Skipper sidelined
The club announced today that Johnnie Jackson will be out with a hamstring injury for “a number of weeks.” (more)
This is of course a big loss, and many will look back at what happened last season when Jackson suffered from an achilles injury in February but then it was Kyel Reid and Alan McCormack who were his replacements with Callum Harriott also called into the squad.
JJ has been an ever present so far but the difference this time is that there is no Reid or McCormack or Racon. Even Alex Stavrinou was around the squad then. This Powell squad is very different in both quality and confidence.
The signing on loan of Hogan Ephraim looks very timely and I wonder if Powell will dip in to the loan market again? He does have the impressive Pritchard and Bover in reserve, although Mikel Alonso is proving every much as stealth as Omar Pouso. Remember him?
Both Stephens and Jackson will return in the early part of January (hopefully) and will add plenty of extra firepower and strength. Jackson has scored 8 goals, Stephens 2 and the ability to arrive in the box late is the biggest quality we will miss from the skipper, and also the partnership he has built with Wiggins.
Jackson and Ephraim look like different sort of players but Evina could do a (more defensively minded) job there as well.
The skipper will be missed but his leadership qualities will still be on show around the training ground and I expect Matt Taylor to take over pitch duties admirably. I was only saying the other day after Powell signed Ephraim, that injuries and suspensions will come, because they do. It’s a setback but this team is made of sterner stuff.
Your right CA we do perhaps have more strength in depth this year but I still cannot help but link our weak finish last season to Jackson’s absence. The team spirit appears much better this time around. Lets hope we continue as we have started and wish JJ a speedy recovery
My mind, too, went back to the effect of Jacko’s absence last year, but I agree that we seem much better equipped to cope this time. Alonso’s invisible man impression is unfortunate, but to have only made one really duff signing out of 20 is pretty impressive, especially when viewed against some of the poor signings we have made in the past.
I suppose it says something that we’ve got to mid-Nov before a crises of some form. Johnny’s loss will be felt, but it needn’t be devastating. In terms of leadership, I don’t have JJ down as a ‘talker’, so I don’t foresee much impact there (but I must add to that point that I like him as our Captain).
In fact, if we’ve got any hopes of promotion, it’s these sort of obstacles that we must overcome without too much fuss.
I agree, CA, we have far better options this time around.