Devastating to lose our most influential player a couple of days before our season starts.
There's understandably been a lot of excitement over some of the signings we've made in the last week or two, but I have some very real, and surely understandable concerns, and I think a bit of perspective is needed.
Wildschut, whilst a very good player, is 30, and has not played football at a meaningful level for several seasons, and by his own admission, wasn't match fit, so why play him in a poxy preseason game so soon after him singing, when surely letting him build up his strength and fitness in training would've been the right thing to do. His injury was NOT down to being unlucky, as when he signed, he said himself that he wasn't match fit, he should not have played, it's down to sheer naivety from KR.
Jones is a very good player, but also a complete crock, with knees made of biscuits. Did KR learn nothing from Rob Hall?!?
Browne was injury prone BEFORE he ruined his knee, so is a big risk. An awesome player, if he can stay fit. But he's injury prone. Time will tell.
Gorrin is only just returning after a serious knee injury, and nobody knows how his return will go.
Baldock, whilst a very good player, is very injury prone, and has barely featured since he's been here, except on the treatment table.
Bodin is a very talented player, but is also very injury prone, and will miss plenty of games.
Long is pretty injury prone as well, picking up more than his fair share of injuries each season.
Moore is a bit injury prone as well, with what seems to be an ongoing back problem.
Even Murphy, an awesome player, but by his own admission, hasn't played much in the last two years, and arrived not match fit, one week before the season starts.
Then there's the daunting prospect of Sinclair, a player who did nothing here first time around, who's hardly played at all for a long time, potentially coming on board.
Some VERY talented players in that list, but they all have a lot of VERY big question marks hanging over them, as to weather or not they can actually get fit, or stay fit.
Taking a punt on one, maybe two injury prone players, is fine and understandable, as if it doesn't work out, it wouldn't cause too much disruption, but a few days before the season starts, and we have half a squad either with very poor injury records, or lacking match fitness.
I thought KR would've surely learnt after the last few season's injury problems, and the risks attached to having such players in the squad. Did he not learn from having players like Hanson, Hall, Winnall and Thorne in the squad??
I had hoped he would've kept such players to a minimum, but he's actually doubled down this season, let's just hope we get lucky and it works out, and they don't all end up injured all at once!
Add to that the fact that we're a couple of days away from the start of the season, and there is still an imbalance that exists in the squad, with a lack of genuine adequate full back cover/competition, no genuine defensive midfield options, other than a player currently playing out of position in preseason to fill the role, and a player who has been out injured for months, and no genuine striker cover/competition. The signs are pointing to the fact that KR clearly has not learned from his previous mistakes.
People go on about how waiting until late in the window uncovers hidden gems that might not have been available earlier in the window, but I disagree, you just end up with admittedly very talented players, but players with poor injury records, and/or a serious lack of game time for 1,2 or 3 seasons, so well short of the fitness levels required at this level, and this is the reason why they are available so late in the window, because other clubs have the sense to steer clear, and bring in players who are more solid, reliable, fit and ready to hit the ground running.
If any of this latest wave of injury prone players, half fit players, or crocks turn out to be a success, it will be down to pure luck, not judgement.
If it's a success, KR will arrogantly claim all the praise, and say "I told you so", but if it goes wrong, he'll arrogantly blame everyone but himself, and bleat on about how unlucky we've been.
We weren't unlucky with the catalogue of injuries suffered by the likes of Winnall and Thorne, and haven't been unlucky with the injuries suffered by Bodin and Baldock since they've been here, KR knew the risks when he brought them in, regardless of their obvious talent, but brought them in anyway, then whinged about being unlucky when our injury prone players got injured!
Now he's brought in even MORE injury prone players, crocks and players who haven't played much or to any meaningful standard for several seasons, and one has already picked up a long term injury, and KR is once again bleating about being unlucky. I'd be more inclined to suggest it's more down to pure naivety on his part, to keep insisting on bringing these kinds of players into the club.
But he's Karl Robinson, he's a genius, and he knows best, and he's probably got a really talented crock lined up to replace Brannagan...