Injury prone left winger Lee Cook’s luck shows no sign of changing – he has been ruled out until the end of September with a recurrence of his knee problem. Meanwhile Damion Stewart will not be going on the tour of Italy.
News:
The last three years of Cook’s career have been absolutely decimated by knee injuries. He missed the last few games of the 2006/07 season when John Gregory guided the R’s to safety but still scooped the club’s Player of the Year award. Since then Cook has had a frustrating year at Fulham where his knee prevented him making a single first team appearance, and then two years back at Rangers where he has only managed 36 starts.
Earlier this summer manager Neil Warnock spoke of the importance of a good pre-season campaign for Cook, who has been linked with a move to newly promoted Millwall this summer, but it seems he is to be robbed of any preparation at all by his troublesome knee once more.
Assistant manager Mick Jones told the Kilburn Times: “He's got the character to come through it again and I'm certain he will. Lee's already in the throes of rehab. It's unfortunate because he's had serious injuries before and this is the last thing he needs now - it's a bad time for him. It's difficult to say exactly how long he'll be out. We all like Lee and we're disappointed for him - he's a very dedicated boy and he's very popular in the dressing-room. He's shown tremendous character over his career. He's one of those players that everyone in the game respects because they know what he's been through and, as I said, I'm sure he will come through it again."
So while Cookie is back in the gym starting all over again the QPR squad is splitting into two this week, with Neil Warnock taking the first team to Italy and Ronnie Jepson taking the reserves for two more fixtures in the South West against Saltash and Taunton. Martin Rowlands is unlikely to play for either side as he continues to work his way back from torn knee ligaments. Damion Stewart is a surprise name in the second string squad – but the problem is not the fractured skull he suffered at the end of last season, more a work visa issue. Stewart was unable to travel to Sorrento with the rest of the team in 2007 immediately after signing for the R’s and the Jamaican has again been refused permission to travel by the Italian authorities.
Neil Warnock told the club’s official website: “Martin will continue his rehabilitation in England over the next week or so before he is pencilled in to see his surgeon the following week. He can't take part in any of the contact sessions at the moment, so it's pointless him travelling when he can do what we need him to do here. He's trained really well though and he's looking good, but we'll be upping the intensity in Italy and working on other things, so it's best he stays back and gets working hard ahead of his next check up.
“We're struggling to get a visa for Damion, which is a shame. We're still trying, but it looks like he'll have to stay back and probably play at Taunton with the Reserves on Wednesday and maybe again on Saturday."
The R’s have injury concerns over Paddy Kenny who pulled a muscle in the warm up at Torquay, and Leon Clarke who came off early with a twinge in his thigh, but both travel to Italy, as do Gary Borrowdale and Antonio German who played in the reserves at Borehamwood at the weekend. Rowan Vine is not included.
The travelling party in full is: Kenny, Cerny, Connolly, Ramage, Gorkss, Hall, Leigertwood, Buzsaky, Faurlin, Derry, Hill, Mackie, Clarke, Helguson, Ephraim, Parker, Borrowdale, German.
The reserve squad heading to the south west is: Rose, Putnins, Fitzsimmons, Brown, Waters, Oastler, Hibbert, Ehmer, Vine, Johnson, Bulmer, Harriman, Bewick, Doughty, Andrade, Pellicori
Former R’s:
Out of favour Bolton defender Danny Shittu could be set to link up with Ian Holloway again at newly promoted Blackpool. Shittu, recently back from aa failed World Cup campaign with Nigeria, has been told he can leave the Reebok Stadium by Owen Coyle and the News of the World says his former QPR manager wants to add him to his Blackpool side along with as many as eight other new faces.
Championship shorts:
- Ipswich midfielder David Norris says Town must discover scoring form if they are to succeed this season. No Ipswich player made it into double figures last season and they fired blanks against the weekend in a 1-0 friendly defeat at PSV Eindhoven. Incidentally, does such a fixture not serve to further underline the poor quality of our own preparation?
- Burnley’s attempts to hijack Norwich’s loan deal for Newcastle keeper Fraser Forster may have been scuppered by an injury crisis at St James Park.
- Scunthorpe defender Kenny Milne may be forced to retire after re-injuring his knee. The Scottish defender has made just eight appearances in two years for the Iron and is currently without a contract at the club.
- Hull City boss Nigel Pearson has lost new signing James Harper to injury just a week after signing him – he will miss the first three months of the season. The club has told Jimmy Bullard to find employment elsewhere as they attempt to clear his £40,000 weekly wage from their tab and free up cash for Sunderland striker Martyn Waghorn who Pearson had on loan at Leicester last season.