David Batty is expected to miss all of this coming season with his achilles injury. Good thing we got him off our books when we did. Still feel bad for him though. He's hardly played since he went back to Leeds, and I wonder if he'll ever play again at this rate.

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2000

Answers

It does look like we were right to sell him at that point given the appaling bad luck he has had with injuries. We still miss a player of his type to shield the defence. I hope he plays again.

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2000

Is it me or are we seeing more and more career threatening injuries in the past couple of years. In the Observer's Bobby Robson interview YBR highlighted that in today's football the players sometimes run 5,000 more yards than they did in the sixties.

Casiraghi and Batty are two recent highlights along with Branca from the Smoggies. Also our injury record is not getting any better so surely it must be time to invest some serious money in this aspect of the game. It would be an investment.

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2000

Bobby also made the point about the drinking culture in England. NUFC players are definitely no exception. That's got to have a big effect considering the physical demands of the game. Like it or not, players are going to have to cut back (or give up) the booze during their playing years, as well as pay attention to their diets if they want to keep fit. Sure it's great to go out and all, but is it worth increasing the odds of injury?

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2000

Batty's misfortune.

After breaking a rib on his debut against Coventry, he was diagnosed as having a heart problem that requires him to take steroids. He then injured his right achilles tendon against Southampton last November and has not kicked a ball competitively since breaking down 20 minutes into his scheduled comeback during a Worthington Cup tie at Leicester on December 22.

Curse of leaving Newcastle strikes again....? Les Ferdinand springs to mind.

-- Anonymous, August 09, 2000