As soon as the transfer windows opens, players hop from club to club like excitable frogs on luxury lilypads. Some desert sinking ships, some follow the money and some get swept through the league.
In order to make these moves happen, however, they must submit themselves to a medical examination. But have you ever wondered what a 'medical' actually is?
Deputy Editor of ComeOnBoro.com, Elle Brunton, sat down with MFC's Head of Medical, Grant Downie, and Editor of the official MFC site, Mike McGeary, to get to the bottom of the mystery of medicals.
EB: We are always hearing about players passing or failing medicals when signing for new clubs but no one ever tells you what goes on. What exactly does a medical entail?
GD: Firstly, you don't pass or fail a medical. It is a risk assessment so it is not possible to pass or fail it.
EB: That is interesting because the media always report that this player or that player has passed their medical and the move is complete. Either that or the club cannot complete the move because the player has failed their medical.
GD: Yes, I'm not sure why they do that, it's just the media.
My job is to take a look at the player and give a recommendation to the powers that be but the manager and chairman might decide they want to take the risk.
It is not an exact science, a player could be fine but then they could break their leg. But with a four or five year contract, you work out the probability.
If you find an obstacle, you flag it up and then the player won't get a long term contract. However, the club might still sign the player if it's for a one year contract.
The whole process can take up to three days.
EB: So where do you start? What kind of tests does a medical involve?
GD: Well the first thing we do is ask for the playing records; how many games has the player played and how many has he missed?
We look at injuries, injury risk [in the future] and the number of operations the player has had.
You are trying to gather information but assessment is done on the balance of probability like in a [civil] court.
I always try to speak to people who know the player about their character and their attitude to performance, but you need to get the player's permission.
The big thing is the person. You want to know how much rehab they do for example. You're trying to build up a picture.
And then if they do sign, you have found out a bit about their character too.
Footballers play until 35 if they are lucky and then their body packs up.
You are going to get injuries, it's the nature of the job, but it is up to the manager and chairman to decide whether they want to take the risk.
But there are still things you can do. You can have written in the contract that if a certain injury finishes their career, then the contract is null and void.
We had a player here who had broken his leg but for two years he only missed two games.
You want to keep a file for them and how they move. Players are a little bit liberal with the truth and they forget. If you ask if they have a recurring injury, they might say "No, but my hamstring goes every season!" I don't blame them for that but it's up to us to find out.
A player who has regularly played 40 games a season is likely to carry on doing so.
Of course that [how many games the player has played] doesn't tell you everything. He might have not played because he's crap or the manager hasn't picked him or he's only eighteen and not ready.
All of this is done before you even look at him.
EB: So if the player is already injured, such as Stewart Downing going to Villa recently, will that alter the process?
GD: Yes. First of all, Aston Villa have to speak to us, and ask permission [for the player's medical file]. You need permission because the player owns their medical records, they are confidential. It is in the club's best interest to give them all the information we can.
It suits everyone to make it as simple as possible for them and the club. I would usually speak to the specialist in person.
If something does gets flagged up, you contact their specialist.
But if a player has a medical and the club decides not to sign him, his records are sealed. We don't have to hand it over to another club, it is up to them to find [the problem].
MM: You said it can take three days, can you walk us through the process?
GD: We start with muscular skeletal scanning; how the muscles look, how they move. That takes about an hour for the process. We do the patellas, both knees, hips, thighs, ankles, feet and groin...
Then blood tests, urine etc.
They don't have to do cardio if they have had them before but if they haven't, they do. Then it's eye tests and MRI scans, which take two hours and are done at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
That's day one.
On the second day, it's fitness tests. We get them stripped down to their pants and look at everything again. If he's injured at that time, like Downing currently is, you look at recovery times.
It takes three days because it gives us some time to request the medical files.
The players own their files, not the club, and on the third day, if there's a problem or you need a second opinion, that's the time to do it.
EB: Do they have fitness tests as part of it?
GD: It depends when they are going to play. Someone might sign on a Thursday and play on Saturday, or they might need two weeks, in which they'll have training.
EB: But what about pre-game fitness tests?
GD: They don't exist.
EB: Another media construct?
GD: Yes. It's just a chat and it's a good excuse for the manager to give himself more time. I don't blame them for that, it's a good tactic.
In twenty years I've seen maybe two what you would call 'fitness tests'.
Fitness tests exist and they don't. The manager knows who is fit and wants to play, the only time you might give them a quick run out is if they don't agree.
For instance the young ones can sometimes be a bit gung-ho and you know they won't be able to play and an older player might be worried they can't. A fitness test is just about making a suggestion about a player.
There's usually four who are carrying injuries [in a team's starting eleven]. Ultimately they play injured, it's their job.
MM: Are you influenced by the cost of the player?
GD: I'm not influenced by how much they are going to get paid, it's how long they are going to play for, the length of contract and the age of the player. It is the value of the player to the club.
EB: Before we go can I ask how you came into the job?
GD: Well, I was always pretty good at sport but not professionally good enough so I did a physio course when I was 18 and I worked in rugby, and then football. I've worked in sports medicine for over twenty years, a long time.
EB: Thank you very much, that was very interesting.
GD: I'll be interested to see how you write it up. The main things to stress are that it is a risk assessment and that, in the end, it is up to the manager and the chairman.
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 3/8/2009
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