Football’s worse case scenario, injury heartbreak right before the FA cup final, European championships or World cup finals.
All too often a player is “rested” or comes on as a sub and gets an injury which ends their playing for that season.
Gazza, Beckham, Bryan Robson (for England) are just some of the high profile names to have experienced this.
The latest name is Phil Jagielka, the Everton defender who has been exceptional all season for his club, he breaks into the England set up, holds off Man Utd and books a place in the FA cup final, is rested for a game then comes on as a sub, falls awkwardly, is stretchered off and his season is over.
I can sympathise with this. Many years ago in my youth, I was playing for an under 15 side, who lost almost every week in their league matches. Bottom of the league on -2 points our club’s one saving grace, was qualifying for the league’s “FA cup” final.
The day before our big game, I was taking part in cross country at school, as I walked back to the changing rooms, I tripped over a foot high, small edging wall, scraping right down my left shin.
So bad was it, I was not allowed to play in the final, I was absolutely gutted!
Devistating for the player, disastrous for the club and their fans, nobody wins. Heartbreak!
