Interview with Premier League 1st Team Doctor (Doping, Preseason, Management pressure, Redlining)

[Raees]

Hi guys, so recently been conducting some interviews with people involved in and around the professional game and the first one is with Dr Zaf Iqbal - who started his career at Leyton Orient and then progressed to Tottenham Hotspur where he worked under Harry Redknapp and then to Liverpool, where he worked under Dalgish and Rodgers. He then moved back down to Palace for personal reasons (too much travelling) and is also the Co-Chair of the FA Medic Society. He also has treated other sports players such as Sonny Bill Williams and the Pakistan Cricket Team.

Questions I asked range from his background, to in-depth questions on whether doping is addressed seriously enough in football, to dealing with pressure from management on getting players fit. Should be a interesting and insightful watch for anyone interested in behind the scenes treatment of footballers at the highest level.

 

[0le]

I will try to give it a listen later.

Is this your YouTube channel?

 

[Raees]

I will try to give it a listen later.

Is this your YouTube channel?

Yep. Just in case the length of the video is putting people off - list of questions below (general order of issues touched upon).

Spoiler: Topics covered

Career at Tottenham

• How Did the Spurs Job come about?
• At Spurs you came in during the time of Martin Jol and just before harry Redknapp – can you explain how you progressed from academy Dr to first team dr in space of 8 months, how were you able to make such a rapid progression?
• Redknapp has the reputation of a brilliant man-manager? Was he the best man manager you’ve come across in football? What was his attitude to sports science – is he forward thinking?

Career at Liverpool FC

• How did the Liverpool job come about and why did you make the move?
• What was it like working for an idol of yours in Kenny Dalglish? What is his approach to the game in terms of tactics/man management? Is he the best Liverpool player of all time (who would be your top 5)?
• What was it like working under Rodgers – he seems a very switched on coach and very modern in his approach. Did you feel that ‘freshness’ in his approach compared to likes of Hodgson and Dalglish and what difference did he make? What is his approach to sports science?
• Why did you leave Liverpool and are you gutted you never got to work with Klopp and be part of this current era?

Career at Crystal Palace

• What is it like working at Palace, do you still get involved with staff games – have you dared to tackle Roy Hodgson?
• How important is that relationship between managers and medical staff, are you always on the same page or can these relationships be fraught with danger?
• How important a figure is Zaha in and around the dressing room? From a fitness angle, how high would you rate the likes of him and Wan-Bissaka now at united?
• Is there a big difference in terms of fitness levels from players competing for the title to those near the bottom of the table and which physical attributes tend to be the most different from elite vs very good footballers.

DAY TO DAY LIFE OF A SPORTS DR


Dealing with injuries

• What process do you follow when assessing an injured athlete? How player centric is it vs relying on data
• What is your general approach in healing an athlete – are you against surgery? Are you a fan of alternative methods, experimental treatment? I.E. trials v proven methods, too risky to try non orthodox methods
• How cutting edge is football – are you at the forefront of new medical discoveries?
• how often do players rush to get back before fully recovering from potentially debilitating injuries? Any good examples in your career
• im your experience as a doctor in professional football, what was the pressure like by the staff to get players back to full fitness in time?"
• How hard is it to get players to change their ways? Do they think they know better/hiring own personal doctors etc

Training/Off-Season

• Does the medical team of a club also give some inputs on training sessions? And if they do, what kind of inputs they usually give?
• How much input does the medical team have over training schedules and what content the session can have? How serious do managers take ‘redlining’
• What are the role of doctors and medical personnel during the offseason?
• Describe the process of a medical and tests you conduct? It seems like for the most part, everyone always seems to pass – why is that and do you think clubs should be more appreciative of the concerns raised on that players fitness.

Fitness of football players

• As a player like Zidane or Riquelme still far superior to your average semi pro footballer athletically, is there a base level of fitness needed to become a professional footballer?
• What do the staff and players need to order for the players to be physically capable of playing 2-3 high quality matches per week? Would love to hear routines, meal plans, recovery plans etc
• Do you have any input with Scouting i.e. passing on your observations if a player is fit enough to play for the club i.e. if they’re a youngster or playing at a lower level.

Miscellaneous

• I’ve seen that player relationships can be difficult – did you feel like players do not have enough respect for your role and cross boundaries i.e. subject of many pranks or is it simply par for the course in this job. Is this culture different across clubs
• Whats it like being chairman of EPL Dr’s group, what sort of stuff do you discuss? What changes have you made to the sport?
• Does football have a drugs testing problem? Are their sufficient enough measures in place to ensure compliance with WADA.

 

[adexkola]

Will definitely give this a listen.

 

[Cheimoon]

Good interview! And thanks for the summary of questions. I wouldn't have time to listen to all of it, but it was interesting to catch a couple of snippets that way.