Collins on the road...

We received some positive news from the welsh camp this week. Two of our three injury hit welsh national team members are on their way back. Both of them played this week. Ofcourse I´m talking about Craig Bellamy who played for most of the time in both game and James Collins who made a substitute appearance in the first game and the whole second game. According to the reports both came through un-scatched.

Collins, in particular, who made his first competetive football since last December received great reviews and seems to be on his way back. Some of us would argue that he should be picked ahead of captain Lucas Neill allready in the Hull game this weekend since he played so well during the week. I´m not sure that´d be a good move at this point in time.

Considering Collins awful injury record since joining West Ham and the kind of injury he just came back from I really hope that Zola and his first team coaches are careful as to when and where to put Collins into the team. That they make sure that he really is OK before he goes out there and pulls a hamstring or something similar (if he´s done the operation I think he has). He´s been troubled with muscle injuries before and to play two games in only four days would be madness after being convalescent for more or less ten months.

I´m putting my faith in the Zola/Clarke management to make these consideration and only bring him on and in to the team when the time is right. If that´s next week or in three weeks I don´t know but as long as we´re not in a panic situation I see no reason why we should take a chance like that at this moment in time.

Plummeting in the table - at last!

After spending most of last season at the top of one table - the one on the number of injured players (http://www.physioroom.com/), we finally plummeted to a 10:th place behind Chelsea, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Arsenal, Blackburn, Hull, ManC, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.
Or to be quite honest we're tied for fourth place.
The really good news, however, is that three out of the 4 listed injuries are "inherited" from last season.

Truth is, like fortune, always hiding and we know that quite a few of our first team contenders are still not fully fit after coming back from injuries.
But this is a very good first sign that the actions taken on medical, training and fitness matters the last year finally is paying off.

To keep the players we do have on our books fit may be more important than ever.

It will also be possible to introduce the youngsters when we feel they are ready - not when we are desperate for cover, as was the case when Tomkins was played last season.