Six to eight weeks out for Jimmy Bullard then. We can certainly cope with that.
When you consider that we all feared he was again out for a number of months and a healthy handful of our games over the next six weeks are unwinnable even with him playing, it's an acceptable prognosis.
We can beat Blackburn Rovers at the KC this weekend and Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok in our last game of 2009 without him, just as we did against Everton. In between, there are no-brainers at Arsenal and at home to Manchester United. And in the New Year, those write-offs continue with Chelsea at home, a trip to Tottenham Hotspur (though a fit Bullard and a misfiring Spurs would have made that fixture tastier) and another game against Manchester United, this time at Old Trafford.
Other than that, there's only the FA Cup tie at Wigan Athletic, in which he almost certainly would not have played anyway. Eight weeks, the worst case scenario, takes us to Wolverhampton Wanderers at home at the end of January, and to have Bullard back for that will be just fine. Indeed, there will be next to no point in taking any risks with him before that game comes around.
Phew. The Tiger Nation can feel very, very relieved.
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