He did play 30 minutes the weekend before. Expecting 60 in the next match is reasonable - he went out after 52. This feels more like bad luck than mismanagement.
I really don't think so. The kid should have been given the kind of preseason that all the players got prior to this start up in the fall. He transferred on the 1st, injured on the 22nd? He body wasn't ready.
This is a real bummer for West Brom and Dike. Hamstring injuries are the most common injury in soccer, and arise from muscle overload. This usually happens after muscle fatigue, which affirms your theory, but even well-conditioned athletes pull hamstrings. If we play the odds, it was too much too soon, but I can't really blame West Brom. A player usually either starts and gets 60'+, or they substitute in and get 30' ish. 45' of playing time is not common. I sure hope he stretched those hammies at halftime, as he was in the danger zone in the second half. Hammies, calves, and the groin are most at risk.
No club in the world is going to give a player 5 weeks of pseudo-preseason in the middle of their actual season. Also he made this same move to play under the same manager last year. Went fine then - he played in all 22 of Barnsley's games after his arrival.
He's too tough for his own good. Like w/ the shoulder separation, he played thru it and thus the problem was probably exacerbated.
The WB training staff perhaps should have done better. I'm disappointed because Dike is my dude (not in real life), and I'm sure that WB is really disappointed. I haven't the slightest clue what all goes into the physical fitness metrics of professional soccer players, but I will say that Dike did the same thing last year in the same league with the same time out of training and had no issue. This makes me lean towards "dumb luck" rather than "WB trainers messed up".
Sounds reasonable, we'll never know. I was just not at all surprised about the injury, given the type of injury as well as the timing occurring in his first start. Sucks whatever the cause. I hope he rehabs well and puts this past him.
West Brom have fired coach Valérien Ismaël. West Bromwich Albion Football Club can confirm Valérien Ismaël has today left his position as head coach.— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) February 2, 2022
Dike was the great hope to turn that around. The board must feel burned (rightly or wrongly) that they 'shot their wad' on a guy who gets immediately injured. Again, not saying it is logical but Dike was going to be the savior...
I know Steve Bruce is not fashionable, but he's promoted to the Premier League on four different occasions and certainly has a better track record than Ismaël.
Impressed the gaffer: Bruce on Dike: "I've seen him in the gym today, and dear me, one leg is bigger than me."He is a big, powerful boy for 21, remarkable."— Jonny Drury (@JonnyDrury_Star) February 4, 2022
Bruce will know what to do with him (how to play to his strengths)... That is, if Bruce is still the coach is still coach when he is healthy again
Haha, if ever there were an American player that a quintessentially British coach would know what to do with, it's Dike. Classic neanderthal ball #9 if that's what you're after.
On the mend. @DarylDike 💫🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pT5vr279oU— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) February 18, 2022