Spursex
Alert Team
Over the last few weeks, there have also been a significant number of players suffering hamstring injuries. Including our own Micky van de Ven who pulled up during our 4-1 loss to Chelsea earlier this month. It feels like it could be a growing problem, and the data seems to back this up.
The fear from the players union and the clubs was that extending games and increasing in ball play times on these fast slick surfaces could result in increasing the incidence of soft tissue injuries, and that's what (so far) the stats are confirming:
Hamstring injuries are up 55 per cent on the four-season average — with 53 by this stage of the season compared to an average of 34. They have also increased by 96 per cent when compared to last season (27).
This data suggests that injuries and specifically hamstring injuries are on the up — and that concerns over changes to the added-time rules have been borne out.
As some of us feared, once again the PL have implemented a process that didn't take into account players genuine fears.
As fit as the players are, intensive regular match time has proved again and again that without extended rest periods, injuries will ensue.
Well done IFAB and FIFA (those responsible for implementing this) as once again they show they couldn't care less about the players welfare - so it's no wonder that the players union are so angry about this and are beginning to talk about taking militant action...
Here's what Webb said about it at the time:
"That's a requirement from the International Football Association Board and FIFA due to a change in the laws of the game that we have to add time more accurately throughout the world, not just in the English game. They've added the words around goal celebrations having to be added on at the end of the game and the general focus around more accurate calculation.
"What we saw at the World Cup and the feedback FIFA got back from that tournament was positive. As a result of that they lobbied the international board for some changes and that is now coming through to us and other competitions around the world as well.
"You will see more time on the board usually because we are going to be calculating how long it takes from a goal being scored to the game restarting and how long substitutions take.
"Instead of using a general rule of thumb of 30 seconds like we traditionally did, we will be adding on the actual time that is lost through the events, including penalty kicks as well as red cards."
'We want to be proactive'
"We are not just going to be spectators as people celebrate for three minutes or as substitutes take a minute and a half to walk off the field. We want to be proactive within the 90 minutes to try and get the game to restart as efficiently as possible, and also deal with those participants who act in a way that is designed to waste time or to delay restarts or to interfere with the possibility of free-kicks being taken quickly.
"That is going to be the focus on us using the tools that we already have within the game to ensure those actions are penalised appropriately.
"We need to do that consistently across all of our games that we serve and not only in weeks one, two and three, but throughout the season and every season as well."
"They're also adding time for yellow cards and other certain situations to ensure that they were doing what was right to create a fairer game. We think it will settle down and players will modify their behaviours and restarts will happen more efficiently.
"Those numbers will come down a little bit and officials will settle down into what they're doing as well. Hopefully the game will be fairer as a result.
"We're expecting, based on the information we saw from last season where we had eight-and-a-half minutes on average added time in the Premier League, that number to rise to about 11 or 11-and-a-half minutes, but depending on match events. Not a crazy amount of additional time as we move into this early part of the season and beyond.
"We're hoping to stop the trend [of more added time]. Not only to increase expected playing time but also in terms of dealing with those time-wasting tactics that frustrate people. A team goes 1-0 up away from home and does everything possible to take every bit of time out of the game and to slow things down, stop free-kicks, kick balls away.
"They are the sort of things we think if we deal with consistently players will modify their behaviours and we will see a better game as a consequence."
If we're going to keep doing this, clubs will have to start demanding having an increase in squad sizes - which in turn will cause all sorts of consequential financial problems....
The players agents and the players Union are getting seriously concerned, and my bet is if this trend carries on until the end of the season, we're going to see a serious series of confrontations in the professional game and it will be another fit between the governing bodies, the clubs and the players as well as IFAB...
Already, I've been made aware the governments new body that will oversee the game think this is one of the areas they can/will step into - God help the game if they do!!
I've no idea how this new mess can be cleaned up, anyone care to suggest how it can be?
The fear from the players union and the clubs was that extending games and increasing in ball play times on these fast slick surfaces could result in increasing the incidence of soft tissue injuries, and that's what (so far) the stats are confirming:
Hamstring injuries are up 55 per cent on the four-season average — with 53 by this stage of the season compared to an average of 34. They have also increased by 96 per cent when compared to last season (27).
This data suggests that injuries and specifically hamstring injuries are on the up — and that concerns over changes to the added-time rules have been borne out.
As some of us feared, once again the PL have implemented a process that didn't take into account players genuine fears.
As fit as the players are, intensive regular match time has proved again and again that without extended rest periods, injuries will ensue.
Well done IFAB and FIFA (those responsible for implementing this) as once again they show they couldn't care less about the players welfare - so it's no wonder that the players union are so angry about this and are beginning to talk about taking militant action...
Here's what Webb said about it at the time:
Why more added time and yellow cards?
"There are two focus areas going into the new season. One is around participant behaviour, the other is effective playing time. Going into the new season we are doing things a bit differently in terms of how we calculate the time that needs to be added at the end of each half."That's a requirement from the International Football Association Board and FIFA due to a change in the laws of the game that we have to add time more accurately throughout the world, not just in the English game. They've added the words around goal celebrations having to be added on at the end of the game and the general focus around more accurate calculation.
"What we saw at the World Cup and the feedback FIFA got back from that tournament was positive. As a result of that they lobbied the international board for some changes and that is now coming through to us and other competitions around the world as well.
"You will see more time on the board usually because we are going to be calculating how long it takes from a goal being scored to the game restarting and how long substitutions take.
"Instead of using a general rule of thumb of 30 seconds like we traditionally did, we will be adding on the actual time that is lost through the events, including penalty kicks as well as red cards."
'We want to be proactive'
"We are not just going to be spectators as people celebrate for three minutes or as substitutes take a minute and a half to walk off the field. We want to be proactive within the 90 minutes to try and get the game to restart as efficiently as possible, and also deal with those participants who act in a way that is designed to waste time or to delay restarts or to interfere with the possibility of free-kicks being taken quickly.
"That is going to be the focus on us using the tools that we already have within the game to ensure those actions are penalised appropriately.
"We need to do that consistently across all of our games that we serve and not only in weeks one, two and three, but throughout the season and every season as well."
'The added time will settle down'
"We anticipate that the amount of added time will settle down a little bit. We saw some big numbers this last weekend [in the EFL]. The officials were pretty keen to apply precise and accurate calculations in certain areas that we talked about."They're also adding time for yellow cards and other certain situations to ensure that they were doing what was right to create a fairer game. We think it will settle down and players will modify their behaviours and restarts will happen more efficiently.
"Those numbers will come down a little bit and officials will settle down into what they're doing as well. Hopefully the game will be fairer as a result.
"We're expecting, based on the information we saw from last season where we had eight-and-a-half minutes on average added time in the Premier League, that number to rise to about 11 or 11-and-a-half minutes, but depending on match events. Not a crazy amount of additional time as we move into this early part of the season and beyond.
"We're hoping to stop the trend [of more added time]. Not only to increase expected playing time but also in terms of dealing with those time-wasting tactics that frustrate people. A team goes 1-0 up away from home and does everything possible to take every bit of time out of the game and to slow things down, stop free-kicks, kick balls away.
"They are the sort of things we think if we deal with consistently players will modify their behaviours and we will see a better game as a consequence."
If we're going to keep doing this, clubs will have to start demanding having an increase in squad sizes - which in turn will cause all sorts of consequential financial problems....
The players agents and the players Union are getting seriously concerned, and my bet is if this trend carries on until the end of the season, we're going to see a serious series of confrontations in the professional game and it will be another fit between the governing bodies, the clubs and the players as well as IFAB...
Already, I've been made aware the governments new body that will oversee the game think this is one of the areas they can/will step into - God help the game if they do!!
I've no idea how this new mess can be cleaned up, anyone care to suggest how it can be?
