Naismith: A Suitable Case For Treatment

[andy steel 0]

Who saw Stevie Naismith against Holland on Wednesday? Who knew Mark Hateley had been reborn in the frame of our diminutive attacker?

 

Watching the Rangers man win every - I don't think that's an exaggeration - ball in the air, while also driving forward (admittedly with more passion than technique at times, but that was surely understandable) and fearlessly having a go whenever possible, you couldn't help but think of the Rangers players of the past who were also out with severe injury, like Naismith, but who failed to return with such panache.

 

Perhaps it's the fact of his youth; but then Ian Durrant was young when crippled at Pittodrie, and he was the never the same man. Can we dare to hope that at last, at long, long last, Rangers have medical staff onsite and use consultants who are capable?

 

Maybe it's a bit nasty to point the finger at the doctors, but we've had so many players with so many problems who have either struggled back to a fraction of their previous abilities or been lonst altogether. Scott Nisbet, Jonas Thern, Christian Nerlinger, Alan McLaren...name your own.

 

Fair enough, some of these players had conditions which would have entailed retirement come what may, but it's been a bugbear of mine for many years, watching players return from serious injury at other clubs apparently much the same as they were previously, while our players clumped over to Ross Hall one after the other, like some pained Orange walk.

 

I hope the return of Stevie Naismith, from career threatening injury to international footballer, heralds a new dawn for our players. If so, it's not before time.

[Frankie 8,562]

Very good point mate.

 

We've all complained about our medical team in the past but they seem to have done a good job here. Hopefully we'll be saying the same about Thomson.

 

As an aside, there are some valid similarities between Naismith and Durrant in their style of play.

[andy steel 0]

I'm saying nothing about KT in case I jinx him! He's too important for us NOT to have him back...and btw, how does a team with Thomson and Edu holding, Davis and Naismith driving forward, to a front line with Boyd and Miller in it sound?

[bmck 117]

i totally agree. the treatment table at ibrox seemed cursed or incompetently managed for such a long time. it seemed there were too many who never returned from it for it just to be bad luck. this is really encouraging to see.

 

i wonder if naismith will even get in the first 11 now with rothen coming in.

[Big Spliff 0]

Fair point, let's hope Naisy and KT genuinely put their woes behind them.

 

I've always struggled with this issue though, as how can the ordinary fan tell if a player could have been 'saved' with different treatment e.g. Durrant? The implication is that guys got bad or inappropriate treatment at Ibrox which is one hell of an accusation.

[Gribz 850]

I'm saying nothing about KT in case I jinx him! He's too important for us NOT to have him back...and btw, how does a team with Thomson and Edu holding, Davis and Naismith driving forward, to a front line with Boyd and Miller in it sound?

 

It would sound better if you replaced Boyd with Lafferty

 

And with Mendes, Rothen and Novo not getting a mention, nor the promising Fleck, then our attacking options look great.

[alexscottislegend 2,325]

I'm saying nothing about KT in case I jinx him! He's too important for us NOT to have him back...and btw, how does a team with Thomson and Edu holding, Davis and Naismith driving forward, to a front line with Boyd and Miller in it sound?

 

It sounds great. Playing two holding players seems to be the modern way. in our case there's good balance with Edu being right-footed and Thomson left. Plus neither of them are any slouches going forward. Only thing I would like to see is a place for Fleck, but who does he replace?

[gisabeer 409]

Who saw Stevie Naismith against Holland on Wednesday? Who knew Mark Hateley had been reborn in the frame of our diminutive attacker?

 

Watching the Rangers man win every - I don't think that's an exaggeration - ball in the air, while also driving forward (admittedly with more passion than technique at times, but that was surely understandable) and fearlessly having a go whenever possible, you couldn't help but think of the Rangers players of the past who were also out with severe injury, like Naismith, but who failed to return with such panache.

 

Perhaps it's the fact of his youth; but then Ian Durrant was young when crippled at Pittodrie, and he was the never the same man. Can we dare to hope that at last, at long, long last, Rangers have medical staff onsite and use consultants who are capable?

 

Maybe it's a bit nasty to point the finger at the doctors, but we've had so many players with so many problems who have either struggled back to a fraction of their previous abilities or been lonst altogether. Scott Nisbet, Jonas Thern, Christian Nerlinger, Alan McLaren...name your own.

 

Fair enough, some of these players had conditions which would have entailed retirement come what may, but it's been a bugbear of mine for many years, watching players return from serious injury at other clubs apparently much the same as they were previously, while our players clumped over to Ross Hall one after the other, like some pained Orange walk.

 

I hope the return of Stevie Naismith, from career threatening injury to international footballer, heralds a new dawn for our players. If so, it's not before time.

 

I think the others were just unlucky that their injuries effectivley ended their careers. I know durrant was told by doctors that hed have to change his game if he wanted to continue.

 

But i witnessed a different player that i had watched on wednesday night. He never looked out of place against the Dutch and caused them alot of problems.

 

hope he carries the good form into club level.

 

well done young man. you have made me eat my words as i critised you in the past.

[andy steel 0]

Accusing the Ibrox medical team of incompetence is certainly a big accusation to level. I remember years ago claiming that we were merely the victims of the aggressive, big game mentality that other teams brought when playing us, and that explained our longer injury list. Others claimed it was training methods to blame. It just got to the point, around Alex McLeish's time in charge, when I thought 'hang on...this is going on for decades now, there's something seriously amiss here.'

 

Obviously I have no proof whatsoever, or any medical knowledge beyond the rude words in the dictionary. But if we're going to let mere ignorance become a bar to posting...

[stewarty 2,025]

I think there is strong evidence to suggest that the sports science programme introduced under Adam Owen must be having a significant effect on the injury list and recovery times. Add to that the advances in modern medicine with less invasive procedures such as key-hole surgery and you see a lot more players recovering relatively quickly from injuries that would have ended careers 10-15 years ago. Not taking anything away from the medical team at Ibrox, they seem to be getting things right more often than not and long may that continue.