IF we were to launch a worldwide search for the merest crumbs of comfort from Juninho's injury, we would come up with the usual observation that it gives someone else a chance, then perhaps reassure ourselves that it's not only the mollycoddled English who can't take the strains of modern professional sport.

Given the ever-increasing casualty rate, what must the insurance premiums be on someone like the £30m Rio Ferdinand, who is also crocked before the season has properly begun?

Forty years ago there was said to be a Wembley jinx because someone was usually injured in the FA Cup final. Otherwise, as in cricket and rugby, football teams fielded the same line-ups match after match.

Yet the old footage confirms that sportsmen in those days were positively puny compared with the highly-trained supermen of today.

They did, however, have the advantage of an inner strength, built up through spending much of their childhood on their feet instead of in front of a screen.

But more importantly the amateur ethos of sport for fun still prevailed and they weren't subjected to the rigours confronting today's professionals in their efforts to keep pace in an ultra-competitive world.

Cricket's casualty list has been astonishing this season, and four of England's five seam bowlers at Trent Bridge finished the match with injuries.

With the World Cup coming up in February, it is some consolation that the supposedly tough Aussies are also vulnerable, with Darren Lehmann now joining Martin Love, Brad Hodge, Jamie Cox and Ian Harvey as victims of hand injuries in county cricket this season.

Much more of this and the whole world will be calling for a return of free school milk and national training. Perhaps it's something all those freeloaders could discuss at the Earth Summit.

TALKING of casualties, who will be the first managerial one of the football season? Sadly, unless Sunderland can confound the doom-mongers Peter Reid will have to fall on his sword.

Only 20 months ago Sunderland were second to Manchester United and Reid was a hero, fashioning a successful team despite turning the Bank of England club into a bargain basement outfit.

But it took only an injury to Niall Quinn to start the rot, and the loss of Don Hutchison to accelerate it, and the slippery slope syndrome was in full flow.

Reid has been unable to appease the fans over the summer, and after being doused by someone's drink it is clear that he is much more thick-skinned than Jack Charlton.

It took only a few catcalls at a pre-season friendly at St James' Park for Jack to say: "I don't need this." And he was off, with only the adulation of the Irish to look forward to instead of the sniping of frustrated Geordies.

Reid vows he won't throw in the towel, but if Sunderland get off to a bad start he will have no choice.

ATHLETES also seem to be injured more often than in the past, as shown by the Commonwealth 100m final. So it was a bit of a worry when the two reserves for our 100m relay team went home before the European Championship final complaining about being poorly handled.

The remaining quartet were all said to have niggles, yet both they and the 400m men managed to keep going. Even more astonishingly, they got the baton round with barely a fumble to earn two thrilling golds.

THERE seems to be a nastier case than usual of trouble at t'mill at Headingley. Unless the members approve a doubling of the £5m overdraft Yorkshire will be declared bankrupt, and some might prefer it that way.

The more proud and stubborn of the breed would rather shift to Bradford Park Avenue than continue in debt to Headingley's owner Paul Caddick.

Yorkshire desperately need to persuade Caddick to give them a bigger share of the takings from the new East Stand, which has come in almost £2m over budget

Caddick's reluctance to let Yorkshire out of their lengthy lease at the ground was the main stumbling block to the proposed move to Wakefield, which now looks a much more attractive option than it did when first unveiled.

Opting instead to redevelop Headingley has turned into a nightmare and Yorkshire will be praying for five full-house days at the third Test starting next Thursday, for reasons both of finance and credibility.