"I have problems with my whole body for the last two weeks, my back and now I have hurt my Achilles tendon. I am taking pills so I can play, five before every game. I play but I cannot train at all. That's why I skipped matches against Manchester City and Burnley."
Those are the words of Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren about breaking the pain barrier in order to play and his words are particularly illuminating when the case of another defender with Liverpool connections is brought up.
Ex-Denmark international Daniel Agger retired last year at Brondby in his homeland and explaining his decision in a Guardian article, he revealed the toll that taking too many painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs had on his body as he tried to get through games.
Tonight, Joe and Kevin delved into the topic of painkiller use in footballer and they were joined by Kev's former Ireland team-mate and current Crystal Palace coach Steven Reid who suffered numerous injury issues during his career and provided his own first hand experience.
"I did my cruciate ligament when I was about 27 and then during that time - obviously when I had the fallout with Trapattoni, if you like, and that whole saga - but got back from that. The big problem was the cartilage on my knee which I did when I done my cruciate ligament and just persistent swelling," said Reid.
"Even now I get swelling on the knee but after the cruciate rehabilitation that went very well, I just couldn't shift the knee blowing up on almost a daily basis after training, after games.
"The anti-inflammatories were pretty much daily. They were almost the strongest you could get. There's even stronger ones which have to be put in a place which is not the mouth but they're that strong that you can take them in tablet form."
Reid also explained that he was on a game-ready machine, "which is like a compression ice machine" that he brought with him for every away game including Ireland trips as Kevin recalled.
With the risks involved for players, he also touched on the mindset from a footballer's point of view.
"When you're desperate to get playing, you don't really think long term," he said.
"When I was at that stage, it was what do I need to do to get playing, to get back out there. You don't think as much about the long term damage that could be done."
The lads were also used by Professor John Brewer, who was a part of England's 1990 World Cup backroom team and a professor of applied sports science at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. He gave us an insight into the effects prolonged painkiller use can have.
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