DeVos the war horse

[canso]

Breaks my heart to see the suffering this guy has gone through over the years for club and country. He deserves at least a testimonial, if not a bronze statue. Who's with me for starting a collection?

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"In true Canadian fashion, the veteran defender finished the game with two broken ribs.

(CP) -- Canadian defender Jason deVos is no stranger to pain on the soccer pitch. But deVos' pain threshold reached a new high recently with Ipswich Town.

DeVos, 31, was attempting to shield a ball out of play when the chasing Cardiff City striker tried to get around him. DeVos was pulled down on top of him and landed on his hip or arm.

"It basically went through my ribs," deVos explained Wednesday. "I felt it and heard them crack. I was really struggling to breathe. So I knew that there was a definite injury there."

But deVos, who evidently has the constitution of a mule, kept playing. He took an injection at halftime and came out for the second half.

There was more pain in the dying minutes of the game when the Canadian was hit from behind.

"Their striker fell on top of me. I was in agony. I couldn't move for a good five minutes. They were contemplating having to stretcher me off and making a substitution. But I managed to get back on my feet and get back out there for the last couple of minutes.

"It was certainly a big relief when that final whistle went."

His next trip was to the hospital for X-rays, which confirmed two broken ribs.

"It's not a nice injury to have, but it could have been a lot worse," deVos said. "I could have punctured my lung, which would have cost me some serious problems. I would have been out for a much longer period of time. So I count my blessings in that regard."

After the Aug. 6 injury, the six-foot-four deVos couldn't sleep the first week because it was uncomfortable lying down.

"The pain you get with broken ribs is unlike anything I've ever had before," said deVos, who has played through a litany of foot and knee problems.

But he can sleep now and even managed to take his two young kids to the zoo Wednesday.

"It was the first day I could actually do anything with them, which has been tough on my wife to say the least," he said.

Ipswich manager Joe Royle says he is targeting Sept. 27 as a possible return date for deVos. That would mean a 10 game absense.

The former Canadian captain isn't so sure. He started some cardio work this week, but an attempt at running was "a little bit ambitious."

"It could be two more weeks, it could be four more weeks, you just don't know." "

[dbailey62]

He's a Canadian. Doug Gilmour crawling off the ice refusing all assistance after having blown out his knee, Stevie Yerman taking a puck in the eye and doing his damdest to skate off the ice before collapsing, DeVos must be a hockey player at heart!

db

[Cheeta]

Cracked ribs before. A whole row (playing hockey, Bailey). Horrible pain for a good week made worse by a dry cough at the time. It dosen't rain, it pours.

JDV is out for a while. No need to rush this.

He's a tough, duck but I think everyone knew that already.

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Cheeta

Cracked ribs before. A whole row (playing hockey, Bailey). Horrible pain for a good week made worse by a dry cough at the time. It dosen't rain, it pours.

JDV is out for a while. No need to rush this.

He's a tough, duck but I think everyone knew that already.

As the orignal headline said, he's a warhorse. Tough luck about your ribs. I stick to non-contact.

db

[The Ref]

Count me in. De Vos is the best we've had in the last decade.

[An Observer]

I noticed this at the end of the online National Post article, which was not copied here. Interesting comments about Atiba...

Ipswich, which failed to win promotion to the Premier League last season, is looking for redemption this year in the Football Championship, although the team has lost four starters to Premiership clubs in the interim (Darren Bent, Charlton; Shefki Kuqi, Blackburn; and Kelvin Davis and Tommy Miller, Sunderland).

Canadian midfielder Jaime Peters is part of the squad, however, and the 18-year-old has already got a taste of first-team football, showing well.

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Notes: Several top clubs including Chelsea and Birmingham have been watching 18-year-old Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson at Helsinborg in Sweden. But his agent, Barry MacLean, says it is unlikely Hutchinson will move during the transfer window that closes at the end of the month. A visa to work in Britain could be a problem, with clubs reluctant to pay a substantial fee without knowing he can indeed play for them. Austria Vienna, owned by Canadian entrepreneur Frank Stronach, is also interested in Hutchinson.

[canso]

"In true Canadian fashion" he says.

To continue that theme, in true Canadian fashion this warrior shows incredible courage and bravery and valour on the front lines while the beauracrats and politicians dither and bungle and make the sacrifice worth nothing in the end due to their incompetence and cowardice and cynical disregard.

How much would the commission of a lifesize bronze statue cost anyways?

Should capture that moment just after he scored against Honduras in the last WCQ.

[Guest Dave]

It must be expensive to commission a statue. I would be willing to contribute, but I really doubt we could raise enough.