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Post by rememberhalifax on Nov 19, 2020 15:44:27 GMT
It is sad to hear and see the many great ex players struck down with Dementia. I have no idea what the total figures are and how they compare with say ex Cricketers, office workers, lorry drivers, and so on whose work did not involve the use of the head in the manner a footballer would to head a ball. It must be very difficult to prove to what extent football is responsible for there condition as use of heading varied greatly from player to player. For The likes of Nat Lofthouse and co heading was an integral part of there game especially in the days of lace up leather balls which weighed a ton when wet, though it is said that he would instruct the likes of Mathews and Finney to make sure when they centred the ball the laces were upper most so as not to come into contact with his head! Then you have some one like the great Sir Bobby Charlton who in all honesty was not renowned for his heading ability and hence it was not a major part of his game. Rovers greatest exponents of the art of heading were imho the likes of Alfie Biggs, Allan Warboys up front not forgetting Harold of course(titter ye not i am sure i remember Harold scoring with a header at least once!) and people like Stuart Taylor, Steve Elliot at the back all be it from a later era and lighter balls. What ever the reason for there condition i hope the PFA do the right thing by them , they seem to have plenty of money judging by the salaries of those running it. Where i disagree with the current campaign highlighting the problem is the emergence of the Legal vultures seeing vast riches to be earned with compensation claims, I do not believe those running the game or clubs years ago sent players out to play knowing that heading could cause them health issue later in life and there fore are not responsible, now of course as there is evidence to suggest it could be so, the powers that be may have to look at heading in a different light and make adjustments to the laws to combat it in order to prevent future compensation claims. Its going to get very interesting, if heading is banned would it detract from the enjoyment of the game or would we get used to it? What ever ,best wishes to all those ex players in difficulty and hope you all get the help you need and deserve.
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Post by rovers5charlton5 on Nov 19, 2020 15:49:54 GMT
Well said, and let's not forget former Rovers player Gwyn Jones who has just passed away for the same reason.
He was the player who was the whistle blower in the Rovers betting scandal back in the 60s.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2020 16:00:06 GMT
Kevin Moore very sadly passed away a few years ago after suffering with dementia. Also one of the best in the air I've seen
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Post by gregsy on Nov 19, 2020 16:05:08 GMT
It is a massive shame and (as you said) I think it was probably the older heavier footballs in fairness, the new synthetic ones are so light in comparison....
Surely a ban on headers can't be real though?
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Post by rememberhalifax on Nov 19, 2020 16:35:56 GMT
It is a massive shame and (as you said) I think it was probably the older heavier footballs in fairness, the new synthetic ones are so light in comparison.... Surely a ban on headers can't be real though? You never know, with the threat of compensation claims hanger over clubs and the FA they will have to somehow protect themselves from potential huge claims, perhaps players will have to sign disclaimers.
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Post by warehamgas on Nov 19, 2020 18:39:15 GMT
Well said halifax. I particularly liked the point you made on comparisons with cricketers. That would be a very good comparison. Watching as much cricket as football as I do you don’t appear to see as many cricketers affected by dementia. It’s good to see the latest intention by the PFA to start to look at the affects on footballers. But only if it leads to some real action. Cricketers have other problems but seem to be less affected compared to footballers. UTG!
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Post by lpgas1 on Nov 19, 2020 18:39:49 GMT
Kevin Moore very sadly passed away a few years ago after suffering with dementia. Also one of the best in the air I've seen I remember him heading the ball from the half way line in to the opponents box. He was a good player
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Post by gassa on Nov 20, 2020 11:59:46 GMT
I'm pretty certain Gordon Banks died from dementia? Surely his heading of the ball would have been negligible? An old lady at church from my dad's (born 1920) generation died from Alzheimers. I know for a fact she never headed a football. But then again, my dad did. He was a Western League footballer. It's a strange one this dementia.
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Post by rememberhalifax on Nov 20, 2020 12:22:08 GMT
I'm pretty certain Gordon Banks died from dementia? Surely his heading of the ball would have been negligible? An old lady at church from my dad's (born 1920) generation died from Alzheimers. I know for a fact she never headed a football. But then again, my dad did. He was a Western League footballer. It's a strange one this dementia. It is indeed a strange one and very difficult to quantify to what extent heading a football contributes to conditions in later life, but regardless of causes i still hope that those who need it get the help they require from within the game they contributed to without involving the vultures from the legal professions.
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Post by spiess1 on Nov 20, 2020 12:24:43 GMT
Do they consider that maybe it is not heading the ball that contributes to this but heading the bony parts of other players (eg clash of heads; elbows, shoulders)? - May explain why goalkeepers get it too. I've only seen footballs mentioned.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2020 12:39:08 GMT
Are Boxers more likely to suffer from this, they certainly take a lot of punishment to the head. I cared for my mum when she had dementia and the doctor told us it was likely connected to when she fractured her skull in a bike accident forty years ago.
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Post by gregsy on Dec 8, 2020 17:25:29 GMT
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Post by warehamgas on Dec 8, 2020 21:39:06 GMT
Yes, good idea. It seems to be a bit of a ticking time bomb at the moment. Authorities in all the sports affected are surely going to have to do something practical instead of just kicking the problem into the long grass and forgetting about it. That will mean doing something, not just talking about it or commissioning a report which takes months and is then forgotten. In this context actions speak louder than words. UTG!
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clovis
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Post by clovis on Dec 8, 2020 22:00:17 GMT
There is a very interesting documentary, from a few years ago now, about head injuries suffered by American football players leading to all sorts of problems including dementia later in life. It sometimes surfaces on PBS or similar, well worth a watch.
We live in a risk averse society and I suspect heading will be banned before too much longer.
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Post by Big Jock on Dec 8, 2020 22:03:17 GMT
There is a very interesting documentary, from a few years ago now, about head injuries suffered by American football players leading to all sorts of problems including dementia later in life. It sometimes surfaces on PBS or similar, well worth a watch. We live in a risk averse society and I suspect heading will be banned before too much longer. There’s a Will Smith movie about it “Concussion” showing why after years of investigation th NFL had ta act. I think th day will come when th FA also have to. safety should alwaes be paramount IMO.
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