Holden out for a quick recovery: Stu at Bolton [R]

How exactly can an injury causing 26 stitches and one full year of recovery be considered 'accidental.'

Both Ramsey and Holden's injuries were personal hatchet jobs and attempts at career assassination.

Both guys are easy on the eyes and getting attention as much on the field as off. Both guys are class and play the right way and both were the object of criminal fouls.

I would put both offenders in a court of law and investigate their motives. The EPL has a much bigger interest in protecting talented, young players than it does protecting defenders who commit this kind of crime.

I also don't think fregie or pulis hands are clean in these matters.

 

Man, I hope they can get Sturridge back. Last year they were a dangerous side (competitive with a 6-9 place finish) when Lee, Holden, Sturridge, and Elmander were in the side. Elmander is replaceable, but those other 3 are not.

 

Is this sarcasm? I can't tell. Both challenges were reckless, both were by young defenders. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, Ryan Shawcross can go eff himself, but if he realled intended to kill Ramsey's career, why would is immediate reaction to succeeding be to cry like a child and call his mother? Frankly, the dude ain't clever enough to pull off an act like that.

And Evans - well both he and Stu went in a bit wild - Stu just got there first and took the brunt of Evans's donkey-like challenge. Evans is clumsy as hell - not criminal.

Again, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

 

Man, I hope you're joking..if not, strap on a tin-foil hat. You're nuts.

 

Excellent!

 

how exactly do you "investigate their motives"? The only thing you can do is ask the offender and of course he'll say he wasn't trying to hurt the player. Otherwise you can look at patterns of behavior but all that gives you is conjecture and not any definitive proof. An investigation like that would be an absolute waste of time and money.

 

I expect a thorough investigation would find a transfer of funds from an account in Princeton New Jersey to both Johnny Evans and Nigel De Jong, probably to the osteopath at Schalke as well.

It's the only logical explanation.

 

You really think a club at United's level is going to single out a player on a mid-to-lower level club for "career assasination" to make their path to trophies easier?

It's a contact sport, you'll see some pretty bad injuries from time-to-time.

 

Keane did it. And he didnt care if they were top of the table or not. He was going to settle the score his way against whomever twitched his fancy.

 

Holden takes a hit from DeJong. DeJong subsequently delivers a kick that could have killed Alonzo. He also ruins several other players seasons.

Evans delivers a criminal cleats up challenge. I guess you guys need a couple more instances of Evans ruining some careers before you know he is a thug and criminal.

I don't need more evidence.

Showcross is also a thug. He's taken a few players out and will continue to do so.

A mans sport. A contact sport. Fine and good, but until players see the greater impact of their behavior they wont change.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnP18StCoHA"]‪Marty Mcsorley hits Donald Brashear‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

 

Dude, he's comparing Evans v. Holden to McSorley v. Brashear.

Best we just let it go.

 

Woah this thread seems to have lost its marbles.


Anyway....


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/02/premier-league-preview-bolton-wanderers


Bolton preview with more high praise for Holden.

 

I wonder if Coyle will consider putting Holden on the right for a while as Lee is out for the season. Unlike last season, Bolton now have a few valid options in centre-midfield.

 

De Jong and Shawcross are repeat-offender thugs about whom the question "who is he going to do that to next?" is never far away. Evans simply is not in the same category. Don't get me wrong, it was a horrific tackle, but it's not the sort of tackle he's made before.

 

I figured Eagles would get the chance to replace Lee. Stu was too good at CM last year to move, I'd think.

 

I don't see that happening at all.

From my perspective Bolton has a rock at each level all the way down the spine, that is going to start in their specific position every time and the rest of the pieces will be built around them. Davies up front, Holden in the center and Cahill in the back.

 

True, but we'll have to see if Stu is the same player after the injury. One of these days, he's not going to be able to come all the way back from one of these injuries.

 

agreed.

 

True. I fear Holden could become an O'brien like what-if story.

On the other hand he has already shown an ability to bounce back from these injuries that your typical injury prone, burnt out too young type guy does not.

 

These have been really awful injuries, but unless it turns out that Holden has some rare bone-density condition, they're not the injuries of an injury-prone player. They're the injuries of an unlucky player.

IIRC, O'Brien had some skeletal issue (some asymmetry, I think) that meant his body was always vulnerable to injury. Other players have joint issues or tendon issues that predispose them to injury. Holden has just been on the wrong end of some irresponsible studs-up challenges.

If Holden heals fully, he should be fine unless he gets hacked down again. Of course, healing fully is the point of concern. A bad leg break can leave one leg a centimeter or more shorter than the other or slightly change the angle at which a bone enters the joint, all of which can make a player injury-prone even if he wasn't before.

Anyway, fingers crossed. Holden was playing great, and by all accounts he's just a stand-up guy who deserves a different kind of break than he's been getting over the last couple years.

 

So he's the equivalent of Bob Sanders?

 

Coming from the Korean forums let me just say we feel your pain.

 

Now the new RB signing and projected starter, Mears, has broken his leg in training and will be out several months.

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2410372,00.html

 

Wow - Bolton is snake-bitten. Karma is finally catching up with them for the Sam Allardyce era. Too bad, because they've become quite a fun side to watch - Kevin Davies's eager, if donkey-like, contributions, aside.