14 weeks we went without Lyle Taylor in the squad, it was a long 14 weeks as we had only won twice since he was gone against Leeds United and Derby County who are not easy oppositions to get past.
Taylor provided the assist for Macauley Bonne’s second of the game, but Lee Bowyer stated that he should not have let Lyle Taylor play a full 90 minutes after being out injured for so long.
Obviously he could have done more damage to himself, but the thing is we don’t have anyone else to put there and that is the harsh reality of it.
Charlton manager Lee Bowyer spoke with The News Shopper about Lyle Taylor and here is what he had to say
“Lyle Taylor should never, ever be playing 90 minutes [after] 90 minutes. Never, ever. He’s been out for 14 weeks.
“When you’re out six weeks, in pre-season you have four or five games to build up to play 90 minutes. Lyle Taylor has just been chucked in. ‘There you go, you have to play 90 minutes’. We have no players.”
Bowyer also continued to talk about youngster Josh Davison as he awaits a chance in the first-team.
“Josh Davison on the bench, another young kid. What, do you take Lyle off when you’re losing 2-1 with 20 minutes to go? The place would erupt!”
Bowyer certainly had his hands tied when it came to making that decision, it would have been met with angry voices and raised eyebrows so it was best for all parties that Taylor stayed on the pitch.
Playing this full 90 also gave Lyle a great amount of fitness and minutes to put into the bank, he will be back stronger after getting through the next few games, but we need to finish those first.
Our injury situation has to go beyond bad luck and whoever owns Carlton (either Roland or hopefully eventually ESI) needs to understand WE NEED PLAYERS.
The situation has been the same for the too many seasons now. As an owner of a football club owner you have a duty of care to your staff, including the players. Expecting Lyle Taylor to play two consecutive games of 90 minutes after 14 weeks out is not acceptable. It does not allow time to fully recover and build up match sharpness. It is the same with the likes of Jonny Williams, Chuks Aneke and Lewis Page.
With such a small and fragile squad you also have to look at the intensity of your training as well as the ability of your medical staff. Its about time Bows, Jacko and Co got some REAL support from above