Confidence
After the operation on my ankle (notable for a return to the whoozy euphoria of general anaesthetic), which removed all the nasty floating bits, it was all a bit too straightforward. There was none of the easy-does-it, one-step-at-a-time after-care of my knee op. And it was frankly disappointing to get to hospital at 8am and walk out by about 3.30pm, with not a crutch in sight. How was I meant to skive off work if there was nothing wrong with me? Eh?
One upside was the lack of an endless regime of physio exercises. I was pretty much told to get fit, run on it when it felt OK, and then start playing football again if I fancied it. That's the kind of physio instructions I like - none of this 20 hamstring catches, 3 times a day rhubarb.
So, I spent the next few months getting kind-of-fit again, revisiting my wobble board but mostly getting drunk and generally having a right ol' summery time of things. And then, by October, I was back in the swing of five-a-sides (after some very hesitant warm-up games, where I did little but stand in goal and wonder whether I'd ever have the confidence to kick a ball in anger again). And then it was all a matter of when to time the Big Return.
Like most things in life, playing football after an operation is all down to confidence. Confidence in your restructured limbs to withold whatever comes their way. Confidence that you can actually still play with any kind of skill (Hmmm, might have to wait a while for that one). And confidence that the opposition don't really want to maim you every time they come near you. And the longer you leave it (in my case, over two years), the longer it's going to take to get that confidence back.
I wasn't in any hurry at all to get back and playing for the Street. I still felt that every time I went for a header my knee would go the wrong way when I landed, like poor ol Michael Owen's. But I also knew the longer I left it the harder it would get, so one random Thursday, when the call came out for the team on Saturday in December 2008, I thought I'd throw my name in the hat, and my hat in the ring.
I say 'throw my name', what I actually mean is 'very tentatively say that I could maybe come on as sub for a few minutes right at the end if we're really short'...
One upside was the lack of an endless regime of physio exercises. I was pretty much told to get fit, run on it when it felt OK, and then start playing football again if I fancied it. That's the kind of physio instructions I like - none of this 20 hamstring catches, 3 times a day rhubarb.
So, I spent the next few months getting kind-of-fit again, revisiting my wobble board but mostly getting drunk and generally having a right ol' summery time of things. And then, by October, I was back in the swing of five-a-sides (after some very hesitant warm-up games, where I did little but stand in goal and wonder whether I'd ever have the confidence to kick a ball in anger again). And then it was all a matter of when to time the Big Return.
Like most things in life, playing football after an operation is all down to confidence. Confidence in your restructured limbs to withold whatever comes their way. Confidence that you can actually still play with any kind of skill (Hmmm, might have to wait a while for that one). And confidence that the opposition don't really want to maim you every time they come near you. And the longer you leave it (in my case, over two years), the longer it's going to take to get that confidence back.
I wasn't in any hurry at all to get back and playing for the Street. I still felt that every time I went for a header my knee would go the wrong way when I landed, like poor ol Michael Owen's. But I also knew the longer I left it the harder it would get, so one random Thursday, when the call came out for the team on Saturday in December 2008, I thought I'd throw my name in the hat, and my hat in the ring.
I say 'throw my name', what I actually mean is 'very tentatively say that I could maybe come on as sub for a few minutes right at the end if we're really short'...
posted by Badger at 10:05 PM
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