Trending
Celtic News Now
Celtic Quick News on News Now
Celtic Quick News
You are at:»»Hamstrung Celtic have to be pioneers

Hamstrung Celtic have to be pioneers

148
By on CQN BLOG & Comments

The closing 8 minutes against St Johnstone, after Nir Bitton put Celtic 1-3 ahead, allowed you and me, the manager and the players, to close out a game in a relaxed mood for the first time since the win over Dundee United seven games ago.

The intensity of Celtic’s games in recent months has seen wins over the Tayside trio of St Johnstone, Dundee United and Dundee provide the only relaxed closing moments in 14 games, 11 of which went into the final moment with points or a trophy on the line.  Only twice in that run, at Leverkusen and Paisley, were Celtic denied a win, testament to their ability to get the job done when the chips are down.

There is more to our contagion of hamstring injuries than sheer workload, but we have to consider this factor in assessing why so many players are out with the same injury at the same time.

Hamstring injuries are a curse.  I tore mine (right leg) well over a decade ago, it remains weaker than my left and probably always will be.  The new Hibernian manager, Shaun Maloney, was robbed of unknown triumphs by the failure of his hamstring to fully heal.  It is an injury that lies dormant, then cuts you down as though a sniper was on hand.

The first reaction to a hamstring injury is to check the warm-up.  Muscles need to be carefully stretched before being asked to deliver explosive power.  When an injury happens in the early stages of a game, or of the second half, as Kyogo’s did on Sunday, the warm-up is an obvious place to look, but I honestly doubt this is the case here.  Celtic will be pouring over this issue, every detail will be examined, especially for Kyogo on Sunday.

What you cannot do midseason is set down a base layer of fitness.  Players have to conserve energy in their legs, they do not have time to redevelop their muscle patterns, that is work that is done preseason, although a three week winter break permits a very short window of remedial work.

Preseason 2021-22 was not ideal at Lennoxtown.  The players ended the previous season with no manager in place to lay down his requirements for preseason.  When Ange Postecoglou was eventually appointed, he had to wait weeks before getting to work with the players, not to mention those he was working on signing.

None of this is easy to get right.  Most Celtic players play international football, they usually get to two domestic cup finals, and the club play more European football than any other (it’s true, check it).  All this, while competing until the final kick of the ball.  Celtic are at the bleeding edge of fitness requirements for football players, the parts that bleed first are hamstrings.

It is up to the sports scientists to pioneer and find a fix for this, but the tools they work with leave them little scope until June next year.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

148 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4

  4. Greenpinata on

    Interesting debate regarding injuries and sports science.

     

     

    I wonder : How many times does the same thing have to happen before it stops being a coincidence and becomes a pattern. ?

     

     

    This is the question Celtic supporters should be asking.

     

     

    HH to all.

  7. Saint Stivs on

    GREENPINATA on 28TH DECEMBER 2021 7:54 PM

     

    Interesting debate regarding injuries and sports science.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I wonder : How many times does the same thing have to happen before it stops being a coincidence and becomes a pattern. ?

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This is the question Celtic supporters should be asking.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    HH to all.

     

     

    ————-

     

     

    no they shouldnt.

     

     

    I bet via the sport science department it is entirely predictable who will suffer soft tissue injuries.

     

     

    its in the dna and physique, and what they eat.

     

     

     

    and thats why certain players get taken off via the medium of strachans magic tablet.

  8. the_huddle on

    Saint Stivs on 28th December 2021 7:59 pm

     

    I bet via the sport science department it is entirely predictable who will suffer soft tissue injuries.

     

     

    its in the dna and physique, and what they eat.

     

     

    and thats why certain players get taken off via the medium of strachans magic tablet.

     

    —————

     

    That’s how sports science is supposed to be used, players are rested before they hit that fatigue zone which causes the strains.

     

     

    I can’t believe our sports science people cleared Kyogo to play over these last few games.

  9. setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on

    Greenpinata

     

     

    “I wonder : How many times does the same thing have to happen before it stops being a coincidence and becomes a pattern. ?

     

     

     

    This is the question Celtic supporters should be asking.”

     

    ———————————————————

     

     

    Is there an answer?

     

     

    If Celtic have 3 players, 4 players or 5 players out with hammies, is that a pattern?

     

     

    How would you even know, if you did not have data on how many mammies there are usually in a football club of this size and then ask and answer how deviant from the norm is that 3, 4 or 5.

     

     

    Serial patterns with an average of 5 do not proceed with an average of 5 each year. They vary as 3 then 7 then 4 the 6 then 2 then 9 then 3 then 5 etc;

     

     

    Asking questions does not lead to conclusions. You need answers, data and comparison data and you need to have an understanding of variability in patterns.

     

     

    We are acutely aware of our own injury lists but relatively uninformed and uninterested about how other clubs are faring in comparison. A few years back we had a shortage of defenders, this year it is strikers. No manager or club wants to risk excessive injury for his player pool. These guys are just too expensive to risk a cavalier approach, but Ange had to recruit a lot of warm bodies just to flesh out his squad but he was reluctant to trust them and sent CCV, Calmac, Jota and Kyogo to the well more often than he would like. He wants to be able to use squad rotation like Pep does. In recent weeks he has found that Urogohide, Scales, Dawson, Shaw and Moffat can help to spell players but he also knows he needs his group of Japanese recruits to add to our number of trusted squad members so he can have the rotation he requires and wants.

     

     

    Then we can switch to moaning about not playing our first 11/14 every week.

  10. Greenpinata on

    Saint Stivs,

     

     

    Sports science by its very terminology will deal with statistical probability.

     

    They will individually evaluate players and take preventative action. A one cap fits all approach is not desirable in today’s enlightened climate.

     

     

    In my world anyway.

     

     

    Cheers and HH.

  12. Greenpinata on

    SFTB,

     

     

    I am not qualified to answer the sports science questions I would wish answered I do not have the relevant oloyges,

     

     

    However I can detect that too many coincidences must be a pattern. A sign or a trend if you like.

     

    However I am seasoned enough to ask the pertinent questions.

     

     

    Cheers and HH.

  14. An Dún on

    I missed Forrest, many would have let him go during the NFL years as “always injured”.

     

     

    —

     

     

    Forrest is now getting the recognition his contribution to Celtic deserves.

     

     

    I don’t think we can assume he’ll be back playing regularly or to the level we’ve seen in recent years, it’s an area we need to strengthen in January.

  15. bournesouprecipe on

    Astonishing list of players all unavailable for the St Johnstone game.

     

     

    Hart

     

    Bain

     

    Hazard

     

    Jullien

     

    Taylor

     

    Urhoghide

     

    Murray

     

    Ralston

     

    Turnbull

     

    Jota

     

    Johnston

     

    Shaw

     

    McGregor

     

    Forrest

     

    Dembele

     

    Henderson

     

    Giokoumakis

     

    Ajeti

     

     

    Celtic ravaged by Covid and injury, the winter break came just two points too late.

     

     

    With three games against Sevco, who don’t look like any points anytime soon AP has to recruit wisely if we’re

     

    to have a better second half season. David Turnbull is long term and the midfield was already creaking with mediocrity

     

    when he was in it. All strikers injured there must be a case for an emergency signing in that department also.

  16. Greenpinata on

    BSR,

     

     

    Personally I’m not really interested in other clubs sports science. I don’t even know which clubs do or do not adopt sports science seriously.

     

     

    Therefore I couldn’t possibly comment on comparisons.

     

    I don’t think anyone else has either.

     

     

    Cheers and HH.

  18. Saint Stivs on

    BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 28TH DECEMBER 2021 8:29 PM

     

    That awkward moment when Alex Rae ( who lost his front teeth to wee Aidinho McGeady ) says there’s something wrong with Celtic’s Sports Science.

     

     

    ah mean, how comes, its kinda obviously,

  19. bournesouprecipe on

    GREENPINATA

     

     

    No, but you very clearly inferred that there was a ‘pattern’ and that Celtic now it seems outwith your knowledge were repeating a mistake, nobody has a clue whether or not we’re making never mind repeating.

     

     

    Footballer gets a hammy shock or in Ajeti’s case sh8yte striker gets a hammy shock despite having sat on the bench all year shock.

     

     

    This schoolboy argument has been raging since BR took all the Sports Science staff and left Neil Lennon with the Sports Science janny.

     

     

    Hail Hail and a Happy Christmas x

  21. petec on

    Listened to most of Bryan Kearney’s 5 Hour extravaganza.

     

     

    Need this Now.

     

     

    Soulful.

     

     

    Go Ricardo.

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgQo8vOlSN0

     

     

     

    ………………………………………………………………………………………

     

     

     

    Come back Stronger Celtic, with or without new recruits. It’s obvious we need New Recruits.

     

     

    Celtic

     

     

    Glasgow

     

     

    CELTIC

  22. Celtic Mac on

    Right on cue James Maddison goes off with what looks like a hamstring injury. Latter stage of the game. Ajeti got injured in the first part of the game against Betis. Similar injury two different reasons for them. If you cannot understand why the causes are different for similar injuries at different stages of the game, best stick to something like knitting, at least there you have a pattern to go on.

  27. petec on

    Clunks,

     

     

     

    I had a very nice Christmas, my Middle Big Sister puts on the most amazing Food. She was ranting like me as she has her own business (very small) and saying she would go to jail now because of this Bullsh!t.

  29. clunks on

    PETEC on 28TH DECEMBER 2021 10:41 PM

     

     

    Clunks,

     

     

    I had a very nice Christmas, my Middle Big Sister puts on the most amazing Food. She was ranting like me as she has her own business (very small) and saying she would go to jail now because of this Bullsh!t.

     

     

    ——————

     

     

    Good man, feel for your sister,

     

     

    got a tonne of friends in service based businesses that similarly got fucked by the sturgeons “advice” rather than law

  30. petec on

    Deelighted about how Good we are Setup, irrespective of who we are Danny McGrain.

     

     

    And the ability to switch to 3-5-2

     

     

     

    Ange is the Man.

  32. philcool on

    i see that Norwich fans were singing -eff off back to Chelsea – at the brilliant Bully Gilmurr .

     

    Obviously they know nothing about football.

     

    HH

     

    Phil

  34. Majestic Hartson on

    Clunks,

     

     

    I had a nice one too, thanks for asking. The kids big joint present wasn’t working so I’ll be a happier man when I get it back from Santa’s returns service 👍🏼

     

     

    Hope you and yours are well

  35. Majestic Hartson on

    Philcool,

     

     

    A cracking wee player I’d love to have in our team. McGregor is playing much better for Scotland with him alongside.

     

     

    Hopefully he goes on to have a great career

  40. clunks on

    MAJESTIC HARTSON on 28TH DECEMBER 2021 11:10 PM

     

    Clunks,

     

     

    I had a nice one too, thanks for asking. The kids big joint present wasn’t working so I’ll be a happier man when I get it back from Santa’s returns service 👍🏼

     

     

    Hope you and yours are well

     

     

    ——————-

     

     

    We are all fine, kids understand more today than we did 20 years ago

     

     

    hail hail

  41. clunks on

    AN TEARMANN on 28TH DECEMBER 2021 11:13 PM

     

     

    Yeh clunk’s good day.yourself?

     

     

    HH

     

    ——————-

     

     

    Very good xmas with the kids and my family

     

     

    4 days off choas in the nicest way lol

     

     

    Alone today for 45 mins and bored out ma tits lol

  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4