Fantasy Premier League

Jeremy Spitzberg & Neal Thurman

Martin May Miss Start Of Season

Fri Jul 25 04:53PM

Obafemi Martins celebrates after scoring a goal for Inter Milan against Roma during their Italy Cup final football match at San Siro Stadium in Milan, May 2006. Damien Duff and Martins upstaged West Hams Argentina stars as their second-half strikes earned Newcastle a 2-0 win at Upton Park.

Obafemi Martins could miss the start of the 2008/09 campaign following the death of his mother.
 
The Newcastle striker has flown home to Nigeria to be with his family, with no indication as to when he will return.
 
Martins' mother reportedly died of shock after trying to escape when a petrol tanker caught fire near her Lagos apartment...

Martins will now miss the Magpies' friendly date with Doncaster on Saturday, while it is doubtful that he will join his team-mates at the club's training camp in Majorca next week.
 
As a result, he is likely to be a fitness doubt heading into the new season and Kevin Keegan may be forced to utilise his other attacking options during the first few weeks of the campaign.

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Sad news indeed and our best to him and his.   Martins has a history of disappearing from time to time, otherwise I wouldn't expect him to miss the start of the season.  But this does have a ring of truth to it for me.  Here's hoping the Duke is fit and looking to score some goals in one of his trademark "before the transfer window closes" flurries.

  • Comments1 - 2 of 2

  1. How much does fitness really decline in the summer months? Especially for players who feature in international tournaments, like the Euro players this summer?

    And for established players, like Martins, is it more getting accustomed to the form the manager/coaching staff want? Or something more?

    I could see this being a problem for Jo, a young, new arrival to the league/club and everything. But Martins? Lampard? Boswinga? Barring a major injury, do the players really stand to lose a starting roll if they're not in training from day 1 to August 15th?

    ouknowtgFrom ouknowtg on Fri Jul 25 08:53PM

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  2. My sincere condolences to Obafemi and his family on the demise of his mum.

    oladipo_faseemoFrom oladipo_faseemo on Sun Jul 27 09:59PM

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