Liverpool FC Forum

by **Leonmc0708** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:15 am

Kirkland setback rocks Liverpool

Liverpool's injury problems have grown after reports that goalkeeper Chris Kirkland faces a back operation that could sideline him for three months.

The Daily Mail says Kirkland, 23, who recently lost his first-team place, will undergo keyhole surgery on Friday.

If this is the case, he is unlikely to return before the end of March.

Liverpool only have 20-year-old Paul Harrison as back-up for keeper Jerzy Dudek, but have been linked with a move for Leeds' Scott Carson.

Kirkland's career has been blighted by injuries since he joined Liverpool from Coventry for £6m in 2001.

Last season he only played 12 times, breaking a finger and a wrist, and he has yet to play for England despite being called up to the squad several times.

From BBC website:

BBC i

This is terrible news for Chris, and could well have made Rafa's mind up regarding which of the more established goalkeepers will be off loaded when Carson (or alternative) signs.

by **Paul C** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:34 am

Don't get me wrong the lad is a good goalie but we can't afford to have him sat on the sidelines all the time cos what happens if Dudek gets injured?

by **jim_morrison_supported_liverpool** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:56 am

i agree, its a heartbreaking thing to say, but if i was Benitez i'd have to tell him to find another club. these injuries are just too much to be involved with a Premiership club like Liverpool.
this would be terrible news for him and sounds harsh, but i'm afraid there'd be no alternative if i was manager. (of course we'd have to be buying another for cover)

by **simic_ie** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:58 am

I agree, good and all as he is we just can't afford to have hom injured all the time. He's spent more of his time at Anfield injured than fit

by **Stan Laurel** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 12:12 pm

It is a disappointing new for Liverpool fans.........I agree with people of this thread that it is best for Kirkland to find another club and start a new fresh with the new club.

It is shame that Chris always get injured at Anfield because he is a very good goalkeeper and could have been one of best English goalkeepers for last 2 years if he stay free injury.

by **Cheesebeau** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 1:11 pm

I think he's a great keeper, its just unlucky for him that he's injured so much.

Possibly the best bet would be to sell him and bring in a replacement for him. At another club he might have a better start and in the long run it could improve his career.

It'd be a shame to see him leave though.

by **andy_g** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 1:23 pm

the fact that he's looking at surgery points to the fact that there is an underlying cause to all his back injuries. though it may lead to him missing quite some time, the operation could solve the persistant injuries niggles once and for all. its happened with other players.

lets be patient with the big guy before we write him off like an old racehorse, eh?

by **Redrider** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 1:43 pm

This is the same surgery that SG had. He might come back totally rejuvinated and reproduce the form that made him a star in the U21 Team.

by **parchpea** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 1:51 pm

We will be lucky to find a buyer for Kirkland. If we do it will be at a knock down price. The guy has been a complete and utter waste of money, another in a long list of failures. Not only has he hardly played a game but when he has he has let us down more often than not. So much for his potential. Add him to list with Richard Wright, Simonsen and all the other best young keepers in the country.

by **andy_g** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:02 pm

you don't like him then, parchpea?

by **stmichael** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:03 pm

the long term injuries to key players we have had over the last 18 months have been an absolute joke.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:01 pm

I really feel sorry for him, and wish him a speedy recovery. He's been genuinely unlucky since joining us, and should at least be given the opportunity to have the op and then show what he's made of before there's any talk of offloading him.

Fine, he's been injured before, but kicking him while he's down like that is akin to calling for Cisse or Alonso to be sold because they're not currently available for selection. The guy IS class, and will prove his worth in the long term. Remember when Gerrard was constantly injured and got dropped due to lack of form? Did some of you lot want him offloaded too?

by **7_Kewell** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:07 pm

the biggest injury for me this season is Cisse and Alonso...two key players who can change a game in an instant.

by **yckatbjywtbiastkamb** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:36 pm

ivor_the_injun wrote:I really feel sorry for him, and wish him a speedy recovery. He's been genuinely unlucky since joining us, and should at least be given the opportunity to have the op and then show what he's made of before there's any talk of offloading him.

Fine, he's been injured before, but kicking him while he's down like that is akin to calling for Cisse or Alonso to be sold because they're not currently available for selection. The guy IS class, and will prove his worth in the long term. Remember when Gerrard was constantly injured and got dropped due to lack of form? Did some of you lot want him offloaded too?

maybe it is his long term injury hampering him, but what i`ve seen of him he`s rubbish.
the newspaper hacks and gordon strachan can wax lyrical about him all they want but they`re not the ones losing the points.
i`d think benitez was on drugs if he persisted in playing kirkland after the spate of soft goals he let in.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 9:30 pm

His form has been poor, but I'd like to see him get an unbroken run - maybe 3 or 4 months - before writing him off completely. Keeping is a real confidence position, and once one soft goal goes in, nerves creep in and mistakes happen. Remember when Chris Woods went from a rock solid to a no mark? Thankfully Kirkland still has time on his side to get himself sorted. I back him and Robinson to really fight it out for the England no 1 slot in coming years.

For me, his sudden weight gain after he arrived really screwed him up. He needed to bulk up, but I think he put on too much in too short a period, and it's no coincidence that the injuries started to rack up soon after.

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