Brian McBride on his relationship with the Fulham fans:
“It’s been special for a long time now. Every time I’ve ever met a Fulham fan they’ve always been genuine. They’re not afraid to tell you thanks for something you might not even know that you’ve done - that’s a very nice thing to have as a player.
“The fans were chanting my name when I got injured. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy period for me and they were still supporting me as I went off. I thought it was only right to say thank you in any way I could. I think we have some great fans that get behind the team extremely well and are supportive of players and that’s a good thing.
“I heard them when I was warming up on Sunday but at the time, with us going down a goal, it was more about me trying to get out there and my focus was trying to help us get back level and try and win the game. The reception was great and one I’ll remember for sure.”
The injury and rehabilitation:
“It was pretty crazy because as soon as I saw the ball go past David (Healy) I knew that it was just about the touch and the finish, but when I took the first touch I saw they were getting back across and I knew I had to put it with some pace. Right as I kicked it my quad tendon went and my knee cap went down. I knew right away that it was messed up, and to be honest with you I didn’t see the ball go into the back of the goal. I just saw the fans go crazy so I knew it went in, but I wasn’t in the most comfortable state at the time.
“It’s actually a very strange injury. I know a lot of people were talking about it being a dislocated knee cap, but it was a lot more than that. It was actually my quadriceps tendon. So your thigh muscle goes into a tendon that attaches to your knee cap that basically keeps your quad in contact, and it enables you to lift your leg. So, as that goes, it was a bit strange, but I’ve had a few things going on. I had a calcium deposit that was causing me trouble for about 9 months that I had two MRI’s on but never kept me out of any games, it was just niggly. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, maybe a weakening of the muscle that holds everything there, but all in all it was a strange thing.
“I don’t get any usual injuries, I get the freak ones. I fractured my face three different times. The last time, I didn’t have to get it fixed because the plates held it together some what. The first two were my orbital and my cheek, and the last one was just my orbital where I had just a minimal displacement. I just had a little gap between my nose and my orbital.
“I always said, up until this year, I’ve been very fortunate from the stand point that my injuries have been, sure flukeish and strange, but things that you can get past pretty quickly. The blood-clot one was a little different because it involved a lot more things and it could have caused a huge issue, but it didn’t, and within three months I was able to be back running, doing things, cleared to play. It’s one of those things that I don’t view as a bad thing more than a growing thing, just like this one is too. Anytime a clot can break off and go into your lung and cause a pulmonary embolism. So there were issues for sure, but they were warnings that didn’t happen so I don’t really think about it or worry about it.
“I think this latest injury has probably been the toughest in terms of length. Like I said, wih the others, I was back, within six weeks at the latest; at 3 weeks I was running. getting my fitness back. It was just that I couldn’t be involved in contact, or in the case of the clot, I was just on blood thinners and things like that. With this one it was more testing from just not knowing.
My knee is sound. I think when you do an ACL or an MCL, laterally you're in trouble, that’s the hardest part to get back. For me, laterally, from day one I’ve been fine. It’s just my knee strength and some explosive stuff that I need to get back, but that’s with time. And then you have the scar tissue and all that other stuff that basically comes with a knee injury. I’m still way more fortunate than many, many other players and other knee injuries, but you have a lot of just not knowing.
“From day one they told me it wasn’t going to be career threatening. I think time-wise we are probably ahead of where we thought we were going to be. Having said that I still have some strength to gain back and some sharpness of course.”
McBride on his future:
"
We came here originally thinking two and a half years. We signed for two and a half years saying, ‘Two and a half years, lets do it; it will be a great opportunity and a lot of fun.’ Time came and we said alright one more year and then last year we were trying to figure out the same thing and we did one more year and I think that’s where we are at right now. The fact that I just got back playing - we haven’t sat and talked about anything.
"There isn’t any more focus than what we originally planned at the beginning of the year. My wife and I are very close, and we talk all the time, and our kids are the most important thing to us. I think that decision probably will be coming down the road in a little bit but we haven’t changed any of our focus from what we have had in the beginning of the year.
“I think I have at least two more years in me to play, at least. I don’t know what anybody else thinks, but I have a lot of desire and I enjoy soccer still. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a decent amount of fitness and the fact that my knee is feeling better and better each day, stronger and stronger - I just can’t see why I would ever stop playing yet."
The 2007/08 season and Roy Hodgson’s impact:
“I think it’s frustrating that we weren’t getting results. To be honest with you, there’s plenty of time when teams play poorly and they win, and plenty of times in the beginning when things didn’t seem to be going our way, for one reason or another, we didn’t get the luck. Then for whatever reason we stopped putting ourselves into positions to finish games off, and I think that can weigh on you a little bit. That’s all in the past now; we have refocused with Roy here and the things he’s put to us. He’s brought in quite a few players that are very good and now it’s about us getting things right and getting out of the position we’re in.
“Roy’s got a lot of great ideas for coaching and it’s shaping up really well. I think he recognizes that our midfield can control things. With all the new players it’s going to be interesting to see how it transforms. Anything he’s done out on the training field, you can never have a problem with because your always like, yep he’s right. Out on the training field, there’s a lot of energy, the coach is very enthusiastic and it rubs off on players. Now it’s just up to us to put it in motion. So its good, it’s exciting for sure, and I think its going to be exciting for Fulham fans. Hopefully we’ll put things right.”
Ready to start:
“That’s up to the coach. I think my knee can do it. Fitness wise I’d be willing, definitely, my strength can get better, but my fitness is getting better every time. I think I’m able to do more; my running is much freer now, and much more normal than in the past. If he puts me in, I’m ready.
“The most important thing right now is that we win games, and if that involves me then that’s great and if it doesn’t and we’re winning then that’s good too. Of course I want to be out there playing but the most important thing for Fulham is for this club to be an extra year in the Premiership and to do that we have to start winning games and winning some continuously.”
