1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

The reality is that rest, surgery and management hasn't worked for 3 years - and there is probably little hope it will miraculously start being a successful mitigation strategy now. Even the surgeon who worked on Reece spoke about his biology and the way he is built and put together is massively contributing to his issues.

I don't think that is true, where did you get that from? In fact, James's surgeon gave an interview to the Telegraph where he claimed that the surgery would fix Reece's recurring hamstring injuries for good.

The only people who commented anything of the sort you are talking about are random people on social media who have no clear connection or knowledge of the specifics of Reece James' situation. The 'evidence' they cited was nothing more than gym talk and broscience at best.

The Athletic/NYT interviewed the former Newcastle head of sports science, Callum Walsh who gave some insight into hamstring injuries and treatment more generally, but even he was very explicit in saying that he could not comment on the specifics of James's situation, because he is not involved in his treatment and has no access to the relevant data. He did, however, point out that James has had to endure many changes in coaching personnel which, as @ozboy pointed out earlier in this thread, the research shows is one of the biggest predictive factors in recurring injury rates. 

17 hours ago, dkw said:

So one hand your completely opposed to how the owners run the club, but you also copy the way they treat players? 

Me? no I am not big fan of treating player like this. 

But as we continue being run more like a hedge fund than an a fc, we will see some fans following owner's way. 

10 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

I don't disagree with any of this tbh. What i do find hard to reconcile is how fans continually keep harking on about Reece being one of the best RBs in the world when fit. That now can only be an hopeful anticipation at best surely. Reece hasn't been at the top of his game, for an extended period for what 3 years now? I'm not saying he's cr@p, I'm not saying that he is a busted flush, but the harsh realities of footballing life is that it never stands still and the progress and development that Reece showed at a  young age has gone now, with just reputation remaining. We can show loyalty and can manage him back to fitness in the hope that he fulfills that early potential but we are approaching the point where we hopefully will have another very talented RB breaking through the ranks and we need to be mindful that we don't inadvertently suppress the potential from Acheampong whilst we continue to wait for Reece to fully recover. 

As an aside, i always liked Andy Myers as a kid coming through. I know it was different times and we had different expectations but i really thought he had a high ceiling. But he never really hit that potential being constantly blighted by injury (very similar body shape and feature to RJ actually). Eventually his ability started to get affected by these issues and he just became a lesser player.

Spot on! The Acheampong situation is very interesting and I am intrigued by what the club does in Jan. Bayern & Madrid were after him in the summer but the club rejected bids, Newcastle are also now sniffing around. Now they have already poached Lewis Hall & Livramento from us and made them first choice fullbacks at the expense of Trippier & Kelly. If they are after Acheampong you can guarantee they already have a plan to give him substantial game time, not stick him on the bench or in the U21s. Surely if top clubs are after him they can clearly see the potential, but we keep sticking Disasi at RB while playing him in the U21s

The romantic in us all, wants him to waltz back into team, maximise the potential we all know he has and be captain marvellous as he leads us to many-a- triumph.

However, the realist and avid football fan in us, knows that when you see players continuously succumbing to hammys and recurrence is the order if the day, it's not looking good.

We can only hope and even if he does make a comeback and plays regularly, it will only because it is being managed not that it has been overcome.

Some say a half fit Reece is better than Gusto or any other player but I'll take reliability over excellence as the team tactics can be evolved around that reliability, instead of excellence pulling us out of trouble and when it's not there the team returns to defacto reliability that then means team tactics tweaked again and harmony and evolution stall.

Like @WhiteWallsaid Acheampong might be better than Reece but maybe never know as we throttle his development with the hope of getting Reece at his best which we haven't seen in years. Excellently backed up by @ducavis point on Hall and Livramento. 

It's just a shame but sometimes when the game goes past you it's not because you aren't good enough, there are circumstances that sometimes are beyond your control like once excellent players getting old and sidelined more in favour of newer ones, in this case it's just injury dealing that blow. 

Edited September 20, 20241 yr by abister1
Spell

12 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

… approaching the point where we hopefully will have another very talented RB breaking through the ranks and we need to be mindful that we don't inadvertently suppress the potential from Acheampong whilst we continue to wait for Reece to fully recover. 

Waiting for Reece to recover and easing him back into the team is not suppressing Acheampong’s progress but, playing Disasi at RB is. If anyone is guilty in Acheampong not getting playing time, that is ultimately the board with their obsession to buy dross instead of using the academy players to fill in, especially having one of the best academies in England.

4 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

I don't think that is true, where did you get that from? In fact, James's surgeon gave an interview to the Telegraph where he claimed that the surgery would fix Reece's recurring hamstring injuries for good.

The only people who commented anything of the sort you are talking about are random people on social media who have no clear connection or knowledge of the specifics of Reece James' situation. The 'evidence' they cited was nothing more than gym talk and broscience at best.

The Athletic/NYT interviewed the former Newcastle head of sports science, Callum Walsh who gave some insight into hamstring injuries and treatment more generally, but even he was very explicit in saying that he could not comment on the specifics of James's situation, because he is not involved in his treatment and has no access to the relevant data. He did, however, point out that James has had to endure many changes in coaching personnel which, as @ozboy pointed out earlier in this thread, the research shows is one of the biggest predictive factors in recurring injury rates. 

Yeah - his surgeon was doing a fair few interviews about it. In one (a foreign language media outlet) Lasse Lempainen (the surgeon), provided some really interesting details about the challenges James faces with his fitness. This was the one I was referring to: https://www.iltalehti.fi/valioliiga/a/b1b2cabc-c175-4f70-898a-5308c94af404 

In summary - Lempainen mentioned that one of the key factors contributing to James' recurring injuries is his unique biology, particularly his massive hamstring muscles. Apparently, James has unusually large muscles, even for a professional footballer, which helps with his strength and speed but also puts extra strain on his body. This makes him more prone to injuries, especially during high-intensity activities like sprints and quick changes of direction. Lempainen even pointed out that this extra muscle mass adds complexity to surgeries, like the one James just had.

Another key issue mentioned was that James has now had three injuries in the same spot, which has created scar tissue. This obviously complicates things further, as his body has already gone through several rounds of healing in that area. While the surgery was successful, Lempainen was clear that repairing the injury doesn’t eliminate the risk factors. James' muscle mass and the wear and tear from previous injuries will always be part of the equation when it comes to his recovery and future fitness.

 

4 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Big disagree here. I even prefer Chalobah over gusto as rb

Chalobah over Gusto? that's mental...

5 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Big disagree here. I even prefer Chalobah over gusto as rb

I bet you've even wrote a dissertation about that haven't you 

3 hours ago, RMH said:

Waiting for Reece to recover and easing him back into the team is not suppressing Acheampong’s progress but, playing Disasi at RB is. If anyone is guilty in Acheampong not getting playing time, that is ultimately the board with their obsession to buy dross instead of using the academy players to fill in, especially having one of the best academies in England.

Yes you are right. But both of these situations can be true at the same time. As @abister1 put it, and i tend to agree, i lean more in favour of reliable quality than elite standard that can't be relied upon (or indeed lacks evidence over time that it still exists).

Your point about dross is also well made. Cream rises to the top, but sh*t floats just the same!

13 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Reece James 'not at the top of his game' is still better than Malo Gusto, and Malo Gusto is a very, very good player who would start at RB for any team in world football bar Bayern and Man City. 

That's how good Reece James is. 

I agree with how highly you rate RJ, but while I can see Gusto's great potential, he's not yet showing the consistency to be at the level you suggest.

James's injuries have been devastating for his career but also incredibly damaging to both Chelsea and England. It irked me during the summer that pundits never seemed to recognise how significant his absence was to England. Walker is known to be a good, pacy defender and TAA is a fine passer and crosser, but neither can offer the all-round game  a fully fit James provides from right back. Walker is very average as an attacker and TAA is a barely adequate defender.

Edited September 20, 20241 yr by Backbiter

Can’t be relied on sadly we might have to move on from him.

14 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Big disagree here. I even prefer Chalobah over gusto as rb

What utter nonsense is this?

I don’t always agree with with you and this just confirms. I’m unlikely to ever agree with opinions like the quote above.

Listen, Trev is a decent CB and has been unlucky to have been shifted out but to say he’s better than Gusto on the right is ludicrous. Even in an inverted role.

Madness!

Edited September 20, 20241 yr by 19seventyone

What many are missing about the idea of selling James is we still get world class performances from him when he's fit, until that changes then my stance doesn't move an inch.

So let's say he only plays 10 league games this season but his impact proves to be the difference to making UCL and not, that alone makes the club more money than what cashing in on him will do at this moment in time.

Some players are just that good you put up with it and work around it, Spurs did the same with Ledley King.

4 minutes ago, Argo said:

What many are missing about the idea of selling James is we still get world class performances from him when he's fit, until that changes then my stance doesn't move an inch.

So let's say he only plays 10 league games this season but his impact proves to be the difference to making UCL and not, that alone makes the club more money than what cashing in on him will do at this moment in time.

Some players are just that good you put up with it and work around it, Spurs did the same with Ledley King.

Agreed. We just have to alter our expectations for Reece to what Spurs did with King.

Have two players competing for RB, maybe Gusto and Acheampong will prove good enough, then Reece as the squads last submitted player. Try to keep fit for the big games, 10 to 15 appearances a season, adjusted training schedule.

Likely will mean the owners will want his wages slashed massively.

Lets take off the blue tinted specs, he missed most of the last 2 seasons out injured, whenever he returned he 'malfunctioned' again very quickly, been under the knife to resolve problems, but they have not apparently assisted in him maintaining fitness. He is now one of the highest 1st team earners, eventually if this pattern of recovering and breaking down shortly afterwards continues e.g. for the rest of the season, there's a tough decision to be made by Clearfake.

On 20/09/2024 at 18:33, Victor90 said:

I bet you've even wrote a dissertation about that haven't you 

I don't think you need to do that when it is so obvious 

19 hours ago, General said:

Lets take off the blue tinted specs, he missed most of the last 2 seasons out injured, whenever he returned he 'malfunctioned' again very quickly, been under the knife to resolve problems, but they have not apparently assisted in him maintaining fitness. He is now one of the highest 1st team earners, eventually if this pattern of recovering and breaking down shortly afterwards continues e.g. for the rest of the season, there's a tough decision to be made by Clearfake.

I'm not so sure it's a tough decision. If the patern continues he doesn't play and we can't sell him because nobody in thier right mind would buy him. 

Unfortunately we'll just have to keep on paying him until his contract runs out. His fitness will make the decision. 

https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/chelsea-want-to-sign-french-right-back-in-january-amid-reece-james-injuries/

Probably another non-story but it makes sense.

It will happen eventually. 

I thought the other day how separate the men's medical team must be from the women! The women players seem to get back much quicker! Erin Cuthbert was on crutches a week or two ago and played last Friday!

I know its completely different.... fitness, level of injuries and slower-paced football but I still think the men's medical team need looking at! Is it still the celebrity team? Get Eva back!

26 minutes ago, just said:

https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/transfer-news/chelsea-want-to-sign-french-right-back-in-january-amid-reece-james-injuries/

Probably another non-story but it makes sense.

We will see - but if we are looking at the transfer window, then we must be pretty pessimistic about the chance of him returning by then.

If he is not back by Jan - then I genuinely think that will be him done at the top level for us.

He will have missed al the best part of 3 seasons by then....with just sporadic runs of games before breaking down again. 

Seems to be less clarity about his return with each passing week (unless I’ve missed something). 

Come on Reece - we need you back! 

4 minutes ago, PhilH930 said:

Seems to be less clarity about his return with each passing week (unless I’ve missed something). 

Come on Reece - we need you back! 

Been here before and said it many times. When they say it's a small issue and don't give an estimated date of return, always expect the worst when it comes our players.

I would be open to selling him tbh 

but who would buy him with his injury record ? 

I bet there would be plenty of buyers in for Reece the problem would be they will want him on the cheap due to his injury history. He's on a 6 year deal until 2028 and he's only still 24 there is definitely time to see if he can get and stay fit.

But there is a clock running somewhere.