Injuries can be so bizarre

12:50pm Friday 3rd October 2008

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Liam Lawrence has joined the long list of footballers injured in a most bizarrest way.

The Stoke midfielder did himself a nasty this week when he tripped over his dog. What is it with these players?

They don’t seem to be able to walk their pet, open a salad cream bottle, get out of the car or even, in Rio Ferdinand’s case, watch TV without pulling something painful.

I didn’t realise life was riddled with so many hazards. But obviously I’m not an expensively-paid professional athlete.

City fans will always recall Matt Clarke, the keeper not present centre half, getting injured on the morning of the televised derby clash with Leeds.

Geoffrey Richmond was not the only one who raised his considerable eyebrows at Clarke’s excuse that he had “slipped down the stairs”.

I remember something similar in my days covering Southampton when James Beattie allegedly fell from the steps of his yacht in stormy weather.

But there have been other even stranger episodes, like Ferdinand managing to strain a tendon in his knee because he’d put his feet up on the coffee table while watching the box.

His international colleague David James once pulled a back muscle stretching for the remote control. As anyone will tell you, television and England don’t match.

The kitchen can be just as dangerous. Former Barnsley defender Darren Barnard dislocated his knee slipping in a puddle of pee left by a puppy, Claus Lundekvam pulled his back reaching for a frying pan and brief City loanee Dave Beasant severed the tendon in his big toe when he dropped the salad cream on his foot.

Other ridiculous injuries include Kasey Keller knocking out his front teeth while pulling golf clubs out of the boot of his car and David Batty getting run over by his toddler’s tricycle.

But still nobody will ever top Norwegian defender Svein Grondalen, who came up with the ultimate excuse for pulling out of an international.

He ran into a moose while jogging.

Try getting that past the boss the next time you fancy throwing a sickie!