Ramsey's Recovery

Right then, more words from the gospel according to Chris (or various other names you may wish to call me). This week I decided (quite foolishly) to try and write a difficult article on what Aaron Ramsey may face as he travels down the road to recovery from his broken fib ‘n’ tib. Why I didn’t just chose to do a profile on Nicklas Bendtner I’ll never know, but I’ll give this a shot anyway.



Right I’ll start at the beginning and move from there. As we all know, Ramsey has already been under the knife and the operation on his broken leg was heralded as a complete success. However what some of you may not know is that it has been reported that Ramsey’s leg has NOT been put in a plaster cast and he has already managed to walk on it. However, this is due to the location of the injury and the fractures being ‘clean breaks’ which has allowed the talented midfielder to put weight onto the injured leg, rather than being a sign of a speedy recovery.

Ramsey has since been transferred to London for further surgery and treatment by the same specialists who treated Arsenal striker Eduardo after his leg break two years ago. After this I can only speculate on what treatments the Arsenal starlet will undertake but it is likely his leg will be put in a plastic cast walker. These casts are removable meaning that Ramsey can begin physiotherapy as soon as he is ready. More importantly for Ramsey though, is that these casts are fitted with a ‘rocker sole’ which would allow Ramsey to walk around for longer periods than if he was to have no cast what so ever. This early weight bearing has been shown to aid recovery time with fractures to the tibia and fibula.



Once the bones have fully healed, Ramsey’s rehabilitation will continue into full physiotherapy. The physiotherapy will be designed to regain full movement in his knee and ankle whilst trying to re-build the strength lost in his injured leg. Hydrotherapy exercises are very helpful in regaining ankle range of movement. Non weight bearing exercises, such as pool running using a Buoyancy Belt, is another exercise that would help the youngster to regain fitness. Manual therapy with the physio can also help to restore normal ankle movement if there is any stiffness.

Time frame wise, no one is quite sure when Ramsey will return to full Premiership action, if ever, although the young Welshman is certain to miss the remainder of the season. Speculation has run wild; the Mirror reported how the midfielder could be back in full training in just 6 months, whereas other sources have stated he may not play again until he is 21. Dr. Baloch described how the situation is “quite variable, the simplest fractures may heal up in two or three months and then there is a period of rehabilitation involved - especially with elite-level athletes.

"On the other hand, if it's a very serious injury it may take many months for the area to heal up and return back to functional activities. You've got a time period of anywhere from two or three months to six months for recovery.

"If it's a simple fracture then he is more likely to return to his previous level of activity. As the injury becomes more severe then obviously the rehabilitation is much harder and it's harder to return back to activity."




What will count is Ramsey’s favour, is the response of the Arsenal players and fans since the injury. The Arsenal family seems tighter and stronger than ever and he is sure to be given everything he could possibly need. In Wenger, Ramsey has a manager whose ability to develop and understand the minds of youngsters will be invaluable to the Welshman; at Ashburton Grove, Ramsey has a set of fans who are willing to be patient with the youngster, just as they have been in the past; and in Diaby and Eduardo, Ramsey has two established first team players who will know exactly what the midfielder is going through, and will no doubt help along every step.

Arsenal's Completed Transition

Right quick poll, how many of you have used the words ‘Transitional Period’ to describe Arsenal in the last two years. I’m sure most of you will have, I know I have. And this statement has certainly been true in the past. After the sale of talismanic front man Thierry Henry in 2007, only two years after the sale of Arsenal’s midfield general, Patrick Vieira is one obvious example. Results have backed up this evaluation too, I’m sure most of you have noticed that the trophy cabinet at Ashburton Grove has not been added to for five years now, even the likes of Pompey and (although it kills me to say it) Spurs have added more silverware to their collection than the North London club in the last five years.

However, if you were to say the words ‘Transitional Period’ to me now, I’d say you were wrong. This summer will mark three years without record goal scorer Henry and five years since Vieira moved onto pastures new and this year’s Arsenal squad finally looks like they have got over the loss.

Skipper, Cesc Fabregas has taken over Vieira’s roll as star midfielder, and although their roles in the centre of the park couldn’t be more different, Fabregas seems to have found an ability to motivate players just as highly as Vieira did. Plus in Alex Song, the Gooners have found a man who looks finally ready to fill Vieira’s shoes as the ball winner in midfield. Robin Van Persie has evolved into a world class striker and looks like a man who could easily bag 25+ goals a season, if he could only stay fit for more than 2 months at a time. The list continues on and on: players like Andrey Arshavin, Theo Walcott, Thomas Vermaelen, Samir Nasri etc show that Arsenal squad is steeped in talent.

Of course, as in any squad, there are still worries. Against just United and Chelsea, Arsenal conceded 10 goals this season, and the back 4s ability to keep out world class strikers has come into question. The goalkeeper position has also come under close scrutiny, with many suggesting that Manuel Almunia is out of his league in the ‘big four’ whilst under studies Vito Mannone and Lukasz Fabianski have been error prone when brought in as cover. It has also been questioned whether there is enough strength in depth at the club, especially up front.

With most clubs, you would expect big money transfers in the next transfer window to solve these problems; however Arsenal is not most clubs. It would not surprise me in the slightest if at the start of next season, there are no new big name faces in the Arsenal starting line up. This maybe because of Arsene Wenger’s faith in his youngsters or maybe due to the transfer kitty being as low as ever since the move to the Emirates Stadium, but Wenger will no doubt be tempted to keep his cheque book in his pocked for another season.

I’m sure many people will no doubt be backing United or Chelsea for this year’s Premier League title; however I’m not one of them. Call it bias towards my beloved Gooners, or a love to back the underdog, something has changed this year, most notably since the horror injury to Aaron Ramsey. Many compared the injury to Eduardo’s two years ago, but the reaction of the players this time is a stark contrast. Two years ago William Gallas threw his toys out the pram. Two years ago the squad fell apart. Two years ago Arsenal finished third. This time round players have vowed to win the title for Ramsey. This time round the injury has galvanized the squad. This time round Arsenal may just end their trophy drought.