Johnson out - Now what?

Johnson out for atleast a month, Kelly out for probably a fortnight. I hope Degen doesn't live up to his reputation injury wise because whenever I see Carra named at right-back I wanna cry.

Nah this is bad like. The obvious thing that will be done now is put Carra right back with either Skrtel or Kyriakos at the back alongside Agger, and we know what like Skrtel and Kyriakos are trying to defend in the air. Either that or put Martin Kelly in at right back when he's fit again.

Just put Degen on the right until Kelly is fit. Should be ok.

The plan:

               Reina
Kuyt  - Carra - Agger - Aurelio
          Lucas - Aquilani
 Gerrard - Pacheco - Yossi
              Torres

Sorted.

Might try Kuyt at rightback honestly because he's been sh*te going forward all season. While he's always hardworking and his defence has been pretty solid. Might do pretty well I have no doubt about that.

When I see Carra at centre back I don't know if our defence is going to get ripped apart severely, no thanks for that honestly.

i think rafa might get someone in here. there's a guy playing with portsmouth that's not getting paid!! used to play with us and could do a reliable job.

Knowing the gravity of a Ligament injury, if he is out just for a month then he is actually lucky.
I just hope he recovers well and that we get to see a bit of Kelly.

Rafa instead of getting another reject play the youngsters or move Carra and play Agger and Skrtel in the centre.

Where's this three months out talk come from? He'll be back in Feb apparently? Was on the back of the Echo today anyway. No permanent damage.

To be honest, I think he's looked a little bit ropey in the last couple of games, defensively. I don't mean poor. Just a bit unstable or indecisive in defence.

Should be back in around a month, let's not be silly and imagine we need a replacement, we have 3 back up RBs so save the money for more important areas of the pitch.

I think we can expect Martin Kelly back some time soon can't we. He looked exellent to me. Not phased by the step up at all.

GJ is going to see another specialist on Mon to determine how long he will be out for but it looks a min of 1 month.With Kelly a few weeks away from training and then getting fit it looks like Degen and Carra are the only options. Cant see us spending money on a short term replacement, we dont have much cash anyway so what would a couple of mil buy nowadays. Better sticking with what we have IMO.

Still b*llocks though

I was hoping our injury curse had been lifted. Hopefully this is the last of them.

Get well soon Glen, hopefully you make a speedy recovery.

Not sure how far away Martin Kelly is but to be honest, going on the last couple of games I'd have him in ahead of Glen if both fit anyway.

Bollocks.

Just googled this -

Lets hope its a grade 1.

What are the symptoms of a medial collateral ligament injury?
The most common symptom following a medial collateral ligament injury is pain directly over the ligament. Swelling over the torn ligament may appear, and bruising and generalized joint swelling are common 1 to 2 days after the injury. In more severe injuries, patients may complain that the knee is unstable, or feel as though their knee may 'give out' or buckle.

Symptoms of a medial collateral ligament injury tend to correlate with the extent of the injury. MCL injuries are graded on a scale of I to III.

•Grade I MCL Tear
This is an incomplete tear of the MCL. The tendon is still in continuity, and the symptoms are usually minimal. Patients usually complain of pain with pressure on the MCL, and may be able to return to their sport very quickly. Most athletes miss 1-2 weeks of play.

•Grade II MCL Tear
Grade II injuries are also considered incomplete tears of the MCL. These patients may complain of instability when attempting to cut or pivot. The pain and swelling is more significant, and usually a period of 3-4 weeks of rest is necessary.

•Grade III MCL Tear
A grade III injury is a complete tear of the MCL. Patients have significant pain and swelling, and often have difficulty bending the knee. Instability, or giving out, is a common finding with grade III MCL tears. A knee brace or a knee immobilizer is usually needed for comfort, and healing may take 6 weeks or longer.

Thanks Doc.

Hope Kellys fit did a good job against Lyon

Where in the world is Degen?

Where in the world is Degen?

Injured and sh*t!!

Where in the world is Degen?

Hopefully on a plane to sign for another club

Injured and sh*t!!

Where's this three months out talk come from? He'll be back in Feb apparently? Was on the back of the Echo today anyway. No permanent damage.

To be honest, I think he's looked a little bit ropey in the last couple of games, defensively. I don't mean poor. Just a bit unstable or indecisive in defence.

Good point you make there. Whilst I have rejoiced at the attacking options Johnson has given us since his arrival, I have always been sceptical about his ability to actually defend. If you check through my posts I have been voicing this concern ever since we were first linked with him, and my opinion has not wavered one iota.

He has been caught out far too many times this season and has been quite a liability at times. The only stand out defensive performance that comes to mind was the United game at Anfield. Now before people start kicking off and slating me here, please remember that when you pay such a substantially large amount of money for a defender, then you would expect his most outstanding attribute to be the ability to defend. Well I would anyway.

Sorry for going off topic here, but it had to be said. I think that during his settling in period, such has been the prevalence of his attacking displays, that they have deflected from the real issue at hand here, his defensive performances. I really rate Johnson as an attacker but he has a hell of a lot to do, to prove himself as a defender.

Kelly has played one senior game, he looked good and if he gets another chance and plays well then Rafa has found what we need.