BELLAMY AIMS FOR RAPID RETURN

Wednesday May 15 2002

Injured Craig Bellamy aims to be back in action for the beginning of the next Premiership season.

He believes his keyhole surgery has been a success and has told Mark Hughes to pencil him in for the first of Wales' European Championship qualifiers in Finland on September 11.

Bellamy has also had complications with tendinitis, but has returned after treatment in Denver, Colorado.

He said: "There is no doubt I will be back well before the Premiership kicks-off and for Wales' European matches."

He added: "Everything went extremely well, and I was laid up for six days.

"I'm on crutches now as a precaution to take the pressure off my knee, but there is no immediate pain and I can walk without them. Everything has been cleared."

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2002

Answers

Attitude Personified.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2002

Well there's some good news for us!

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2002

Can we not just send all of our crocked players to Dr. Steadman in Colorado as soon as they are injured? It seems as though that's the only cure, and we waste a hell of a lot of time messing about with other quacks (See Shearer, Alan, and Cort, Carl).

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2002

Part of it must be that the club pay Steadman such a huge fee that they force themselves to listen to his advice about recuperation times. If someone on the club payroll says then they are less likely to listen whilst money most definitely talks.

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

Bad news for Finland :-(

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

Wales and Finland in the same group?

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

Sorry to say they are Sudden. Can't make the home match though. Work. Should be exciting (if Litmanen & Hyypiä are playing, that is).

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

Mika, I wouldn`t be overly worried about having Wales in your group if I were you. In fact I`d be delighted.

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

It could have been easier though, they could have got Germany ;-)

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

Ya, or they could be in a WC group with Sweden, Argentina and England =)

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002

Al, I'm worried about every team in our group. We can grind out a draw with Germany and England anytime, beat Portugal 4-1 with a Litmanen hat-trick, but are likely to lose 5-0 to the likes of Wales and, say, the Faroe Isles. What a cursed nation of football this is.

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2002