Hampster Gull
Well-known member
- Dec 22, 2010
- 13,465
I don’t think we need a theory – just a look at the facts. In September 2013 Oscar Garcia was reported as saying that LuaLua had been suffering from tendonitis in his left knee since pre-season, and that Albion were having to manage how many minutes he played. Then on October 5 against Forest he felt pain in his right knee and the following week in training he couldn’t move. He ended up having surgery on October 22 (the issue was the meniscus on the outside of the knee).
LuaLua returned in December 2013 but in January in an interview in the Argus he stated that he was still troubled by the tendonitis in his left knee. He did start 4 games in a row in April 2014. The same month Garcia said:
And last season, he was one of the most influential players in the first few months of the season. Against Watford in October THREE of their players were booked for fouling him and against Norwich in November TWO of their players were booked for fouling him. After that Norwich game Hyypia stated that he thought LuaLua had been a complete performer since he had been in charge. When asked about previous managers using LuaLua sparingly, particularly away from home, he said:
Unfortunately Kaz damaged his medial ligaments in the very next game, at home to Fulham, and didn’t start another game until March.
So, over the last two years, the biggest issues for Kaz have been injuries of one sort or another. Both Garcia and Hyypia recognised what he had to offer, given the ability to actually get on the pitch. Let us all hope that Kaz can keep fit and injury free for the majority of this campaign.
Stalker alert
I have always been a big fan and am delighted with the start.