Portsmouth: Christmas wish is some luck with injuries
- Published
Pompey skipper Marlon Pack (right) is back from injury and helped secure three points at Northampton on Saturday
Idly chatting to a Portsmouth player before an interview once, I asked them what the worst thing about being a professional footballer was.
"Injuries and media commitments" was the response. I've always hoped speaking to me was more like a minor bruise than a broken leg, but I understood where he was coming from.
Sadly for that individual, and all players, media commitments are an obligation for them although not usually more than once or twice a month. Injuries, though, can strike anytime and they really are the bane of all sports people.
Are Portsmouth particularly unlucky with injuries? They've lost star defender Regan Poole for the season, key striker Colby Bishop is struggling with an ankle injury, and captain Marlon Pack has only just returned after two months out with an ankle injury.
Connor Ogilvie remains out, Tom Lowery hasn't played since the opening day, Tino Anjorin might not play until February, and Anthony Scully is unlikely to be back before the new year. That's before you list any minor knocks.
So on reflection the number of injuries is slightly on the high side but nothing particularly unusual. A quick search would show you most clubs are three or four players down by this point of the season. There's no issue in terms of numbers, Pompey are not being forced to put youth team players on the bench.
However, it's key players who've been suffering. Of the seven players listed above, likely five would be in Portsmouth's strongest possible XI if everyone was fit and firing. The fact Pompey remain top of the table underlines what a good job Richard Hughes and John Mousinho have done putting a squad together. Alex Robertson has been outstanding in midfield, Jack Sparkes a more than adequate replacement for Ogilvie at left-back, and Kusini Yengi ensured Bishop wasn't missed at Northampton.
That can only take you so far, though. Winning automatic promotion would have looked a much tougher proposition if Bishop had been ruled out for a number of months. The 27-year-old had played an impressive 64 consecutive league matches since joining. Your squad can carry you through periods but for the consistency needed for a top-two finish you are likely to need your best players at key points.
Both Mousinho and Pack were at pains to point out most injuries have been a bit unfortunate. Anjorin tore a hamstring but most of the others were impact injuries sustained in a match, and the midfielder has a particularly unfortunate history with injuries. Bad tackles and unfortunate falls are just part of football, it's not only Portsmouth affected.
So why are injuries such a focus? Last season the absences of Joe Rafferty and Lowery seemed to make a big difference. There is always the danger when a team slips of assuming those on the sidelines could solve one of the problems. It's hard to imagine Pompey wouldn't have finished higher with those two playing regularly though.
There was also the undercurrent from a war of words between head coach Danny Cowley and the club's medical staff. Like most wars, there were no winners, neither party are still employed at Fratton Park.
And as previously discussed this season Pompey fans have been here before. It's harder to enjoy being top of the league when you've been there, done that numerous times and failed. Something still may go wrong this season but they've coped with a number of key absentees extremely well so far.
A bit of fortune on the injury front would be a good Christmas present, though.
You can hear every Pompey match live on BBC Radio Solent with Andy Moon and former Blues striker and manager Guy Whittingham.
