Hart and Kolo will react the right way

MANCHESTER City kit manager and former Latics star player Les Chapman writes for Chron Sport.


JOE Hart and Kolo Toure suffered a lapse in concentration against Blackburn, which led to Nikola Klasnic scoring in the 1-1 draw with City at Eastlands.

After the game Hart and Toure reacted well. They are professionals who will dust themselves down and move on, because that is what you have to do. Dwelling on it can only lead to more mistakes.


GERARD Houllier is on his way back to the Premier League with Aston Villa.

He splits opinion among players but the French Football Federation obviously rate him, and he won a lot of trophies for Liverpool. There is no reason why he cannot repeat that success at Villa Park, given time.


INJURIES to high-profile players often spark the debate about whether modern-day boots offer enough protection.

While many boots are very flimsy now, I still think twists, turns and pulls cause the vast majority of ailments.

One company did have to recall their footwear recently when it transpired the slightest kick to the foot left players needing stitches! But that was a one-off and the problem was rectified.

To be perfectly honest, there are more injuries these days because football is quicker, more intense and much more competitive than it used to be.

In my day, we would play a full 90 minutes carrying injuries that in the modern game would rule you out of the match-day squad altogether.

The entire mentality has changed. Now top flight clubs have nutritionists, there is much more emphasis on monitoring physical condition.

City players of days gone by like Andy Morrison, who suffered with a recurring injury, would probably have benefited from the new types of treatment.

These changes were always going to be made when football became such a fast-paced, competitive environment.