I have been working in professional football for more than 15 years, operating at the highest level in the Premier League and experiencing the excitement of European nights. I've had both the pleasure and pain of working with various managers, coaches and players, all with their own ideas and philosophies.
You may think this is fine for managers and coaches but support staff, in the medical and sports science areas, are also at risk
There are other ways of getting a hit of Vitamin D through foods such as oily fish, liver, eggs, fortified cereals and milk
When the manager arrives, you try to see what he requires from a medical department and adapt to him and his demands
Many times I have run on to the pitch, asked the player what is wrong and they whisper: “I’m fine, just need a minute”. Then we go through the motions of “faking” an injury.
To some players, the international period is an inconvenience; to others, it is an opportunity
Injury prevention is specific to the player and a prevention strategy is different from one player to another
We had a part-time masseur, a fellow physio looking after youth teams and I saw the club doctor only when someone was sick or on matchday
This damage is commonly known as osteoarthritis. Footballers are extremely susceptible to it due to excessive stress and load on their lower limb joints
All players need to complete as much of pre-season as possible. If a player misses this period, he is likely to struggle with fitness all season
One concern from a club physio’s perspective is the willingness of international medical staff to “push” players through the next game
Being involved in international tournaments is very intensive. There is no respite and you are on-call 24 hours a day
