FREAR: HEAD KNOCKS ARE A BIG WORRY
BY EWING GRAHAME ELLIOTT FREAR has called on footballing authorities to highlight a growing problem of head knocks in the game.
Motherwell lost three defenders inside half an hour of their home defeat by Kilmarnock on Boxing Day – Carl McHugh and Charles Dunne with concussion and Christian Mbulu with an eye injury.
Mbulu is still temporarily blinded in his right eye although that’s expected to clear up by the end of this week.
Dunne and McHugh should also be able to return after the winter break but the latter was out for almost five months in 2016 after a clash of heads at Kilmarnock.
During that time he suffered from constant dizziness and was unable to read or even watch TV.
Well winger Frear, 28, endured similar problems last year and believes the injury and its after-effects need more highlighting.
He said: “I’m really disappointed for the boys who are injured.
“I’ve had concussion before and it’s horrendous so I’m looking forward to getting them back.
“It was a crazy week. After Wednesday, training on Thursday was like the walking wounded. It was ridiculous – some of the lads have serious injuries with their head knocks.
“I had concussion last year. It was big Cedric Kipre who kicked a ball off my head from really close range. That knocked me out and after that I was struggling for about two or three months.
“I had headaches, a bit of memory loss and I was really unsure of myself. It was a weird sort of time in my career really. I started to get muscle pulls and things like that so it affects your whole life.
“Fortunately, I’ve got over that and I feel fitter and stronger now.
“Carl’s was a really bad one. He had headaches for about six months.
“It’s a really serious thing in football and I don’t think it gets as much coverage as it should.
“There are new guidelines – the 10-day rule that prevents you from playing after a concussion is a good thing – and hopefully our boys will be back soon.”
Frear believes some people don’t realise the toll these incidents can take.
He added: “If you get hit like that and get knocked out then when you come back, you aren’t scared – but you’re almost hesitant to go in with your head because you know how bad that is.
“It’s a tough injury to deal with and I don’t think people understand just how bad it is.
“It happened to me in training. Cedric caught one on the volley and it hit the top of my head rather than my forehead and it rattled me – I was on the floor and I was out.
“We followed all the guidelines but I just didn’t feel right so it took more time. Everyone is different. It was quite scary but I’m back to my usual self now.”