Former Chelsea FC club doctor Ralph Rogers has given his backing to manager Jose Mourinho in the ongoing debate over physio Eva Carneiro’s reduced role at the club.
Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho was furious with head physio Jon Fearn and club doctor Eva Carneiro after they rushed on to the field to treat midfielder Eden Hazard in the added time of last Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Swansea.
The decision by the medical team left Chelsea FC with just 8 men in a counter attack towards the end of the game, as per Mourinho.
Mourinho argued after the tie that Fearn and Carneiro should have recognized that Hazard was not in need of medical attention.
‘Carneiro should not have made the Facebook post’
Following the post match outburst by Mourinho, Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro decided to post a message on Facebook thanking people for supporting her.
It is that post that is touted to have sparked her removal from match day duties.
Former Chelsea club doctor Ralph Rogers told the Daily Mail: “Putting that ‘thanks for the support’ note on Facebook was extremely naive.”
“That would upset anyone. What was she trying to achieve there? Are you bigger than the manager? You’re never going to win, nor should you.
“Who’s to say when common sense prevailed and there was no more gasoline poured onto the situation then everything would’ve just settled down.
“But when you add the Facebook and continue with it there is no chance she is still the first-team doctor. You can’t do your job.”
Rogers backs Mourinho
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Backing Mourinho’s statement that the backroom staff should understand the flow of the game, Rogers said: “A head injury you run on — period, but you have to understand the injury and the game. I completely agree with some of the things Mourinho said.
“If you think that player is seriously injured and you got the nod [from the referee] you go on. You also have to understand your players.
“My personal feeling is that he was frustrated and those frustrations were deep-seated. They weren’t just ‘oh you ran on the pitch, you made a mistake.’ To be honest with you, you do have to understand the game. He has a legitimate point.”
Rogers quit his role at Chelsea FC in 2011 after the appointment of Paco Biosca as the Chelsea FC medical director, having played a key role in the backroom staff under managers Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas.
He is now medical adviser to the NBA, as well as being sports physician to Warwickshire County Cricket Club.