Dunfermline manager James McPake has expressed grave concerns about how head injuries are being handled in football. James witnessed first hand the concerning effects a head knock had on his vice-captain, Chris Hamilton.
“It wasn’t nice to watch,” James said of Hammy’s condition after the injury sustained early in the away win at Arbroath on 30th March when he landed on his head. “And it’s just another reason to mention just how important head injuries are and the management of them.”
A fully fit Chris returned three weeks later to play 90 minutes in the goalless draw against Queen’s Park. This was a relief to his manager who had watched the 22 year old displaying symptoms like being uncomfortable in crowds, unable to hold conversations properly at times, and having to leave situations when he felt overwhelmed. “It was weird and pretty uncomfortable to see,” James stated. Despite passing standard concussion tests, Chris’ symptoms persisted. “When you see that, you realise you need to be careful with players in that situation,” the manager cautioned.
James questioned whether elite players could have undue influence over returning too soon after head injuries. “At certain clubs, with certain players, could they have the influence to say, ‘I’m playing’?” he asked. He firmly believes more needs to be done across football to prioritise player safety with head traumas. “With football clubs right across the board, there can’t be a grey area with it. There’s got to be a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, and not a case of putting him into training and seeing how it goes.”
“That could expose the player to situations where they might feel uncomfortable or risking another head injury. It certainly needs more attention, there needs to be a more broad conversation across the game on this issue. Does it happen in every game? No. But the consequences of a serious head knock can be serious.”
Above: Chris Hamilton back in action against Queen’s Park
He criticised the typical concussion evaluation methods like counting backwards as insufficient. “If it’s your head and you’re passing these wee tests…then what are we doing?” James stressed that competitive results are insignificant compared to long term health ramifications. “You can win games of football, you can win league titles, you can win cups, but it’s all irrelevant if you’ve not got your health.”
James McPake firmly believes “more needs to be done, we can’t be taking chances. We need to be better…It’s something that needs to be addressed and people need to buy into it.”
Above: Rhys Breen and Chris Hamilton
