Injury thread

[kennethlindheim]

Michael Owen has told Sky Sports News he has not given up hope of returning from his serious knee injury during the current campaign.

The England striker is currently sidelined after rupturing his cruciate ligament during England's 2-2 draw with Sweden at the World Cup finals.

Owen's injury was expected to keep him out for the entire season, but after undergoing surgery with famed knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman the Magpies hot-shot is in a positive frame of mind.

The turn of the year will be crucial for his comeback schedule, with a scan planned to assess the rate of his recovery, but after making just 10 appearances for The Magpies since his move from Real Madrid, the former Liverpool star says he has not given up hope of adding to that tally before the end of May.

"You don't want to create a false belief so when I first had it done I thought you might as well write the season off and everyone else did as well but the operation was great," Owen said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News.

"The surgeon was happy with what he saw inside my knee and sees no reason, along as I have a good rehabilitation, to think there will be any future damage.

"I would love to play again this season.

"How long I play and if I play - and that is the big question - until I step up my programme it is impossible to tell.

"Certainly you have got to have a target when you are down in the gym every day and my target is certainly to play again this season."

Explaining the processes involved in his rehabilitation, Owen stated he can begin to accelerate his comeback if a scan at the end of the year yields positive results.

"I'm still in there [the gym], and I shall be for quite a while yet obviously," Owen added.

"I'm rowing, I'm on the bike, I'm walking on an incline on the treadmill and I'm swimming so that is probably the case for another four weeks then we will start picking things up gradually.

"I've got to have a scan as well, that's in December or early January, and as long as they say the bone is knitting together with the graft then we can push on.

"Round the turn of the year will be the important bit and then it will be all systems go for a return."

In Owen's absence Glenn Roeder's side have been struggling in the league and currently find themselves in the relegation zone having taken nine points from their first 12 games.

A tricky trip to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium awaits on Saturday, but Owen is hopeful his team-mates can turn the club's poor start to the season around.

"We have done particularly well in the cup competitions but not so well in the league, and Arsenal away is always going to be a tough game.

"They played really well against Liverpool the other day.

"It is always a top place to go and we have got a couple of really important games coming up.

"We have got Watford coming up, and Portsmouth at home and we need to pick up points in the league really.

"Hopefully we can progress in the cups because this place would take off if we won some silverware, but I think we need to pick up a couple of good results in the league to take the pressure off."

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?...+season+return

[kennethlindheim]

Newcastle are sweating over the fitness of Damien Duff after he picked up a knee knock against Arsenal.

The Republic of Ireland international was forced off four minutes from the end of the 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium.

Newcastle are set to send Duff for scans on the injury to try and find out the full extent of the problem.

It is feared that Duff may have suffered ligament damage which would sideline him for several weeks.

Craig Moore also suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday and Magpies boss Glenn Roeder is sending the Australian and Duff for scans.

"Duff and Moore will both have scans when the swelling goes down on their injuries and if I was to say how long we will be without them I would be only guessing."

Both players are rated extremely doubtful for this week's Uefa Cup clash with Celta Vigo.

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?...er+Duff+injury

[kennethlindheim]

Shola Ameobi has undergone surgery on his long-standing hip complaint.

The 25-year-old has been waiting months to have surgery but has finally gone under the knife after flying to America earlier this week.

He is now expected to miss the rest of the season.

"I have not had final details of the operation, but the first signs were when he came out of the operating theatre that the specialist, Dr Philippon, was absolutely delighted with his work," said Roeder.

"He was very, very pleased with the way it went. I am waiting for Roddy McDonald, our doctor, to give me a few more details, but by the sounds of it, everyone over in Colorado is pleased with the way it went."

Roeder has had to endure yet more bad news on the injury front as Damien Duff and Craig Moore both look for extended spells on the sideline.

"Damien is going to see a knee specialist in London tomorrow.

"He has already seen the scans of his knee and he will decide tomorrow whether he needs to have a small operation or not not.

"If he decides to operate, it would be to remove a small part of his cartilage which has been damaged.

"Sometimes you operate in these situations and sometimes you put it off until another time."

On Moore, Roeder added: "The scan has revealed he has injured his hamstring.

"Unfortunately, he has a history in that particular hamstring, and we think he will be out for a period of time."

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?...nder+the+knife

[kennethlindheim]

Newcastle United have been left counting the cost of their busy and injury-hit start to the season when no fewer than 12 players were in the club's treatment room today.

And the unlucky 13th is keeper Steve Harper who, as The Chronicle revealed on Thursday, has gone to Germany for a hernia operation.

Long-term injury victims Michael Owen, Shola Ameobi, Craig Moore, Damien Duff, Tim Krul and Olivier Bernard were joined in the treatment room today by skipper Scott Parker and fellow midfielders James Milner and Charles N'Zogbia, who all had to be substituted in Sunday's victory over Portsmouth at St James' Park.

And the Chronicle can reveal today that Kieron Dyer's gashed leg was so bad that he had to spent Sunday night in hospital having the wound cleaned, meaning the little midfielder will not be on the plane when United fly to Germany tomorrow for Thursday's final Group H UEFA Cup match with Eintracht Frankfurt at the Commerzbank Arena.

However, Dyer won't be the only one missing when United's specially-chartered Excel Airways 737 leaves Newcastle tomorrow.

Glenn Roeder said today: "Scott Parker has had a scan on his back and it has shown he has a strained muscle.

"While it is difficult to say how long he will be out of action he will not be with us in Frankfurt. Kieron Dyer will not be going to Germany either.

"His leg was so bad with lacerations that he spent Sunday night in hospital having the wound cleaned, and there is no way he will be able to play in Frankfurt on Thursday night.

"Steve Harper is already in Germany, and while we would like to have waited until after Thursday's match for him to have his operation, he has a double hernia and the medical experts have advised us that he should have his operation as soon as possible.

"This means that all our three keepers, Shay Given, Tim Krul and Shay Given, will all have had big operations this season - and we are still only in November.

"We have had six players having had major operations so far.

"It also means that for the second trip into Europe we will have a teenage keeper with us in the shape of Fraser Forster, who will be on the bench tro cover for Shay Given on Thursday night.

"But my take on injuries is always that if a player is missing then it gives someone else a chance - and everybody knows what happened to Tim Krul in our last trip aboard to Palermo."

The only good news on the injury front for Roeder is that Celestine Babayaro, the club's only recognised left-back, returned to training today after picking up a groin injury in the Carling Cup victory at Watford on November 7.

But Thursday will come too soon for the Nigerian international and next Wednesday's Premiership match with Reading at St James' Park is the earliest he will be back.

Roeder expects N'Zogbia, who has a badly bruised shin after a crunching but fair tackle by Sol Campbell, to be available for Thursday, but says it is "touch and go" whether Milner, who was substituted just before half-time on Sunday with a hip injury, will travel to Germany.

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/n...name_page.html

[Mighty T.A.L.]

That is a huge number.When you got many out with injuries than you can't rotate.When you can't rotate you can't let some players rest.When you never can rest the risk to become injured more endangers.That's why you always have injury worries.Liverpool have the same problem at these times.

[kennethlindheim]

Injury lineup:

Harper

Carr
Moore
Bernard
Babayaro

Milner
Parker
N'Zogbia
Duff

Dyer
Owen

Bench:

Krul
Pattison
Ameobi

[kennethlindheim]

Titus Bramble is out of Newcastle United's first Premiership match with Reading at St James' Park on Wednesday.

The in-form central defender picked up a calf injury in Thursday's goalless UEFA Cup draw against Eintracht Frankfurt and has joined United's never-ending injury list.

For with Kieron Dyer unlikely to figure on Wednesday night, Glenn Roeder will find himself without no fewer than NINE players against Steve Coppell's brave young side - Michael Owen, Shola Ameobi, Scott Parker, Damien Duff, Craig Moore, Steve Harper, Tim Krul and now Dyer and Bramble.

But there was at least some much-needed good news for Roeder at the training ground today, with full-backs Stephen Carr and Celestine Babayaro expected to return against Reading after their respective toe and groin injuries.

But the absence of Bramble against Reading's man-of-the-moment Kevin Doyle will be a big blow to United, after the 25-year-old central defender has put his early-season hesitancy behind him and turned in some truly barnstorming performances in recent games.

Roeder said today: "Titus got a kick on the calf in Germany on Thursday night and, while there was some stiffness on Friday, it did not seem as though there was going to be a problem.

"After their exertions and efforts lately, I gave the first-team squad the weekend off and Titus went back home to Ipswich.

"But overnight on Friday his calf blew up to twice its normal size and he did the sensible thing by coming straight back to Newcastle so that Derek Wright could have a look at it.

"And by doing so we are hoping that it will prevent Titus from being sidelined for too long."

So again Roeder finds himself virtually down to the bare bones against a Reading team who are all but taking the Premiership by storm.

The gash on Dyer's leg the little midfielder picked up when he crashed into the hoardings in the win against Portsmouth is so bad that he is unlikely to be risked on Wednesday night.

But at least Roeder will have Seppe Rossi available again, and the Italian Under-21 international will be involved in some way against the Royals.

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/n...name_page.html

[kennethlindheim]

Injuries ahead of the Chelsea game:

Definatley out:

Bramble, Moore, Dyer, Parker, Emre, Solano, Owen, Ameobi, Duff, Bernard.

Major doubt:

Carr, Butt, Sibierski

[Mighty T.A.L.]

A hole team

[kennethlindheim]

The injury list is as long as The Tyne.

[Pennywise]

This is just laughable as I have wroted several times before.

There are hundred of professional football clubs in Europe and the biggest injure clubs the last two seasons are N'castle and Madrid. I have to sit down and evaluate on what's going on sometimes.

[kennethlindheim]

Newcastle Charles N'Zogbia is set for a spell on the sidelines with suspected knee ligament damage.
N'Zogbia, 20, joined Newcastle lengthy injury list when he was stretchered off in the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

"Charles was doing really well but he has hurt his medial ligament. We don't know how serious it is," said Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder.

Antoine Sibierski also limped off with an Achilles injury.

N'Zogbia was stretchered off after a collision with Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.

The club await scans on his knee before determining how long he is likely to be out for.

Roeder added: "We had 12 injuries, that's not an excuse, it's a fact.

"Antoine took quite a heavy blow to his Achilles and that's pretty sore. We'll just have to wait and see.

"We just don't seem to be able to get through a game of 90 minutes without picking up two injuries, maybe three.

"We had two visibly coming off but there are also a few in the dressing room nursing minor injuries who got through the 90 minutes but who may be doubts for Saturday.

"Right now I'm not really relishing a roll call on Friday to see who is fit."

NEWCASTLE'S WOUNDED
Michael Owen, Damien Duff, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker, Titus Bramble, Emre, Nolberto Solano, Tim Krul, Shola Ameobi, Olivier Bernard, Craig Moore, Stephen Carr, Steve Harper, Charles N'Zogbia, Antoine Sibierski

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ed/6178639.stm

[kennethlindheim]

Newcastle United winger Damien Duff has made an "amazing recovery" to put himself back in the frame for Newcastle United game with Watford at St James' Park tomorrow.

It's a rare piece of good news for Glenn Roeder on a day when United are expected to find out that Charles N'Zogbia will be out of action for over a month.

More good news is that Kieron Dyer and Scott Parker are ready to return tomorrow, with Emre also having a good chance and Nobby Solano being 50-50to be back in action.

Roeder will see if this quartet suffer any reaction to today's training session and check on the fitness of Antoine Sibierski after the Frenchman suffered an Achilles injury after a bad tackle by Michael Essien in Wednesday's defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Roeder went into Wednesday's game with 13 first-team players injured and he saw N'Zogbia carried off with a bad knee injury and Sibierski limp off.

Looking at his injury situation as a whole, Roeder said today: "We are still waiting to get an accurate assessment of Charles N'Zogbia's knee injury, but he is definitely out tomorrow and also very doubtful for Wednesday's Carling Cup-tie with Chelsea at St James' Park.

"His injury is a body blow for this club and also for the player himself.

"But Damien Duff has made an amazing recovery despite just having a cartilage operation after our game at Arsenal near the end of last month, and he will possibly have some involvement tomorrow.

"Emre has a good chance of being back tomorrow after his ankle injury at Blackburn Rovers last Saturday, but Nobby Solano only has a 50-50 chance of playing.

"However, Scott Parker has a better chance than this and Kieron Dyer will be fit again, while we will assess Antoine Sibierski before to-morrow's kick-off."

One sticking point on the injury front is the fitness of Stephen Carr, who is not making any progress at all with his ankle injury.

And that's why Roeder is desperate to have Solano fit again to play at right-back after the little Peruvian injured his groin at Blackburn.

And that's perhaps why Solano may not be risked against Watford.

Meanwhile, Titus Bramble is now out of hospital after his leg injury and has gone back to his native Ipswich to recover before returning to training with United a week on Monday.

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/n...name_page.html