Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bare Bones....

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

∆ What it all makes me wonder, though, is how managers would have coped in the decades of only naming one substitute... let alone none...

[Worthy4England]

Let’s go back to…playing a strong team in the cups because we can’t throw away a chance to win them….

Yeah was the wrong call. And you don’t need hindsight. The cup games really have hurt us with extra games and injuries we don’t need.

We need to learn from this. All that matters the only metric this season that defines success or failure is whether we are promoted at the end of it. That’s always been the case and still is. The risks we’ve taken are poor ones for meaningless games. Santos stands out as the most stupid but there are others.

You do need hindsight, because until you have it, nothing happened for you to moan at! I think we should stand outside the Club, and berate the management politely at this juncture. Preferably with banners and maybe even bedsheets, but we're probably not ready for full pitchforks yet, we need to save that for when you're having a proper melt-down.

The suggestion is that if only we hadn't played those games, the injuries wouldn't have happened. Whilst I can see that in the case of maybe an impact injury, I'm less convinced when it comes to something like Toals', where the story was he'd been managing a long term injury.

Santos injury wasn't anything to do with the game, because he managed to get the injury before it started - which suggests it was the sort of thing that could've happened in training at any time - whether him playing 45 added up to additional down time - I dunno, for sure, but obviously you will want to say it has, without any direct knowledge of the injury.

Baxter tore his ligs in a League game against Barnsley - I suspect had we hauled him off directly and been gubbed (because I think I recall him making some good saves after injury) - that would've been the wrong call too.

If I add to that, some of the general commentary we've seen about Pub League Ric and his lack of urgency, he generally doesn't sweat much in games anyhow, so one a couple of extras probably isn't adding much.

The extra games pushed players into the red zone as the sports scientists say. It’s clear we know this as Evatt has talked about having to take a risk with Cogley in playing him and putting him at risk.

Santos should never ever have started that game after getting injured in the warm up.


I would have rested many more than we did for the cup games because ultimately we were struggling for numbers as it is and probably overplaying some.

As a manager in L1, I'd be pretty unhappy with you as a player, telling me (assuming I had no niggles and felt fit) that you were leaving me out of a big game against a Prem Club, so I could play against Leyton Orient, given I'm fairly sure Evatt has repeatedly been in the school if thought that it's these big games that you really want to play in.

Evatt's view of Santos injury was that it was made no worse from his 45 minutes v Blackpool, which if you're taking his word elsewhere verbatim, you'd have to believe. At which point I'm back to could've happened in training.

I think you've been pretty clear on what you would've done, which has zero guarantee that anything much would be different right now.

[Worthy4England]

∆ What it all makes me wonder, though, is how managers would have coped in the decades of only naming one substitute... let alone none...

Well you just "hobbled," played on concussed as best you could etc. Didn't you? (Not suggesting that's a good thing, but it was pretty much what happened)

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

∆ What it all makes me wonder, though, is how managers would have coped in the decades of only naming one substitute... let alone none...

Well you just "hobbled," played on concussed as best you could etc. Didn't you? (Not suggesting that's a good thing, but it was pretty much what happened)

Oh of course, aye. Which is part of the reason Matthews got his final named after him - Eric Bell could barely walk, having merely torn his hamstring in the 18th minute. He still scored, like, but the fact he (a half-back, or central midfielder in modern money) was forcibly exiled to hobble round on the left wing... from whence Mr Matthews supplied the ammunition.

[nicholaldo]

∆ What it all makes me wonder, though, is how managers would have coped in the decades of only naming one substitute... let alone none...

Well you just "hobbled," played on concussed as best you could etc. Didn't you? (Not suggesting that's a good thing, but it was pretty much what happened)

Oh of course, aye. Which is part of the reason Matthews got his final named after him - Eric Bell could barely walk, having merely torn his hamstring in the 18th minute. He still scored, like, but the fact he (a half-back, or central midfielder in modern money) was forcibly exiled to hobble round on the left wing... from whence Mr Matthews supplied the ammunition.

Ridding Out

[Worthy4England]

[The_Gun]

Hutchinson recalled from his loan at Marine (where, judging by the reaction of their fans on Twitter, he seems to have done well).

Does this suggest Evatt is planning to put a keeper on a bench for one of the upcoming games? Hopefully it doesn’t mean that Coleman is also injured.

[nicholaldo]

Hutchinson recalled from his loan at Marine (where, judging by the reaction of their fans on Twitter, he seems to have done well.

Does this suggest Evatt is planning to put a keeper on a bench for one of the upcoming games? Hopefully it doesn’t mean that Coleman is also injured.

I'd imagine it'd be so we have the option of naming a substitute goalkeeper if the risk/reward analysis indicates we'd be better off opting for one.

And I can see that being the case for at least two of our next three fixtures.

[officer_dibble]

Caleb Taylor out for 8 weeks… injury prone or unlucky? Not fouled according to the ref!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Caleb Taylor out for 8 weeks… injury prone or unlucky? Not fouled according to the ref!

Wow. That's a pity for him. Luckily for us, it shouldn't make too much difference - if Rico is back this weekend, as seems to be the case, he joins Geth, Toal, Iredale and Forrester, which is enough of a choice (plus JDC in a pinch).

Worth noting that eight weeks from now we'll only have two games left... of the 46...

[officer_dibble]

Yeah Iles is saying his seasons done. We’ll see - lot of football to be played yet!

[Mar]

Caleb Taylor out for 8 weeks… injury prone or unlucky? Not fouled according to the ref!

Damn, thats a sickener.

Sounds like the outside chance of having every outfield player score this season has gone.

[boltonboris]

Mendes Gomes out for the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles

[Worthy4England]

Mendes Gomes out for the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles

Jeez.

[Prufrock]

That'll be end of the season and some. FFS.

[TANGODANCER]

Will we ever get an injury free season when we can use all our squad?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Will we ever get an injury free season when we can use all our squad?

Nope. Nobody does these days. Question is how we get over it (which is relatef to how deep/wide the squad is).

[BWFC_Insane]

Baxter out for at least another month. ‘Hopeful’ he can return in April.

[TANGODANCER]

At least Mr Evatt's had his red card decision at Northampton overturned . Hope he's learned...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Baxter out for at least another month. ‘Hopeful’ he can return in April.

Well now that's a hoof in the goolies.