[Albion] Injuries 2024/25

[Brian Munich]

Being in the top few places of the EPL injury table for a season and a half pretty well all the time, as we appear to have been, is it just bad luck or does it run deeper?

The only other season I remember being like this was the season Oscar was in charge.

I don't remember 13-14 being that bad. We had that Ulloa injury and the usual sporadic availability of Will Buckley, but apart from that?

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Whilst the injuries are obviously frustrating, I think we need to calm down a bit and be more positive. All teams are suffering injuries and by the looks if it, we’ve only got two serious, long term injuries with a number of players available again soon. On Thursday we can still put out this team:

—————-Verbruggen
Veltman - JPVH - Dunk - Estupinan
—————Ayari - Baleba
——-Gruda - Enciso - Mitoma
——————Welbeck

With a possible bench of:

Steele, March, Webster, O’Riley, Gomez, Adingra, Lamptey, Hinshelwood and hopefully Joao Pedro.

That is a strong team and ridiculously strong bench for a club at our level. It’s really not that bad at all.

 

[Flounce]

I don't remember 13-14 being that bad. We had that Ulloa injury and the usual sporadic availability of Will Buckley, but apart from that?

Hoskins, CMS (?) don’t remember specifics just that we had many injuries during the season and had to play scratch/ undercooked/underwhelming players in quite a few games. It was a miracle we made the playoffs. I may be wrong

 

[Guinness Boy]

So possible squad - 20 from this 22/23

Verbruggen/Steele
Veltman, JPVH, Dunk, McConville, Webster, Estupinan
Hinshelwood, Ayari, Baleba, O Riley, Moder, Gomez
Lamptey, Gruda, Adingra, Mitoma, March,
Enciso, Welbeck, (Pedro).

Out

Minteh / Rutter ("small issues - being assessed - could train "Today or tomorrow"
Wieffer, Ferguson (all training - not quite ready)
Igor / Ferdi (long term absense/recovering from ops)
Milner (long term absentee)

Thank you CJ. I wondered why there were bed sheets drying out all over Sussex.

 

[dazzer6666]

 

[dwayne]

Finally some good news. Clearly Naylor was on the wind up last night. The situation all of a sudden looks the best it has done for some time.

 

[macbeth]

surely there should be some sort of movement to bring in a centre back if igor is now out for the rest of the season. that leaves us with three senior centre backs, one of whom is often covering right back, another area we are deficient in

 

[pigmanovich]

The situation all of a sudden looks the best it has done for some time.

Now you've done it Multiple ACL injuries guaranteed on Thursday

 

[Guinness Boy]

surely there should be some sort of movement to bring in a centre back if igor is now out for the rest of the season. that leaves us with three senior centre backs, one of whom is often covering right back, another area we are deficient in

If not we'll be seeing a fair bit more of McConville. Looked pretty composed in a cameo against Championship opposition defending a large lead. Not sure I'd start him against the likes of Man City. Having Hinshelwood back would give an option of JH at right back and Veltman tucking in. However, would prefer a new, quick CB in over both those options.

 

[Brian Munich]

Hoskins, CMS (?) don’t remember specifics just that we had many injuries during the season and had to play scratch/ undercooked/underwhelming players in quite a few games. It was a miracle we made the playoffs. I may be wrong

Hoskins and CMS both got injured in the previous season when Poyet was manager, and the squad depth wasn't helped when Bridcutt handed in a transfer request in Jan and more or less forced his move to Sunderland. I genuinely don't remember that many injuries though.

 

[Big Vern]

Whilst the injuries are obviously frustrating, I think we need to calm down a bit and be more positive. All teams are suffering injuries and by the looks if it, we’ve only got two serious, long term injuries with a number of players available again soon. On Thursday we can still put out this team:

—————-Verbruggen
Veltman - JPVH - Dunk - Estupinan
—————Ayari - Baleba
——-Gruda - Enciso - Mitoma
——————Welbeck

With a possible bench of:

Steele, March, Webster, O’Riley, Gomez, Adingra, Lamptey, Hinshelwood and hopefully Joao Pedro.

That is a strong team and ridiculously strong bench for a club at our level. It’s really not that bad at all.

You can come again..

 

[bbcgull]

If not we'll be seeing a fair bit more of McConville. Looked pretty composed in a cameo against Championship opposition defending a large lead. Not sure I'd start him against the likes of Man City. Having Hinshelwood back would give an option of JH at right back and Veltman tucking in. However, would prefer a new, quick CB in over both those options.

I hope McConville makes the bench against Ipswich. It would be another affirmation of the pathway through to the senior squad. A tenuous opinion based on nothing other than his demeanour as he waited to come on against Norwich, then apparent composure on the pitch as @Guinness Boy suggests/witnessed. I've only U21 reports to go on. I'm sure @AZ Gull could be more objective.

 

[Bozza]

I think it's quite obvious what's happened...

The football gods noticed that we had the temerity to have all of March, Webster and Welbeck available at the same time, so chucked some additional injuries our way

 

[chaileyjem]

I hope McConville makes the bench against Ipswich. It would be another affirmation of the pathway through to the senior squad. A tenuous opinion based on nothing other than his demeanour as he waited to come on against Norwich, then apparent composure on the pitch as @Guinness Boy suggests/witnessed. I've only U21 reports to go on. I'm sure @AZ Gull could be more objective.

i think he probably won't as its unusual for us to have more than 1CB on the bench.
Expecting Dunk and JPVH to line up. And Webster to be on the bench.
He'll also have (probably) two of Veltman, Estupinan, Hinshelwood, Lamptey as defenders on bench.

 

[Hometownglory]

One last thing about Minteh/Rutter - could be back for United
"Hopes to see them back training today or tomorrow"

So we'll see them in a month then

 

[Justice]

Another agenda-ridden perspective.

We don’t sign young players and start putting them in every start up - they need to work up to Premier League condition - Lamptey and Igor were in and out because of injuries to Velts and Dunk both of whom add a maturity our back line and unless you are suggesting we should not have let the Captain back in, where should we keep starting Igor?

Weiffer, Georginio and Minteh all needed time to bed in and be tested at Premier League level - at the start of the season, we had a lot of new and some very young players under a new manager so unless you think Fabian should have arrived in July, picked a starting 11 out of a hat for 2024/25 and stuck with it for 6 months without rotating any other new players in or building up players who had been out for long term injury then none of what you said makes sense to me.

We haven’t won a game since Dunks been back in the side and I could point to a few moments where he hasn’t covered himself in glory.
A coincidence maybe although JPVH & Igor were doing well, not sure what message that sends to the rest of the squad regarding keeping the shirt. Adding to that JPVH hasn’t looked himself in the league since.
Why people pretend everything is rosey when it clearly isn’t I find amusing.
The list of excuses this season has been quite remarkable.

 

[oldboyroy]

Whilst the injuries are obviously frustrating, I think we need to calm down a bit and be more positive. All teams are suffering injuries and by the looks if it, we’ve only got two serious, long term injuries with a number of players available again soon. On Thursday we can still put out this team:

—————-Verbruggen
Veltman - JPVH - Dunk - Estupinan
—————Ayari - Baleba
——-Gruda - Enciso - Mitoma
——————Welbeck

With a possible bench of:

Steele, March, Webster, O’Riley, Gomez, Adingra, Lamptey, Hinshelwood and hopefully Joao Pedro.

That is a strong team and ridiculously strong bench for a club at our level. It’s really not that bad at all.

You are right in fairness. I suppose we all want our best team available at all times to push us back up the table as a few wins will put us back on track for that European chance!

 

[Zeberdi]

Why people pretend everything is rosey when it clearly isn’t I find amusing.
The list of excuses this season has been quite remarkable.

Well apologies for the TL;DR in response but that is simply not true.

We have with 3 or 4 key players still bedding in and building up condition for 90 mins of PL - we have been beset with injuries, including from the very start, O’Riley who was off for weeks so he is lagging behind - Weiffer injured - another player that still needs to bed in. We have had key defenders out, no. 9s (either injured or having an extended dry period) - these aren’t excuses, they are facts and when you add them all together maybe explains why we are in 10th and not 7th or 8th.

However, injuries aside, it is also a fact that no 19/20 year old from the academy or abroad have ever gone straight in and started every first team PL match and done 90 mins - it is physically impossible for them - not just because of their physical age ( risk of injury ) but because the condition required for that level of football can only be acquired by playing that level of football and by building up to 90 mins weekly, incrementally.

Add to that an aging squad at the other end prone to injury, including Dunk and Welbz, then you have more inconsistencies in our weekly line ups which presents a challenge for any manager trying to develop his own system and DNA at a new club. It is a project and doesn’t happen overnight - it could take until the end of the season to really gel.

FH seems to be adapting to the PL - making key changes when necessary, switches to plan B or even C when it’s not working ( ie he is not wedded to plan A) He’s been establishing the development level/ trajectory of all our summer recruits by rotating them in and out - but he also needs to integrate players he thinks will gel together as a team on the pitch. I see that also beginning to happen in some of the new partnerships developing but it will take time especially with the injuries.

Our summer recruitment means we have a much deeper squad than we did last January with options at the back and on the wing which we didn’t have last season.

Ps It’s not all rosey, show me a Premier League side that is but it’s certainly not bleak either.