Cheesman
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Despotovski out for a month | Quote: | PERTH have been dealt a hammer blow o the eve of the A-League season, with the news that 2005-2006 player of the year Bobby Despotovski will miss at least a month with continuing back problems.
The striker, who scored eight goals last year in claiming the Johnny Warren medal for the player's player of the season, underwent an off-season operation in a bid to ease continuous back pain.
But he failed to make the trip to New Zealand for last week's pre-season game, and he will miss this weekend's trip to Melbourne - as well as Glory's first three A-League games.
Perth coach Ron Smith said Despotovski, 31, would undergo another procedure on his back today.
"He's got to have some complete rest after the procedure, and then we are going to try and do what we can to get him aerobically fit," Smith said.
"We will monitor how his back copes with the training, so that will be a week-to-week proposition.
"When people have got back (problems) it makes it a little bit more precarious with all the travelling we have to do.
"It is not a good scenario, living in Perth and playing football, if you've got a dodgy back."
Former Queensland defender Tyler Simpson, who stands 198cm, has been signed on a short-term contract to take Despotovski's place in the squad.
Simpson, 21, was the tallest outfield player in the A-League last year.
Glory has been dogged with injury and illness since Smith's arrival, preventing any consistency in its build-up to the A-League opener against Roar on August 26.
Marquee signing Stan Lazaridis has recovered from the virus that prevented him playing for Australia against Kuwait last night, and he will play some part against Melbourne on Friday night.
But Simon Colosimo, Jamie Coyne and Jason Petkovic have all been sidelined with various injuries during pre-season, whilst David Tarka is only just recovered from almost two years of hamstring troubles.
"We have actually got three fit subs this week, rather than being like Dad's Army," Smith said.
"So it's on the up and I knew it couldn't last what has been going on.
"The three away trips we have lost someone on match day or on the day we have travelled." |
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