It ain't easy being Green as a-Paul-ing injury ends season!!
Wednesday, 6th Apr 2011 12:19 by Daniel J Sewart

Today DCFC announced that their worst fears were true when a vital part of their midfield machine succumbed to a long term injury. Paul Green will miss around 9 months of football action just when we needed him most.

The official site reported today that Green had ruptured his ‘anterior cruciate ligament’ and the ‘medial collateral ligament’ of his right knee.

At 27 years of age Green has suffered various injuries in the past but this time around it is one of the most serious injuries a sportsman can have.

There is no guarantee the knee will ever be the same upon return and quite often their can be a re-occurrence of the injury if the player is not treated with kid-gloves.

Green is showing his determination to make a full recovery by postponing the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction which will allow his medial ligament time to heal.

It will be a painful period for the Republic of Ireland international until he can go under the knife but on the advice of the Rams specialist, he is going about things in the correct manner to give himself the best chance of a full recovery.

This type of injury usually means anywhere from six to twelve months out of action, depending on how well the knee recovers, responds to treatment and being able to successfully rebuild strength and fitness.

Rams Captain Robbie Savage was quick to lend words of support to his team mate:

"I'm absolutely gutted for Paul, he has had a great career up to now and what you see is what you get with him. In the last year he has established himself as an international player, which is a great achievement.”

"Greenie is one of the nicest guys you will come across at Derby County, and in football. He works his socks off in every single game and it is terrible news for him.”

"I was next to him on Saturday and it was pretty clear it was a bad injury; it was not nice. It will be a long road back to fitness for him, but he is a fantastic professional and if he applies himself in his rehabilitation like he does on the pitch, he will be fine."

"He might not like playing right-back or the right-hand side of midfield, but he will go out there and give his all for the team, which is most important. He will put the team first and that's the sort of character is."

Rams fans will miss Green’s endeavour and undeniable efforts on the pitch and RamZone would like to wish Paul Green all the best for his treatment and subsequent recovery.

In other injury news it seems the diagnosis on left-back Gareth Roberts was much more positive. Initially it was thought his injury could have been in the serious category as well but it seems he has escaped with medial ligament damage.

Roberts looks like missing at least the next two matches with Coventry City and Leeds United but if his recovery goes to plan may be back in the mix for the televised match against QPR on April 18th.

There could be no worse time to lose two very important players who have become integral in the team’s run home.

Even though Derby seem reasonably comfortable in the race to avoid relegation, sitting nine points above the drop zone with eight matches remaining, survival is not assured.

The fact that the team has now lost it’s only recognised left back for at least a couple of matches and their cover for right – back (and pretty much any other position), only puts more pressure on the squad as they try and plug the gaps.

At least with the availability of Anderson, Bailey and Leacock the squad is not short of midfield and defensive cover but in saying that, we have seen what can happen when you are forced to play your players out of position already this season.

Let’s just hope that this time around it works out a little better.