Alarm bells ring out after spate of early-season injuries
AN opening day defeat at Blackpool puts Paul Ince’s team on the back foot straight away.
The performance matched the unseasonable weather up at the North West’s most infamous holiday spot – in the most part drab, grey and miserable with the occasional bright spell.
When the floodlights are switched on at 3pm on July 30 for a Championship kick-off something is not quite right.
They would have been off for bad light if Lancashire had been playing cricket at Bloomfield Road.
The staunchly loyal band of travelling Reading fans were full of hope and optimism until the team was announced.
Where were Femi Azeez, Lucas Joao, Scott Dann, Sam Hutchinson and Liam Moore?
We knew errant ex-captain Moore would be out because of a combination of a long-term knee injury and a mysterious falling out with the bosses at the club.
Dann is 35 years old, so quite why the club were so eager to renew his contract back at the start of March remains baffling.
Since then he has started once and played three minutes at the end of another game, and that is it.
Azeez was all fired up and ready to go when I spoke to him on Thursday lunchtime ahead of the Blackpool game.
Just 24 hours later he was in the treatment room at Bearwood Park contemplating two months out.
How do players rip hamstrings on the eve of a game?
I thought it was all walk-throughs, stretching and instructions in seminar rooms by that stage.
Joao was unable to get through 15 minutes at the end of a pre-season game against Brighton a couple of weeks ago without injuring his knee and the injury to new recruit Hutchinson seems even more out the blue.
Reading’s players are as brittle as poppadoms.
They have been snapping, straining, breaking, aching and tearing for two seasons.
Those who just put it down to bad luck are lazily missing the point and turning a blind eye.
There is a theme emerging that is too strong to ignore.
The cause of this spate of injuries will be one of three things.
Firstly, it could be an environmental factor – some have suggested the playing surface at the new training ground isn’t right, or it might be bad driving positions or uncomfortable seating, or bad shoes etc.
I’m not having any of that. Secondly, it could be Reading employ inferior athletes inherently less capable of withstanding the rigours of Championship football.
I’ll believe that, to a point.
Players in their 30s are at far higher risk of injury than players in their 20s.
It is well known Reading’s transfer embargo means they can’t splash cash on first-choice recruits.
Part of being a lesser player is being more regularly injured and less robust.
The final possibility, which is more damning to point out, is the prehab and rehab fitness programmes.
Having the very best individualised programmes in place to prevent injuries occurring in the first place is the most important factor.
With five senior players out already this season, added to a dozen players missing for most of last season, surely it is time for a complete review and overhaul of the sports science and medicine departments at the club.