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The fitness test

Posted by Billybookcase User icon on September 2, 2026, 10:35 am

Would it have been a long term problem, or just a not being able to play on Sunday type failure?

Re: The fitness test

Posted by betosneck User icon on September 2, 2026, 11:44 am, in reply to "The fitness test"

We wouldn't walk away from something short term. We've loaned injured players in the past (didn't go amazingly tbh)

It was something that was enough that is can't be ignored. Everyone talking about £40m but the real risk is closer to £80m over a 5 year deal. We've had enough crocks on the books over the years to know that it doesn't work out well.

We were reluctant to keep DCL with his injury record at £150k so I can understand why we didn't want to take on a problem at that price.

An injury ties up funds, removes resale value and generally brings the club slowly down.

I can understand people are pissed off, it's not great, but people at least need to look at what the alternative may have been

Re: The fitness test

Posted by Moodyblue User icon on September 2, 2026, 1:05 pm, in reply to "Re: The fitness test"

Agree with most of that, but it also begs the question why we then resurrected the deal if it was that serious.

UTFT
KAGS

Re: The fitness test

Posted by Lance Drysdale User icon on September 2, 2026, 10:40 am, in reply to "The fitness test"

You’ll never know.

What’s considered within acceptable parameters to one club is completely out of the question for another.

Example from my own:

Centre half came over from Strasbourg on Sunday to fill a much-needed gap. Failed his medical at ours.

Hung around the UK and signed for Watford yesterday.

Whether it’s risk-aversion, differences of medical opinion or old fashioned playing percentages, whatever he’s got was too much for our appetite.

Re: The fitness test

Posted by betosneck User icon on September 2, 2026, 10:44 am, in reply to "Re: The fitness test"

In the Secret Physio book (one from secret footballer) he talks about medicals and tells a story of them finding a knee problem with a player. It's getting late and the chairman needs to buy someone. He asks the manager

"Well, his knee might not hold out. I suppose you need to ask yourself if you feel lucky?"

Manager responds, "I was born lucky"

They sign the player, the manager is sacked within 6 weeks and the players knee buckles a couple of months later and he spends the rest of his contract in rehab.

Some cunt will always panic sign a player

Re: The fitness test

Posted by Lance Drysdale User icon on September 2, 2026, 11:01 am, in reply to "Re: The fitness test"

You would have to think there’s an element of that. What was not acceptable mid-Aug becomes worth the risk on 1 Sept.

There’s also always going to be ‘house style’ for anything medical, the same way there is in, say, insurance underwriting.

The same fella seeking insurance cover making the same disclosures about the same conditions may get different responses from any number of different companies. The variables being the risk appetites and medical underwriting methodologies of the different houses. All of which is opaque.

Re: The fitness test

Posted by betosneck User icon on September 2, 2026, 11:34 am, in reply to "Re: The fitness test"

Now you've mentioned insurance I'm positive you're right. This clearly explains the length of time it took to work on the deal. If he's arrived 9 hours early (on a late flight if rumours are true) then the medical is half a day. I doubt reinsurers are the easiest to work with on this kind of thing, that's half a day to work through just for the brokers.

I'm posisitve that everton would have asked the player to carry some of the risk and he's understandably thought "fuck this, I came here for a 5 year contract and you've knocked my guaranteed down to £40k a week"

Re: The fitness test

Posted by betosneck User icon on September 2, 2026, 11:26 am, in reply to "Re: The fitness test"

Absolutely. £40m is not pissing around as well. That would have made him our most expensive player wouldn't it? It's a clear case of everyone getting sacked and sued if it went wrong a few weeks into the deal

Re: The fitness test

Posted by PsychoPat10 User icon on September 2, 2026, 10:37 am, in reply to "The fitness test"

I'm sure I heard someone say it was a few weeks so wouldn't have been available until after the break anyway

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