such a common part of modern day football.
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Transcript
Disruption in Routine: The 'Crimbo Limbo' Effect
00:00:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott, and as always today, joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host, Zachy Gofinch.
00:00:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
How doing, bud? You alright?
00:00:28
Zak
Yeah, all right, mate. It's just ah midweek, isn't it? It's midweek? Wait, it's Monday.
00:00:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:00:33
Zak
Where are we at? Who knows?
00:00:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's Tuesday. It is Tuesday's episode today, my friend, and that shows just with
00:00:41
Zak
that That shows you how well I'm doing, mate.
00:00:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Look, it's because we're in that like liminal space of the international break, right? It's like like the Crimbo Limbo, but worse, because there's no like joy of Christmas to carry us through. which is There's no sports.
00:00:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
We don't know what day it is. We just know there's no football. But it's alright, mate. It's eking ever closer. Don't worry.
00:01:07
Zak
ah yeah I'm glad this is our last international break for a while because just it just throws me off sorts.
00:01:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're getting there.
00:01:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
it It does.
00:01:15
Zak
ah Turns out I really like my routine, mate.
00:01:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
It throws our routine out.
00:01:17
Zak
Let's not read too much into that.
00:01:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Yeah. We need Saturday. We need Tuesday. We need Saturday. We need three games all the time, all the football, all the time. It never ends.
00:01:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah That's what we're getting back
The Rise of Player Injuries: A Focus on Hamstrings
00:01:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
to soon. But speaking of it never ending, i thought today we would have a chat and think about ah A problem that we're coming up against more and more as time progresses, right?
00:01:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
And ah why are all of our players getting injured? And why specifically hamstrings? ah And so I went away and I did some some digging and and I've got some stuff. Now, I guess I'll throw the big caveat in at the start.
00:02:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
It might shock you all, especially our our viewers on YouTube, who who can sit and look at me to know that I am not an expert in physical exercise or sports science. ah is That is not something have have ever been known to be an expert in.
00:02:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I have done some research for this for this episode. So, you know, it comes from a place of of some knowledge. It's not a lot. But look, I know how to rehab muscles.
00:02:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've done plenty of that.
00:02:30
Zak
to to to To be clear, mate, I'm not an expert on ruling kingdoms, and I'm also not an expert on World War on participating in your battles in World War two I can tell you a lot about it.
00:02:44
Zak
Knowledge and experience are two very different things.
00:02:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:47
Zak
so I think that you don't necessarily have to live up to the
00:02:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's it. Yeah.
00:02:53
Zak
Live up to the the the the things to to have be a qualified to speak about something. you just like Plus, you are doing the caveat, which is a lot better than a lot of people nowadays.
00:02:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:03:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
I had to throw it out there because look I know that it's going to be some some stuff that people are going say, but But at the end of the day, it's something that we're seeing more and more often, right? And not just as Saints fans, just in football in general. There seems to be a huge ah amount of injuries constantly all the time, right? We see every team at some point in the season is sun in some form of injury crisis.
00:03:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Now, but we can start with the obvious points and get them out the way, right? There's more football now than ever before. right There are more games, they come faster, there's less recovery time, and that has an impact for sure. You look at players like Shea Charles, who wasn't supposed to play three games in a week for us though in that seven-day period, but then you know Flynn Downs went out with illness or with a knock, and all of a sudden that is 270 minutes of...
00:04:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
seventy minutes of high intensity, high impact football in a really short period of time. And your body just can't quite recover from that. Can it?
00:04:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like it's, it's not long enough to let your muscles do their thing in here, especially with the intensity that the game is out of the moment. Right. Cause we talk a lot about the step up between different leagues or between youth football and senior football.
00:04:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
So clearly the physical demand is that much higher now than maybe than it has been for a long time. but guess a lot of that's down to like the sports science and stuff, right? Because there's more out there about how you preload or energy or, you know set up yourself up, right? They have all of these plans and Again, I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm pretty sure there's some level of routine of, I need to put this amount of food in my body at this time, and then this after the warm-up we take this energy gel shot.
00:05:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or like when you see in in some of the podcasts that former pros do, where they like break down their pre-match routine, it's as a normal person looking in, it's it's insane. It's not some so sort of like routine that you would ever...
00:05:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
contemplate like the amount of planning that goes into each game is is is crazy right and so because the intensity is pushed up by that I mean I guess it's also heading and causing the the physical demands that causing the issues on the body right
00:05:53
Zak
like Yeah, this is the thing. I think you can prepare, you can do all of this kind of stuff, and that's not necessarily always going to stop an injury because of the sheer amount that's played, right?
00:06:04
Zak
people you know There have been people that have had tendencies to have issues that then reoccur.
00:06:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:06:10
Zak
And our squad's a perfect example. Ross
Impact of Rigorous Routines and Unexpected Disruptions
00:06:12
Zak
Stewart, right, is is is somebody that has been injury prone the entire time he's been with us. That doesn't mean that he didn't get to a state where he was extremely fit at the beginning of the season.
00:06:20
Zak
Suleymane, it was revealed, was carrying a long-term injury that constantly would reoccur when we signed him. And looking to what I even mentioned yesterday with Armando Brogia, right? Like ever since he did his ankle a long time ago, it's been really, really difficult for him to recover.
00:06:37
Zak
And you will have some players that are just lucky and never seem to pick up injuries and seem to just be constantly fit. James Ward-Prowse, another example, you know, he was playing right back when all of our right backs were injured and proceeded to play nearly every game that he was available for for us, right?
00:06:52
Zak
But for other players, that's not necessarily the case. And you are going to have, sure, like different personalized plans and bits and pieces, but there is going to be a element of biological luck to it. And there is also going to be an element of, you know, I managed to avoid getting my ankle completely clattered at 17. So because of that, I've never had to worry about that reoccurring.
00:07:13
Zak
um And ah on top of that, you talk about all these pre-match routines and like, yeah, don't me wrong.
00:07:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:07:18
Zak
But also, you know, footballers' private lives can be a bit more private nowadays. They seem to be anyway. But there are also, you know, examples of... You know, guys got out clubbing like to a day before the game and shoved a load of alcohol in their body. So, what's said on one hand is, oh, this is what we have to do in prep.
00:07:37
Zak
But on the other hand, that isn't necessarily always the case. And I don't mean that into undermine all of the fitness stuff that's put into place. I mean, that isn't to say, well, sometimes people will do that and things still won't happen, right? Like you look at back in the day, sort of the days of Matt Latisse and, you know, having a...
00:07:56
Zak
having like a McMuffin while you're hungover and going on a banging in a couple of goals.
00:07:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:08:01
Zak
It is a very, very different sport now.
00:08:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
You just can't do it.
00:08:04
Zak
ah
00:08:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
You wouldn't be able to rock up and do it.
00:08:05
Zak
you You can't but good because of the sheer amount of football that takes place.
00:08:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
at that level.
00:08:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's, yeah, it's crazy. And I guess to finish off on some of the more obvious um sort of factors that go before i get into some of the maybe slightly more not thought about stuff is the the travel demands, right? Like, I think all but one of our three games in seven-day periods...
00:08:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, these sort of three-day Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday groups, all but one of them have involved two away games this season, which is, you know, regardless of how you put, I think for one of them, we stayed up in a certain place, but even that in itself, you're not in your home environment or you're not in like Staplewood to be able to rest and recover properly. So you're in these sort of,
00:08:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
unusual surroundings potentially or or either that or you're going to have to fly or sit on a bus for an extended period of time and like when the gap is so you know like these things that we talk about with the routines are set in place to eek like the last top percent of the ability and the physical power out of these players you throw things like that into the mix and none of that's going to combine particularly well to do well. You can't rest properly on a bus.
00:09:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
like It's just not doable, is it?
00:09:36
Zak
Yeah, for sure. And there's also... You've got other examples, right? Of like the international amount of international travel that used to be be like take place, especially with these international
Travel Demands and Player Performance
00:09:44
Zak
breaks. you know If you're lucky, you get to play sort of ah at home or near to as home as possible.
00:09:50
Zak
But I can' i i like jump back to that story about when Joe Eribo was in the international squad and they got stuck in like a bus station in Liberia for 17, 18 hours. I can't remember who it was. like Who was... um doing the, the like live streams of like, guys, we're just in this bus station in Libya. No one's picking us up.
00:10:10
Zak
This is actually a insane. And you should point out.
00:10:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:13
Zak
Like, can you rest properly? No, not really. Like any, does anyone, does anyone think of catching a flight as a restful experience? Like, even even people who doing business, like, every day.
00:10:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:23
Zak
you that The reason that, you like, those sort of stories, when you've got, like, that guy who, instead of living in, like, a university, would fly to Amsterdam and then to London every morning because it was cheaper than getting the train.
00:10:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:37
Zak
Like, you're, like, the reason that's such a crazy story is because no one else would do that, because that isn't something that would be, like, a restful or fun experience. So...
00:10:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, it's crazy. And like, on top of all that, right you know think about how we talk about like these short turnarounds to games and the lack of recovery time. you sort of think Saturday into Tuesday is like a 72-hour turnaround, if you're adding 10 to 12 hours of preparation or travel into that mix...
00:11:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
is so you know It's a disaster, right? so Even if you're traveling from you know Bristol to Southampton, but then you have to travel from Southampton up to Blackburn, it's there's no way that that can be good for people.
00:11:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know that You need to think about that on top of the additional fixture congestion that comes in, right? That's not a non non-entity. um
00:11:29
Zak
Yeah, so to be clear with that as well, like ah there'll be arguments and there's always arguments and we've made the arguments of, oh, I'll do anything for, I'll do that for, if I'm getting paid that much money a week, I'd crack on and crack on with it.
00:11:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that's...
00:11:41
Zak
But what we're talking about here is things that end up then physically causing injuries and like tiredness, slipping, and then accidentally like getting yourself put out for a long term that could then have a long term injury.
00:11:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:53
Zak
that could be affected by travel. it's no It's not saying, oh, they should just shut up and get on with it. Because like you know you can have that opinion if you want. and But our argument here is that that is probably going to cause injuries more.
00:12:06
Zak
right like that's That's just the human body is weaker because it is lacking sleep, etc.
00:12:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. yeah
00:12:13
Zak
It's going to tend to break easier.
00:12:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, indeed. ah Right, mate, before we get into some of the finer points and maybe some of the less thought about ones, ah let's have a little break and hear a message from our partners at Buy and Eat.
00:13:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, anyway and we are back. So ah to move into some of the like finer details, and now we're getting into like the real sports science and medical stuff that may or may not have an impact. And I guess what I'll do is I'll go through them and maybe we'll think about how that may or may not apply to us.
00:13:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
But ah the top one is, or the top two really, a
Load Mismanagement and Player Longevity
00:13:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
very linked. And this is load mismanagement or training intensity versus match intensity and the gap.
00:13:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
So where clubs rely heavily on data ah but may be forced to play overwork players due to the squad depth or tactical needs, like we were talking about earlier with Shea Charles, and the fact that players spend more time maintaining fitness and training because the next game requires peak physical condition, which means they actually end up with less time resting.
00:14:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
So if you think about how you know your muscle, you know especially as it's different with all different people, your muscle's if they're not getting the right amount of time to rest before you start pushing them again, you could be, you know, forcing them towards breaking point as opposed to sort of letting them allow for the time. Whereas, you know, they, I'm sure they have a very rigid schedule of like, we do a recovery day and then we do light training then we do heavy training.
00:14:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know, you know, the exact details, but, But maybe some of the players need more than one recovery day, right? Like that that's just a thing. And if you're immediately then pushing on to be ready for the next game, that overuse is going to become more and more of a factor.
00:14:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I guess that one really quite applies quite heavily to us, right? Because there are several players in our team who who you want to see play every minute, right? like There are players we can't do without.
00:15:06
Zak
Yeah, and that's and that's one of the the problems we've got, right? That's like when we talk about last season, the championship season before, how how vital Flynn Downs was.
00:15:16
Zak
So when he kept going off ill, that became a huge problem for us.
00:15:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:15:20
Zak
You know, Ross Stewart starts doing well, starts scoring. We play him three games in a week. That is just, it's literally just an example that is perfectly placed for this conversation, right?
00:15:30
Zak
Like three games probably overdid it.
00:15:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:15:33
Zak
We'd have liked to have seen him start every game after he started actually him away. And then that's it.
00:15:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:15:37
Zak
And now he's in that problem. And then um another example of last season was when Aaron Ramsdale broke his hand. And then we ended up having a switch between goalkeepers. And then X McCarthy got injured. Bezuna was away. we were playing Joe Lumley.
00:15:49
Zak
You know, I genuinely think that the the downfall of Russell Martin was well into its descendancy, right, at that point. However, considering how much time Sports Republic had given him, I genuinely think that
00:16:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm. Mm.
00:16:06
Zak
if we'd had Ramsdale between the sticks, if you know the Chelsea game and the Tottenham game weren't 4-0, 6-0, whatever, think they were 5-1, 5-0, I think that you know if they'd been 1-0 defeats, they might have persisted with him a little longer. So realistically, you're talking about what could be small injuries that end up becoming bigger injuries that end up essentially costing some managers their job, right?
00:16:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's it's crazy. um And the the last point on medical science I've got on this this bullet point list from these articles I've pulled is a long-term overuse. There's theory that years of elite level play from a younger age, as we're seeing players start younger and younger,
00:16:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
um it's probably causing accumulated stress on joints and muscles, which means that their longevity as a player just isn't existent. They're going to get to a an age where it's not feasible to play this much football that much anymore purely because of how young they started.
Challenges for Young Growing Players
00:17:10
Zak
bus <unk>s just it The thing is with that argument is it's just logical, right? Like, you look at the sort of Wayne Rooney's of the world and the fact that they are but they retire early because they cannot continue to play at an elite level.
00:17:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:25
Zak
No, i i as I said, ah i agree you, mate, on that kind of stuff. Because, again, like, child bodybuilders are a perfect for example, right? So they start off when they're young, they they get absolutely jacked.
00:17:37
Zak
they turn 18 and then they kind of do worse than some of the peers that then overtake them because they've got significantly older injuries and older stuff to deal with. Right.
00:17:48
Zak
So that's, that's, I guess another example, but we've, we are already seeing it like Lamin Jamal, right.
00:17:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:17:53
Zak
He's about to have surgery and he was a breakthrough like wonder kid.
00:17:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:57
Zak
And now you've, you've got the fact that like, do you think he's going to have the longevity of like Cristiano Ronaldo?
00:18:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Well, you think about how complex we've already been talking about, right, with players and their routines and their muscles and the strength and whether they're having the repetition, and enough the right repetition, the right recovery.
00:18:04
Zak
Probably not.
00:18:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Len throw into the mix the fact it that amongst that also that is a person who is still growing. Like, that is such an additional layer of complexity that how can you factor that in from a scientific standpoint? because Because it's not like it's uniform. It's not like you grow a set amount each day until you reach your maximum height. That's just not how it works, is it? Like,
00:18:40
Zak
It's also the thing that really bothers me about when it's like, oh, they're young, they just get on with it and deal with it. That's what I can, you know, when you're young, you you don't get burnt out. You don't. like, no, but you need to allow, like, there's a reason that that we don't really talk about growing pains, but people feel them when they're younger, right?
00:18:55
Zak
Like, that's the thing that I struggled massively with when I was younger.
00:18:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:58
Zak
um I know other people have. It's not like i don't think there's a proper scientific basis for it. But like, it's a huge point that i you've kept emphasising, Greg, but I think people forget. Just like, they're still growing. They're still literally children at this point.
00:19:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:19:12
Zak
Like, you can't, like like, they are not fully formed in their body and you're expecting them that their body to you do things differently.
00:19:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:19:21
Zak
that it puts a huge strain on them whilst they are also trying to grow and and like can't be emphasised enough as to how much of an impact that can have.
00:19:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:19:30
Zak
And you can put all the science and the data and you want behind it, that's fine. Maybe we'll get to a point where we fix that problem entirely. But that field is also a field that is consistently changing, as we pointed out.
Game Scheduling and Its Effect on Players
00:19:42
Zak
like the Imagine trying to explain to a footballer in the 80s. Imagine having a chat with your dad when you were a kid, Greg, and be like, when you when all these footballers are older, dad, they're all going to drink this weird gel and then run out like a headless chicken for like 60 minutes. was just...
00:19:58
Zak
What? Because that's how that's how nutritional science, like all that kind of science has changed since that time.
00:19:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:04
Zak
And it still has ah the ability to change going forward as well.
00:20:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:20:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. yeah Yeah. it's ah It's mad how it's all progressing and and pushing to these like higher heights. And it's what makes the game so enjoyable to watch. But, I mean, it comes at the cost that this is sort of becoming more of an issue.
00:20:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Right, I have, ah I think, three more points and two counterpoints, which are nice conclusion-based stuff.
00:20:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah But first, let's have a little break and hear a message from our partners at Zencaster. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform, and Zencaster came out the clear winner.
00:20:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
with 4k video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs. It's super easy to start podcast. It sounds great and is delivered efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster.
00:21:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
All right, mate. And we are back. Uh, I've got one more point on, on fixtures, uh, without meaning to drill the point home, ah slightly more, uh, in-depth thought about specifically routines and stuff, uh, is the, the times that games are played and moved for broadcast reasons.
00:21:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, and the impact that might have on things like circadian rhythms, uh, which is, you know, nice sciencey word, but you know, just,
00:21:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, your body doing things at the right time. And this makes even more sense, right, when we're talking about, like, pre-match routines. Like, if you're preparing for a three o'clock kickoff and that means you have to have a big bowl of pasta to preload your energy front at midday, that means if you've got to have a 12.30 kickoff, are you doing the same thing and, like, stuffing your face with a bowl of pasta at nine o'clock in the morning? Because I love food and that sounds awful to me.
00:22:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, it's just...
00:22:07
Zak
Yeah, but but that's definitely like, again, and and that also to the travel and, you know, if you're traveling between different time zones, all that can kind of have an effect. Like there's there's nothing sleep, sleep so important.
00:22:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:19
Zak
I don't think we underestimate it as people. Like I'm really bad for that. And i know if I have slept poorly and you're right. And part of that is also to do with like, for example, my wife really struggled to get to sleep the other day.
00:22:32
Zak
And realised it's because she came home from... she'd She'd attended a lecture. She'd came home quite late. And then she... had a cake thing that I'd bought from our local coffee shop that stays open quite late.
00:22:48
Zak
And obviously didn't just, didn't think of the two, oh, okay, well, I've just had a bunch of sugar that's gone into my body and that has now kept me awake for two or three hours. So all of that stuff needs to be thought about planned, especially if you're going into then expend a bunch of energy.
00:23:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:23:01
Zak
But um I'm sure that playing at 1230 and playing at 8pm at night are two different experiences.
00:23:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Vastly different experiences.
00:23:07
Zak
Yeah.
00:23:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Crazy. And without meaning to encroach on maybe something that I'm in the middle of preparing for tomorrow's episode, maybe the vast difference in kickoff times and the preparation that would vary and go into that might even have an effect on, say,
00:23:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
form at different times of the day or week. I'll leave that one open to interpretation for now, and maybe we'll touch on that tomorrow. ah But yeah, it's not something to um
External Factors Affecting Injuries: Are They Truly Increasing?
00:23:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
to ignore, right? Because if you can't, it's mental preparation and physical preparation in a in a completely different, you're right, a midday kick off at an eight pm dishff or kickoff kickoff are like literally different ends of the day. Like, crazy to have to prepare yourself for.
00:23:53
Zak
Yeah, and on top of that, it's like, oh, they should just this is their job. They should just get on with it and that. And I'm like, well, yeah, but I know how to do my job and I could do them at two different times of the day. And I have sometimes had to do them at two different types of day because of the nature of what we do. But...
00:24:08
Zak
That doesn't mean that like I know for a fact that I'm going to be in a different mind state in like 9, 8, 9pm.
00:24:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:24:14
Zak
And even with this podcast, everyone knows that whenever we do a late night recording, it gets a bit ah just, I don't know, more chaotic.
00:24:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
On him...
00:24:22
Zak
Yeah, like I guess that's the word.
00:24:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:24:24
Zak
And you know, so the idea of just being like, well, they should just get with it and that's not going to have an effect. That's not to have an effect on injuries and tiredness and that kind of stuff. I'm like, of course it is. That's just science.
00:24:35
Zak
Yeah.
00:24:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's crazy. i And you know once you're adding all of this together, i mean, it all starts to make sense as to why it's becoming more and more common. And so we've touched upon ah mental fatigue and the effect that will have.
00:24:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so now let's come on to like my last two points. And both of them are kind of environmental factors. Now, ah pitches, right, are obviously of a much higher quality these days than...
00:25:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
years gone by in most parts of the country. Sorry, Blackburn. um but
00:25:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
But most of these pitches are hybrid pitches, right? So they're sort of half grass, half astroturf, which is, you know, in its own way complex. And I'm sure that there are issues with like edge cases, like the way studs interact with this turf, right?
00:25:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
and certain footwear, and that's all things that I'm sure people think about when they they come into play it. But actually, because they are artificial, and therefore, in general, drier and less spongy, you know, we see that even when it's raining, they have to water the pitch with sprinklers at at halftime and before the game regardless to keep the ball ping on the way because it's it's drier, so firmer.
00:26:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
That in itself is going to contribute to joint and muscle stress, right? Because it's harder ground. So there's more impact just from running, especially when you're running, you know, the large distances that is covered with the the modern game and how, you know, you' playing in the center of midfield or in a wingback running up and down the pitch, you're probably doing half a marathon at least through across 90 minutes.
00:26:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
So to be doing that on such a hard surface, that's in itself going to impact it, right? So... another thing worth thinking about. ah And the last effect I have before I come to a couple of counterpoints are the weather extremes.
00:26:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, England in particular, not exactly known for its consistent weather, even on the same day in the same region, right?
00:26:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just hot, cold, hot, cold,
00:26:55
Zak
You say this, all I can think of is the the Canadian goal that was kept that took place, think it was last weekend, where the guy did the bicycle kick in, what I can describe as an extreme blizzard.
00:27:05
Zak
Which I'm sure you've probably seen. But yeah, though you're you're right, it probably is, ah at least at least when it comes to playing conditions, definitely going to an effect.
00:27:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. And that in itself, especially like we're talking about the routines and stuff of getting these players to like their maximum potential, but maximum potential also means maximum risk with your muscles, right? And if all of a sudden...
00:27:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
You're much colder than you're used to being or much warmer than you're meant to being. That also has an effect on like the strain you're putting on the muscles, and that in itself can cause issues. And so all of these things come together, that's why we're seeing so many injuries, right? And again, not just specifically Saints. I'm sure that all clubs, including Saints, have look ah thought about all of these things and have certain ways to try and mitigate these factors, but with all of them in mind, it's no surprise.
00:27:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
But to come to my counterpoints, uh, without, you know, trying to sound too much like old man shouting at cloud, like our injuries actually increasing or are we just hearing more about them now?
00:28:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right? ah Like, like,
00:28:18
Zak
I don't agree that, and I'll tell you why. It's the fact that you have to look at the size of squads now to be able to get... like if you had like If you lost two or three players to injury years ago, everyone would describe that as an injury crisis.
00:28:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:28:31
Zak
Whereas now, we'll have a giant squad, and well we will say things like, our squad is too big, we need to trim the squad. And then we will have players in three positions, and then you'll be in the position we're in now, where we have no right-backs.
00:28:44
Zak
So like... I don't know if that's the case, but again, and i think it's that it's not that there are...
00:28:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:28:50
Zak
It could be that there are... It feels like there are more injuries because there is more going on. There is more sport. There is more fixtures. So if you increase the amount of fixtures, you're going to increase the amount of injuries.
00:29:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:04
Zak
So it's still within ah small timeframe, right?
00:29:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
But...
00:29:08
Zak
Like, it's still...
00:29:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes. but But also, ah to add to that, ah also, injuries are going to be getting picked up more, right? Because we have more of this science. We can get things that identify these soft tissue injuries earlier.
00:29:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
So actually, you're more likely to see a player more often missing one or two games with one of these injuries, but that's in place of, in the past, he would have played these games and then snapped a muscle three weeks down the line, right? So you're seeing more and more of it because more of these preventative measures and you know data analysis and sports science are being brought into place to protect the players from the serious side of it.
00:29:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And that makes sense to me. ah don't know. ah don't know if that resonates.
00:29:58
Zak
No, I agree. I think yeah the only other point I think I've got to add, mate, that um you kind of briefly touched on was ah equipment.
00:30:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
um
00:30:06
Zak
And like, it's like boots and stuff. And like, you you talked about like the cutting the socks thing that you hate, but I also can't help but remember, was it Kukurela who kept falling, getting his studs caught in the ground and then with a like a new pair of boots that he had.
00:30:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:30:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:30:20
Zak
So he just took them off and threw them in the bin. And ah that's, you know, that that kind of stuff of making everything look fancy and fashionable is not exactly useful for a, you know, as you pointed out, actually playing the game.
00:30:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:30:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:30:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. and And I mean, these are all things that are getting investment from all over the place, right? Like, I dread to think how much of the global economy is spent on football boots.
00:30:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, even if you take the snapshot of my household alone, between me, my son and my daughter, we're looking at a solid... like percentage of household outgoings towards new football boots. It's not it's not it's not a minute expense. So these investments are happening like ah as part of it. it's just It's interesting when you think about all of the things that don't really go through your mind when you sit there and go, what do you mean you've got cramp after 70 minutes when you get paid 30 grand a week to run around a pitch?
00:31:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like,
00:31:20
Zak
Well, does this mean does this mean you're going to go you're going to go you're going to feel a bit better and be a bit nicer to goalkeepers going forward now?
00:31:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
but Maybe there's just a bit more to it.
00:31:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely not.
00:31:29
Zak
Because i every...
00:31:30
Zak
No? Good, okay.
00:31:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right?
00:31:32
Zak
Oh,
00:31:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely not. Because I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that all of these environmental factors affect players like Wimbax, who cover a lot of ground, which the average distance covered by goalkeeper is.
00:31:45
Zak
oh I'm going to clip this up and you're going upset a lot of people.
00:31:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
LAUGHTER
00:31:48
Zak
ae
00:31:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
The
00:31:52
Zak
yeah Awesome. Thank you, mate.
00:31:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
most protected position in all of football and it's, uh, strongly taken advantage of, but, uh, but yeah, anyway, that's, that's it really. That's my little deep dive into injuries and muscle concerns.
00:32:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, uh,
00:32:07
Zak
I've already enjoyed it, mate. It's interesting to think about because we're Obviously, the problem I think we've got is we talk about injuries, we can talk about how bad they are when we see them, then we kind of, we just jump to how annoying it is that like Shea Charles is out for two months or, oh, this, this, like Wellington's picked up an injury, this sucks because then he's picked up the same injury, he's got that reoccurring injury that keeps being a problem as opposed to like actually examining the wider problem and wider, wider context that this is happening in.
00:32:33
Zak
And the fact that, yeah, the the argument of is it actually getting worse or is it just that the technology is better to identify what is actually happening?
00:32:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:32:41
Zak
Because, again, a lot of people used to play through the pain, but then subsequently that would make it worse
00:32:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
Conclusion and Audience Engagement: How to Reduce Injuries?
00:32:44
Zak
for them longer term.
00:32:46
Zak
So, yeah, it's it's fascinating, realistically.
00:32:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And I mean, I guess also one of the things I never even actually got round to talking about, but did write down at one of the points is like the changes in intensity, right? When you think about the style we had under Russell Martin and how different, not only like different levels of energy and different levels of intensity, but also just different groups of muscles and different mentalities that that requires, then switch that up to have to go to
00:32:56
Zak
Yeah.
00:33:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
especially down in the championship where the game is so heavily based on transition and there are so many more of these like high intense transition plays, it it's no wonder that, you know, if you've not, if you've had effectively a year off from that type of conditioning, it's not really a surprise that it should come back and affect us in in the ways that it has. And as we've seen with so many players going out with,
00:33:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, similar injuries, right? Hamstrings, calves, it's all all those parts of the body that you have high impact and high usage ah of when you're running. and And that's why.
00:33:54
Zak
Thank you very much, mate. I really, yeah, it's it's been really interesting to talk about and thank you for doing lots of research for it.
00:34:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
i ah You know, i love it. It's all part of the fun. ah Well, that's it. But yes, thank you anyway for joining me on my journey into injuries. And thank you everyone for listening. I hope that it has been insightful. hope it gives you a ah fresh perspective to to think about our injuries. and And hopefully we can ah take it all into consideration and and fix all of the injury problems and just have a team of super fit, super squads who can score all the goals.
00:34:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's ah That's the long-term aim. Until football's just totally played by robots.
00:34:32
Zak
No.
00:34:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Anyway... oh bringing it slightly back on track. Let us know. What do you think would be the number one fix that you could implement to to change ah all of these injuries? do you think there's anything that could be brought in to make it better?
00:34:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Let us know ah in the comments or on the socials. We're on all of them. We're on YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Blue Sky, everywhere.
00:35:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hit us up. Let us know. We love hearing from you. And I can't wait to see some of the responses. ah We will back tomorrow when we talk some more fun stuff about football.
00:35:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
But until then, everyone, have a wonderful day. We'll see you then.