New training regime..

[richard moore]

I'd have thoguht a combination of working on physical fitness and tehcnical ability was an obvious for any football club. 
I wonder what they were doing before.

Kick and run in the morning followed by hoof and hope in the afternoon

I think actually it was pass and don't move in the mornings and hoof it out for a corner or throw in during the afternoons. On Wednesdays, they practised sitting as deep as you possibly can for the last 20 minutes of a game...

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Fitness is a positive for every player .........

[Eigentor]

It's remarkable that we managed to acumulate the most point since the inaugral PL season and the Wembley trips wthout putting any effort into it. Just think how good we'll be now that we've started training as well.

Despite all criticism, under MON we played for results, and in a style which is well suited for the Premiership. Under GH/Ged/Gezza we are trying to play more adventurous, with more short passes and good movement. This is more risky, and it's not obvious that it will lead to better results in the short run.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Read a similar story in today's mail, Actually I think it was the same story.

About time, Players shouldn't complain either its only going to help them in the long run, Im sure most of them are happy to do a bit more ball work, However I do reccomend more running for Dunne

[PaulWinch again]

I think there is a chance in the short term trying to adopt a more attractive possession based style may make our points haul worse. However in the long term I think it will enable us to compete at the top level and is the way forward. Plus it will be a fuck load better to watch.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I heard from a player that it was mainly running under the old regime. Not much ball work at all.

That doesn't surprise me in the least.
Our ball possession under Doh'Neill was chronic.

[PaulTheVillan]

So, if we're doing 2 sessions a day, what will happen on the open day? They do another behind closed doors?

[pablopicasso_10]

good stuff...

[rutski]

stick it in the mixer!!!! Put some snow on it!!!! They dow scower frum theyer!!! Tek no prisoners!!! get yower fingers from up yower arses!!!
Great football tactics! Fuck this fitness bollocks!

[pauliewalnuts]

It's remarkable that we managed to acumulate the most point since the inaugral PL season and the Wembley trips wthout putting any effort into it. Just think how good we'll be now that we've started training as well.

Despite all criticism, under MON we played for results, and in a style which is well suited for the Premiership. Under GH/Ged/Gezza we are trying to play more adventurous, with more short passes and good movement. This is more risky, and it's not obvious that it will lead to better results in the short run.

It was a style well suited to the Premiership up to a certain point, though.

You'd struggle to get any further than we did playing that kind of football - certainly a style which places no emphasis whatsoever on things like movement, keeping the ball.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Think Dunne needs four sessions ..........

[KevinGage]

I'd have thoguht a combination of working on physical fitness and tehcnical ability was an obvious for any football club. 
I wonder what they were doing before.

Kick and run in the morning followed by hoof and hope in the afternoon

There was an article a few months after NRC arrived and he mentioned being homesick and missing London.

I almost felt sorry for him - until he did an interview a few weeks later when he talked about the training regime at Villa. Something ridiculous like start at 10.30am, finish by 12.30-1pm and -best of all-  Wednesdays off.

Didn't sound particularly intensive truth be told.

[KevinGage]

here's the begger:

But then like most high-profile footballers, Reo-Coker has seen the unpleasant side of fame. During his final season at West Ham, when the club was nearly relegated from the Premier League, some fans held him responsible for the team's failure. He received hate mail and was booed during games. Today, he is clearly reluctant to go back to the subject. "It was a difficult period," he says simply, "but I'm over it now." The result, in July of last year, was that he joined Aston Villa, who paid West Ham a fee in the region of £8m to release him.

These days, however, many people would regard Reo-Coker's life as almost idyllic - and he would agree with them. "Monday, you'd come in and do a warm-down training session," he explains. "You'd probably be out there on the pitch for an hour, an hour and a half. My general routine would be: I'd get in early, about 9am, have a green tea, breakfast, relax, go and see the physios if I have any problems. Then you start training at 10.30am, come back around 12pm ... And after you've finished there's lunch - loads of organic food, prepared by chefs. Eat, and then the rest of the day is yours. You can always set off by 1pm."

Tuesdays typically follow the same pattern, after which Wednesdays is a day off. Thursdays are like Monday and Tuesday again, and then Friday brings on just a light training session - "an hour maximum" - before the team spend the evening in a hotel together in preparation for Saturday's game. Then at the end of the season, there is the summer break, the length of which varies, but most players get at least the whole of June off. "It's a very privileged life," Reo-Coker admits, and it is hard to argue.

Could this be part of the reason why we generally looked spent in the latter stages of matches last season and always came a cropper in March?

It probably didn't help, put it that way.

I'm sure the atmosphere and morale was pretty decent though -  less training time and days off would pretty much guarantee that.

It says a lot about the players that they were able to scratch out the results they managed under the circumstances.

[PaulTheVillan]

Get in early, about 9am.


Early? rofl.

[supertom]

We were always fit under O Neill up until the last 6 months. I just think with one foot out the door he loosened his grip a fair bit. We'd always played high intensity football, lots of closing down, and for that group of 14 evers to have lasted so well, they must have been fit.

But come this season something hasn't been right. You can see that with certain players carrying far too much weight, like Dunney.

Certainly though, delighted Houllier is quite aware of our deficiencies (fitness and lack of passing being very evident) and is trying to rectify them. Martins problem is, he never saw what we were doing wrong (because it would thereby admit his own failings) and never did anything about them.

I have also heard Martin was never about tactics or ball work. He's always been a troop rallier. That's how he's succeeded, but that's also why I don't ever see him as a truly top manager. I think he'll fail at a big gig like Liverpool or Utd. He took us as far as he could too.