There’s a vast difference in being cynical and being paranoid. Adrian Durham in his recent TalkSPORT piece about Jack Wilshere’s injury strode gleefully across this divide, spraying accusations and questioning Arsenal’s management. The basic thrust of the piece is this: if you don’t believe that the Gunner’s significantly mishandled the situation you’re severely misguided.
Whether or not there’s an agenda at play here, Durham does reiterate certain touchy issues that haven’t adequately been illuminated by the club. But to suggest that the club have handled his injury poorly is a step too far.
Whilst the news and updates surrounding his injury have been misleading and generally unsatisfying, this is more of a PR blunder than a medical mishap. There’s simply no accounting for the slew of injuries that Wilshere has faced over the last year or so, but to lay the blame at the feet of the already over-criticised Arsenal medical team is just unfair.
You may well point to the fact that he was ‘overloaded’ last season playing 49 games for Arsenal and whilst he was due a rest can we also infer that it was the cause of his injury. Why can seasoned professionals handle the rigours of a full season whilst energetic 19-year olds cant? Is there any historical or correlative evidence to suggest that heavy game-loads lead to significant time out on the sidelines.
Whatever side you’re on it’s difficult to find evidence to support your case. To draw serious conclusions without any managerial, coaching or physiotherapy experience under your belt is just unprofessional. To ram your point home with such force on a specialised subject to which you have little to no recourse is beyond the bounds of sense.
Playing judge and jury based on press cuttings and newspaper headlines does nobody any favours.
The people that he criticises throughout be it Wenger himself or members of Arsenal’s medical team are some of the best in their field and have decades of experience between them.
Since we don’t have all the information in front of us, we can only go on what we know. Injuries are part and parcel of football. They happen at all ages (Kieran Gibbs and Emmanuel Frimpong have spent similar amounts of time sidelined throughout their young career) and despite our desire for explanations, there isn’t always a means for apportioning blame.
All we can do is hope that when Jack Wilshere comes back, he’s capable of reaching the levels he did before. Until then let’s stop worrying about the who, the what and the where and start planning for the future.
Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
Talk shite is exactly what it is. they are professional morons, and know as much about football as a headless chicken with a brain to match. when pearce hangs up his boot, he will work for them.
Talk shite want harry as manager of England. Harry has left every club he’s managed (so far)in dire financial straits. The PM has tried to stop Harry managing England, in case he drags the country down as well as the football team.
“Why can seasoned professionals handle the rigours of a full season whilst energetic 19-year olds cant?”
Because 19-year olds may still be growing.
It is a medical fact that young bones are more susceptible to stress fractures and other related type injuries.
It is also fact that Adrian Durham is a complete and utter dickhead.