News of Tom?

[oldcolner]

Any developments, some rumours of him being out for quite a while on other sites?
Rather worrying.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

6-8 weeks is the message.

[oldcolner]

6-8 weeks is the message.

That's great compared with February!!

[In Dyche We Trust]

some fans on here not worried- we have The Pope in our side-

[exilecanada]

I’d think 6 – 8 weeks is a rather optimistic estimation for footy player, particularly a goalie.

I pulled the following off the ‘net:

You can stop wearing the sling after a few days, but it takes about 12 to 16 weeks to completely recover from a dislocated shoulder. You'll usually be able to resume most activities within two weeks, but should avoid heavy lifting and sports involving shoulder movements for between six weeks and three months.

I really hope ‘The Pope’ is up to the immense challenge ahead, otherwise we could be in deep sh*t. Not only is he replacing a top goalie, he’s replacing our on-field heart and soul.

IMHO we should have had Shay Givens signed, sealed and delivered some time ago.

[sinkov]

If Lee Grant can cope in the PL, so can Nick Pope.

[outwoodclaret]

Can't see Tom being rushed back so we have Pope and Legzdins to cover in his absence and hopefully they will manage that.

[exilecanada]

If Lee Grant can cope in the PL, so can Nick Pope.

A valid point for sure, however Lee Grant has extensive experience in the upper two divisions. There’s no substitute for experience, particularly with a goalie.

As a footnote: I’m not knocking ‘The Pope’, good luck to the lad, just trying to emphasize the importance of an experienced goalie. Raw talent is one thing, experience is an attribute gained with years in the game, especially with a goalie.

Peace

[blueheeler1]

A valid point for sure, however Lee Grant has extensive experience in the upper two divisions. There’s no substitute for experience, particularly with a goalie.

As a footnote: I’m not knocking ‘The Pope’, good luck to the lad, just trying to emphasize the importance of an experienced goalie. Raw talent is one thing, experience is an attribute gained with years in the game, especially with a goalie.

Peace

So far the talk about Tom has seemed like the elephant in the room.

Very little said about his injury in the post game comments and little sign of future game concerns without him until now.

It could be that we now adopt a very cautious and defensive game plan for a while covering Pope. Letting him grow into the Prem and avoiding sole -destroying losses.

Doing exactly what I hoped we wouldn't do but having to acknowledge pragmatism.

Our extreme caution against Palace may well have been the result of the second half team talk to go more defensive.

Mildly interesting that Pope is preferred over Legzdins.

As someone looking in I thought Legzdines would be the second goalkeeping preference being a little older than Pope with seemingly more experience but that comment is without much knowledge of the player or how he has performed in his limited opportunities for us.

But good luck to Pope. Hope he has a great career with us and grows into this great opportunity. And why not?

[Turfmoorspirit]

Out for several months according to the telegraph..