Rossiter having “hard time” in fitness fight

[Lloyd 10,756]

Rangers’ Jordan Rossiter having ‘hard time’ in fitness fight

Published: 06:00 Sunday 31 December 2017

There is unshakable conviction offered by Graeme Murty as to the supreme abilities that Rangers midfielder Jordan Rossiter possesses. There is a complete lack of conviction from the Ibrox manager over whether the club will ever see the true value of these talents.

The 20-year-old appears to be in the permanent grip of “mystery injuries”. He has made only ten appearances since his summer 2016 move from Liverpool. His issues seem to have centred on recurring back, hamstring and calf problems. These were supposed to have been resolved when Rossiter was able to start the season. He was involved in the Progres Niederkorn debacle, but by the end of August had broken down again and has not been seen since.

It would appear the physiology of the youngster’s body is at odds with the rigours of a professional footballer’s career. Murty says the Ibrox medical team are doing everything in their power to build the midfielder up body and mind, with fitness concerns that have dogged the player since his youth days at Anfield inevitably eating into his psyche. Only time – and a considerable amount of it – will tell if Rossiter can return. “He is going through a hard time,” Murty admitted. “Physically and psychologically. We are not sure where we are time-wise. We were looking at Jordan progressing. He’s not progressing as fast as we would like or, I’m sure, he would like.

“He’s getting fantastic support, though. Our medical staff are taking really, really good care of him. What we want to do is take away any performance anxiety or any other stresses that he has so that he keeps his focus on getting his body right and making sure he can maximise his potential.

“Part of the way to do that is to take away time limits, take away restrictions on it. And just make sure that holistically you look at everything in his life and around him that can put him in a positive place. [You can contrast it with] Kenny [Miller]. If you give Kenny Miller a timeline: you’re going to be out this length of time, Kenny would do everything he can do to chase that down because that’s his psyche.

“Because Jordan has had a harder time of it over the last couple of years, putting that time or that date in the forefront of his mind might lead him to fixate on that rather than listening to his body. And we just want him to get his body right. And when he gets his body right, then we will see him play.”

Murty suffered serious injury problems at the end of his career. He was sidelined for months on end and knows just how mind-messing it can be for a player to be caught in the vicious cycle of constant rehab without discernible results. 

“It’s difficult for the staff to help keep him upbeat,” the Rangers manager said. “I think one of the key components is not always the same voice. We’ve got two really good physios, our doc is outstanding. We have different coaching staff that are around him all the time. He gets a different variety of stimulus as well. We just have to make sure that when he walks in here on a morning, he’s walking into a place that can help. And he walks out of here at the end feeling as though he’s done himself good and is moving towards getting better.

“He’s been down to different places, he’s been to St George’s. That’s also a part of our care programme where we can send him to other trusted professionals, so he can get a different stimulus from different environments as well. Having been injured for 18 months myself, the monotony of it, the grind of it and the fact that it never changes can really wear you down. So we need to make sure we give him a variety of different stimulus.”

Rossiter is worth every ounce of effort believes Murty because he has a technical prowess in his passing that is to be marvelled over. 

“I am hopeful for him, hopeful that we can get him right,” he said. “I’m hopeful we can get him fit because if we do then we’ve got a really, really good asset, that deals with the football really well. He passes the ball brilliantly and has a fantastic pedigree. Look at where he’s come from and where he’s been already. So what we need to do is make sure we get him as fit as we possibly can. And we get him back on a football pitch. When you see it close, the sound he makes when passing the ball, just from a simple sidefoot is different. There’s just a resonance to it that’s great.

“Honestly. Similar to if you see someone who hits a golf shot it makes that wonderful sound when the pros hit it. It sounds totally different when we clang it down the fairway, slap it a wee bit. It’s like that. That sound, that resonance he has when he hits through it. I want him to have that in the forefront of his mind. That feeling of that’s what I want.

“We need to get him there and actually get him feeling the pleasure of playing football again.”

[BridgeIsBlue 66,606]

If he can't get fit between now and the summer we need to let him go. 

[Essandoh 21,208]

Regardless of whether you rate him or not, you’ve got to feel some sympathy for the lad. He clearly loves football and whatever it is that’s going on in the background I hope he gets all the support he needs.

I know nothing, this has no credibility, and I am not “in the know”, but I suspect the psychological reasons for his absence might be a bigger issue than is made out.

[Essandoh 21,208]

7 minutes ago, BridgeIsBlue said:

If he can't get fit between now and the summer we need to let him go. 

Agreed. It’s unfortunate but Rangers have to think business. The support has been and continues to be there for the lad but how long can we pay his wages for him not to kick a ball?

Its so disappointing. I was more excited about Rossiter than any of our signings over the last few years, including Alves, Dorrans and Morelos.

[MrMckee 3,424]

Understatement of the year 

[kingtom80 166]

 

                  we need players now,we cant be looking after them

                  for years,his time is up ,he has to go.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

I would never have guessed this. 

[Davy Vandenbroucke 26,179]

Just now, kingtom80 said:

 

                  we need players now,we cant be looking after them

                  for years,his time is up ,he has to go.

Fucks wrong with your keyboard  

[pcbear 10,913]

There is a top player in there if he can ever get fit, in the glimpses I seen of Jamie Ness I thought he was destined for the top but he was made of greenhouse glass, I fear we will never see the young guy as a regular for us.

[kingtom80 166]

 

 

                               its like me, getting old.

[Smile 26,610]

Quicker we get rid the better Liverpool couldn't get him fit neither can we.

[Negri's lovechild 14,074]

4 minutes ago, Bronzy said:

Fucks wrong with your keyboard  

 

5 minutes ago, kingtom80 said:

 

                  we need players now,we cant be looking after them

                  for years,his time is up ,he has to go.

I read that in the voice of Edward from the league of gentlemen. "Now, what's with all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here".

[Captain Hilts 12,819]

Time to cut our losses here I think. 

[STEPPS BOY 73,962]

Wont see him again until the players do their Christmas visit to Yorkhill next year.

[Big Al 55 9,253]

Hope the lad comes through it, sounds like we're giving him every opportunity.

[cushynumber 25,178]

we signed him on a 4 year deal in May 2016. We have no real option but to see if we can get him fit unless we can exercise some clause to punt him

[FSM 20,892]

Remember Seb Rozental?

[backup 4,724]

Son of Prodan.

[Big Al 55 9,253]

3 minutes ago, cushynumber said:

we signed him on a 4 year deal in May 2016. We have no real option but to see if we can get him fit unless we can exercise some clause to punt him

I think if he's not fit in another 12 months he'll retire. I'm sure he's very well insured for such a thing.

[JCDBigBear 10,825]

Ankle injury Feb 2015 missed rest of season.  October 2015 injured hamstring out until December.  Came back and injured hamstring again in first game.  Out for rest of season and dumped by Liverpool in May 2016.  We paid £250k for  basically an injured player on a 4 year deal.   Calf injury August 2016 and that was basically him out for the rest of the season with only 6 appearances.  This season 4 appearances and out with some mystery injury probably all season.   Farcical that we signed him on a 4 year deal.

[cushynumber 25,178]

Just now, Big Al II said:

I think if he's not fit in another 12 months he'll retire. I'm sure he's very well insured for such a thing.

why would he retire when he can sit on a treatment table for the next 2.5 years and pick up a wage?

[bluenoz 30,870]

really want to see it work out for this kid.

[FSM 20,892]

1 minute ago, cushynumber said:

why would he retire when he can sit on a treatment table for the next 2.5 years and pick up a wage?

I doubt he would want to do that. A deal would most likely be made to terminate his contract.

[cushynumber 25,178]

Just now, FSM said:

I doubt he would want to do that. A deal would most likely be made to terminate his contract.

As a pro footballer, thats his living. Plenty of players have done it to us in the past.

[KingKirk 25,653]

Feel for the lad