Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The latest Pompey news updates every day from the Pompey Sound News Desk. John Massino is addressing the problem of the injuries being coped with by Harvey Blair and Jacob Farrell. There's nothing the lads can do with a lot of the injuries, apart from maybe looking at lifestyle changes and really looking at the way they approach their bodies and everything they do off the pitch.
It's as simple as that. They need to stay fit. You've got someone like Jacobo who's played one game in 18 months, so when he gets back, he just needs to stay fit. With Harvey, he's been here in fits and starts and played at Swansea. He just has to stay fit, so he's available for us to use him. No, it's impossible for Jacob to show what he can do if you're injured for that long I suppose.
We'll see when we see, right? The proof will be in the pudding. If he strings together a run of training and is available for games that will ultimately boost my confidence in him. It's the same with Harve, we've seen it with him in little blocks. But recent history with Harve shows where he is at the moment. He played the last two games of last season.
I don't think there is anything he could have done about that injury, but when he was out, he came back for two games and then was out again.
Chapter 2: What lifestyle changes can players make to avoid injuries?
He's now back for one game, so we need to stay on top of him and keep him fit. Yeah, and that's the challenge, isn't it? And if they knew how to do that, well, if they know how to do that now, then they ought to have known how to do that then. So he says, John Massino, if you're paying attention, I tried. He's always worth listening to.
There's nothing the lads can do with a lot of the injuries, apart from maybe looking at lifestyle changes and looking at the way they approach their bodies and everything they do off the pitch. It's not that long ago that professional footballers used to go training, then they'd have a game of golf, and then they'd go to the pub.
And Brian Robson, Captain Fantastic he was called, legendary midfield player, hard man, great footballer, Manchester United and England. He revealed after his career was over that he used to drink eight pints every single evening, except Friday, if they got a game on Saturday. Six nights a week, a gallon of beer. And yet he could run and run and run.
And to the best of my knowledge, he didn't go down with hamstrings and various other injuries whatsoever. that are wear and tear rather than impact. So is this what John Massino is alluding to? Are there still players? Do you remember we had a legendary player we called Johnny Lager? I don't think he drank lager all that much. In fact, I believe he said that he drank Guinness.
because that didn't make him feel hungry because he didn't want to pork out on a takeaway or whatever there was in those days. So that was kind of interesting, wasn't it? He was prepared to, if you like, abuse his 100% fitness with stout ale, but he was drinking stout ale largely because it meant he could look after his body in terms of not putting on calories, food calories.
So John Massino is alluding to that. Is he implying that any of the players who are having problems getting fit and staying fit need to cut down on drink, need to eat fewer pizzas and Maccy D's or whatever it is that they might be doing? Because you're a young, fit footballer, then you do need your carbs, right?
But one would hope that the club, the medics, the nutritionalists, I believe we have a dedicated nutritionalist, I might be wrong, are providing them with a suggested diet sheet. But you're a young man, you're living alone in a strange city, a strange country, miles away from friends and family. It must be very difficult not to give in to temptation and have the occasional steak and double chips.
And if that's what John Messina is alluding to, then they've got to give that a go. They've got to give that a go for their own sake, for the club's sake and for the fans' sake. John Massino on the future of Pompey's three lone players. I know Chappers is constantly pushing himself to increase his attacking output and contributing in terms of goals and assists.
That is a big focus for us going into the weekend, particularly with Connor. He got a shot off early, at Swansea, which tested Vigourou when we broke, and there was one where we would have maybe liked him to have taken it on his left foot. When we're in those positions, a confident Connor Chaplin playing at the top of his game in the Championship will test the goalkeeper at least.
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Chapter 3: How do past players' lifestyles compare to today's standards?
And you can hear the entire encyclopedia of Steve Bone's thoughts on the current state of Pompey at the World Cup draw and other issues connected with football and Fratton Park by going to Pompeysound Podcasts on your podcast platform and looking for the podcast that begins with the word Steve. Meanwhile up in Blackburn, ahead of Saturday's visit to Fratton.
Fears are growing that Valerian Ismail could be the third Blackburn Rovers manager in recent years to walk away due to the Venky's lack of investment. This comes after the Frenchman offered to sacrifice his own transfer budget just to get the club's problematic Ewood Park pitch fixed, after it caused yet another championship fixture to be abandoned.
When last weekend's clash with Sheffield Wednesday was called off it was the second time this has happened to Blackburn this season. Following the controversial postponement of the Ipswich Town match in September, Ismail appeared to take aim at the club's owners, suggesting the state of the pitch simply had to be addressed. Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, he said.
If I can influence something, if we need to save money in the transfer market to add money to get a new pitch, I will be the first person to do it, because I want to see fans coming into the stadium, to make sure they can see the game. Money has been tight for the Rovers squad for some time now.
This past summer saw senior players like Callum Britton, Lewis Travis and Dominic Hyams sold off and replaced with cheaper alternatives. But for Blackburn fans, this is nothing new. Former head coaches John Dal Tomasson and John Eustace both left the club for similar reasons tied to the owner's ambition or lack thereof. Could Ismail be the next to go?
While it's great to hear a manager speak with such passion, FLW's Rovers fan pundit, Simon Middlehurst, points out that it should never have come to this in the first place. I think it's a really, really good comment to make, it shows he's willing to help the club out and, you know, back the fans and back the squad," Middlehurst told FLW.
But at the same time, he shouldn't have to make those comments. The club should be doing that, the club should be supporting the players as best as possible and sorting the pitch out, and Ismail shouldn't have to come out with a rant towards the club," he added. It's not on at all, and it kinda shows there might be cracks there where Valeri and Ismail may walk as well.
It clearly shows he's not getting the support he thought he was going to get, so yeah, a really weird sort of situation again. Does it look like we could potentially end up losing another manager because of the lack of investment? More than likely that's possibly what's going to happen.
A playable pitch isn't a luxury, and the fact that two matches have been abandoned this season alone speaks volumes about how neglected the stadium's infrastructure has become. While the Venkies continue to fund the club's annual losses, they remain a distant presence.
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