Players from Anfield could come to Malta to recover from injuries

It is not that long ago that UK clubs used to view the physio's role as a token job offered to a valued ex-player.

Often, there wasn't even the need for them to hold qualifications. After all, their job basically involved giving the players a rub down before the match and going on to the pitch with the fabled 'magic sponge' with which they used to treat injuries ranging from a mere knock to a broken foot.

Nowadays that is no longer the case as clubs can no longer afford to leave anything to chance, least of all their squad's medical well-being.

This change in mentality was brought into focus by Dr Mark Waller during a recent lecture at the Hotel Fortina.

"Apart from myself, we have two full-time physiotherapists and two masseurs looking after the first team squad.

"We also have another doctor and two other physios who look after the academy players," explained the Liverpool FC team doctor a few minutes after concluding a presentation where he also gave an overview of the impressive state of the art facilities that are used to treat the likes of Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard.

Dr Waller first went to Liverpool in the 70s as a medical student and soon found his way on to the Kop. Little did he imagine that one day he would end up working for the club.

"I've been at Liverpool FC for 15 years now. At first, I looked after the reserve team and then after four years I was given the first team which was in 1993."

Looking back, his current job is quite different from his initial calling.

"My background was in immediate care but eventually I got interested in the area of sports injuries and did training in that," he said.

His experience in the provision of emergency care would prove crucial during half-time of Liverpool's encounter with Leeds United on Saturday, October 13, 2001 when Gerard Houllier was rushed to hospital with a ruptured aorta.

Having just about managed to deliver his half-time talk, Houllier could no longer bear the pain in his chest so much so that he went to the treatment room where he found Dr Waller.

The club doctor examined Houllier's blood pressure and immediately realised the gravity of his condition. He summoned an ambulance and told a colleague to call the manager's wife Isabelle and friend Norman Gard. It took 14 hours of intensive surgery to repair the aorta but Dr Waller's instant reaction was perhaps vital in saving Houllier's life.

Asked about what happened that day, Dr Waller was visibly uneasy. He shies away from exalting his involvement in that episode and instead opts to take the view that he was simply doing his job.

"It is difficult for me to speak about an individual case like that," he said.

"I think that Gerard has been quite public in stating the importance of having someone present who knew what to do. It didn't matter whether it was me or someone else, just that there was someone with the appropriate training who could do the right thing."

Same treatment

Such a belief is echoed in Dr Waller's conviction that it is his duty to treat all the players equally and afford the same attention to the individual regardless of his standing.

Players from the youth teams will receive the same treatment that would be afforded to Owen.

"I think that if you treat anyone because they are a superstar, you are likely to get it wrong as you might do things because of who they are instead of trying to get them back on to the pitch.

"Personally, I'd like to think that a youth player gets the same treatment as any member of the first team. They definitely shouldn't get second class treatment."

During his stay in Malta, Dr Waller tried to share his knowledge with local coaches and physiotherapists.

Yet, while it is undoubtedly important to take in what people with such experience have to say, there is a significant difference between the local situation and that in England: very few Maltese players have the luxury of training on the grass pitches available for the English counterparts.

Even so Dr Waller refutes the assumption that playing on a hard surface is in itself a cause of more injuries.

"Both have their issues," he said. "You mentioned the problems with hard pitches while with the grass there is the problem of having boggy pitches that can in turn cause injuries. It's swings and roundabouts really."

If the playing facilities aren't always of the same standard as those found across England, the same cannot be said of our supporting amenities.

"Absolutely splendid. I've had a look around and they are superb," said Dr Waller of the facilities at the Hotel Fortina.

And he seems willing to back up that endorsement by considering the possibility of sending to Malta any players that are coming back from injury.

"We're always looking for areas available for players rehabilitating from a long-term injury. What we wouldn't want to do is to put any player with an injury on a flight: you don't want a player with an ankle injury to sit on a plane for three or four hours.

"So, I think that those injuries which are going to heal quickly we'll try to treat back home. But for those with longer term injuries we do use other facilities and in future we will certainly consider the extremely ideal facilities that I have found here."