Fraser Kerr

[dawlishmatt]

I am puzzled at the decision to release Fraser Kerr from his contract and allow the player to sign a permanent deal with Chesterfield when we are struggling to field a fit starting 11 each match. Very confusing.

[Uptongull]

It said his mental health was suffering as a result of being stuck in the lodge and unable to visit family due to having to adhere to covid bubble. GJ probably didn't want any negative influences around the camp. If someone not happy move him on. But I agree he seemed a decent player when he had his chance.

[culmstockgull]

Considering we have being paying his wages to sit in his digs then I do not understand why he could not have given us a few games until others come back to fitness, he is obviously fit or else chesterfield are not going to sign a crocked player.

[slay1373]

Added to the fact we have signed Lewis on a permanent, seems sensible, releases wages for someone else or to reduce budget.

[brucie]

Well he did manage 5 games for us . A total waste of money along with Warren and co. Its been said that he did visit his family but never came back to Torquay which seems to be nearer the mark.

Obviously failed to realize that Scotland was a long way from Torquay when he signed for us. As I say he wasn't playing because he wasn't here - you couldn't make it up.

[dawlishmatt]

If brucie is correct and he has not been in Devon for several weeks, i hope that the club furloughed him and did not pay his wages.

[brucie]

One would hope so but I somehow doubt it . Think he hasn't been here for quite a while longer than that.

Whether he did have an injury or not I don't know, but if he did it was never commented on or indeed disclosed. I guess if he was struggling with an injury, and being away from his family, and lockdown then one thing on top of the other wouldn't have helped.

Given that he's gone straight into Chesterfields team last night, was fit to play etc etc, then one would think he would have been fit to do so when we desperately short of central defenders in the past three weeks or so.

You would have thought we could have used him for a few games even if he was trying to sort out another club. As has been reported elsewhere it looks for all the world that he hasn't been here for ages.

[Chrisjb66]

Gone and forgotten. Not the best signing!

[Forest gull]

If it was part of the deal to get Scott Boden here, it could
turn out to be a good bit of business.

[Dazza]

He was slow and obviously his attitude was wrong. Don't see he would have turned our season back on. There are others on our injury list who would. We just have to wait and see whether Lady Luck ever returns from the Borough of Sutton.

[Dave]

There really is no need for anyone to be so disparaging towards any of our inured players, or in this case Fraser Kerr. For a start if we look at the delayed start to the season, interrupted pre-season schedule, which started, then was postponed, before re-starting to what was a shortened pre-season period, couple this with the number of games coming on top of each other the large number of injury problems that is the case at many clubs this term, not just our own, its sort of explainable.

But if we must persist with this tone, maybe we need to look closer to home, what sort of medical checking procedure do we have before offering contracts to incoming players, what sort of medical care do the players when injured ? Anyone who was at Yeovil away last season bore witness to the treatment Kalala got, when being made to walk 3/4 's of the pitch, with an ankle injury he couldn't put any weight on, without aid or support, has to wonder.

Now lets get onto Fraser Kerr, us TUFC fans should know better than most hear shouldn't we, with both Martin Ling and Billy Kee being former stalwarts of our club.

Its been alluded by a few people that Fraser Kerr didn't settle in this area ( how do you know unless you try) and in turn this may have had an effect on his mental health, well if this is the case, and to be fair I don't know, then he may not have had a physical injury but none the less would not have been fit to play.

If our club allowed him to go home, and assisted him to get a move where by he could continue his career closer to his family, then all I can say is a massive well done to everyone at our football club for doing so.

As side issue but important, the suicide rate amongst men, particularly young men in this country is appalling. Some things are bigger than football.

[dawlishmatt]

forevertufc. The point I was trying to raise was that we have struggled to field a fully fit starting 11 for many weeks due to injuries. brucie made the point that Frazer Kerr has for several weeks been living back home and not at the TUFC Lodge. If he indeed has mental health issues, then I fully support his decision to return to his family and find a club near to his home. I do not agree however that his absence should affect the squad long term as it obviously has. In my opinion he should have had his contract terminated when he, for whatever reason was unable to fulfil the obligations of his contract.
To me personally, I believe that he's made the correct decision for himself. This would have made funds available for the manager to sign a replacement weeks ago if what brucie says is correct.

[brucie]

I don't see why it isn't reasonable to comment on the injured players because its patently obvious that we are not getting any return on our investment from some of our squad which in turn is seriously damaging our promotion prospects as we are clearly not being able to field a fit for purpose team.

I don't see that the Ling/Kee situation as any relevance to Kerr's disappearance with a mystery injury, or any other issues (if indeed he does have any)

As fans we can only see what is in front of us - Kerr signed for Chesterfield, so firstly he must have passed a medical with them, and secondly despite not being fit enough to play for us for 3 months, he's then fit enough to go straight into their first team. That just seem vaguely bizarre to me.

What is the mystery injury to Gary Warren? Last spotted walking off the pitch in the last minute at Notts County. Hardly appeared to have done anything serious to himself. Johnson (not me) said he was almost fit about three weeks ago. Since then he hasn't been seen or heard of. No comment on what his injury is. You'd be forgiven for thinking that there might be some issue with him as well perhaps?

Mind you he managed the sum total of ZERO appearance for Exeter last year as he was injured (is it just me or is there a pattern appearing here)

The there is Little/Moxey who its been reported maybe making a return on Saturday which should bolster the squad somewhat. Anyone care to bet how long they will be available before they return to the treatment table.

Whilst I know that injuries are part and parcel of the game the value we have got out of the aforementioned players has been non existant.

[culmstockgull]

I agree with Brucie that it is totally legitimate to comment on all injuries, whether physical or mental, they both prevent the player giving of their best, the taboo that some surround mental illness precludes it ever becoming a subject we can all talk about, it should be a conversation as common as
discussing a hamstring issue, albeit more long lived, when that time happens we will cease to portray people as being different to anyone else.
I have just read an article where Johnson maintains we have been very unlucky with injuries, and our excuse for the amount of injuries last season was, you've guessed it, bad luck. This is the sort of garbage coming out of a club that makes my blood boil, it is not unlucky when the same players have recurring and similar injuries, it is not unlucky when a player has a knee injury and it takes over five months to find a piece of bone floating about , it is not unlucky when the club cannot or will not account for why certain players disappear of the radar, not apparently injured but not considered for selection. I believe we have all come to understand that Torquay wishes to be considered a league club in waiting, and our pre Christmas performances gave us unreasonable expectations whereas the bookies and pundits had us on a mid table finish, If part of the test of a league club is the management of injuries and their continuing prevention , not acquiring players with a known history of regular injuries, then we have a long way to go to fulfill this expectation.