Archive for tag: Stephen Carr.

Toon injury woes self-inflicted?

January 9th, 2010 | 164 Comments |

Not enough help, or not helping himself?
Not enough help, or not helping himself?
Given the size of the current squad, Newcastle United can ill-afford any casualties in the coming weeks, and supporters are waiting with bated breath for signs of recruitments, just in case. But it seems like for now, either our fortunes have changed or the way our players are being looked after has, because injuries have been relatively few and the complications limited, in comparison to recent years. Or is it more to do with players and their attitudes?

Last season we had important players with long lay-offs and niggling reoccurring injuries that hampered their contribution to the cause, and ultimately that played a big part in things going pear-shaped. But the injury jinx has been around longer than just last season, at a club that has seen more than it’s fair share of injury nightmares.

Of course one of those players who suffered badly from injury during his spell at St James’ was Irish international full-back, Stephen Carr who never transferred the promise he showed before signing for us. Possibly much of that was due to his in ability to stay fit and command a regular place. Despite a relatively low fee for his services, seventy-eight appearances in nearly three seasons was not a good return and he never looked fit enough to be a Premiership full-back.

However, he wasn’t the only one to suffer from injuries, and there were particularly specific injuries that a number of players seemed to suffer from including tendonitis and hamstring injuries. Fans questioned the training methods and the quality of the facilities available. Even when Sam Allardyce turned up with his forward-thinking and scientific approach, we still suffered badly. And Carr has gone on record to say that it wasn’t necessarily the players who were the problem. (more…)