Fitness

[mrfuse]

I think Brian that the gym work is about pumping ego - I think many footballers want the body perfect as part of the overall package which includes the millionaire lifestyle. When you consider the likes of Des Bremner and Frank Carrodus although hardly Charles Atlas could probably out run most of today's Premier League players. When you also consider that footballers today play, week in, week out ,on pitches that resemble bowling greens and that major apoplexy is caused if they have to play more than once a week it leads to the conclusion that players pre Premier League were a lot fitter.

Spot on.
There are a few exceptions to the rule but there seems far too many players obsessed with 6 pack selfies.
James Milner is probably a good example of the build that can produce 90 minutes of fitness for a football match. He probably does have a six pack but it isint something that he is trying to actively achieve, more a by product of his normal fitness regime.
Its the difference between Body Builder's and weight lifter's, While Body builder's have strength there main focus is how the body looks.
I know a players fitness is largely governed by the Club and trainers, but we only have to look at how Gabby bulked up to see how this can effected.

[Brend'Watkins]

With the exception of Goalkeepers I'd imagine most outfield players have a six pack.  Not body builder bulging but defined without any fat covering.  Considering all upper body strength comes from the core this would be worked on at length pre-season.  James Milner would have one too.

[Ads]

Your 6 pack is determined by your fat ratio. I would imagine most footballers have them.

[supertom]

I've seen us lose more games over the last 4 years because the opposition had more in the tank than we did in the final 30 minutes, than the other way round. That's a worry to me. Now in part it may not purely be fitness. We spent a lot of time under Lamberk not keeping the ball and chasing shadows, which inevitably leads to exhaustion, but I don't think we have the stamina some other clubs seem to. It's a problem. Signing some players like Cole and Richardson haven't helped matters. Players who can't perform for 90 minutes. Hopefully Sherwoods signings will make us a fitter side in the long run. Thus far though, we've lost out largely because our legs have gone in the last 3 games.

[oldhill_avfc]

I think Brian that the gym work is about pumping ego - I think many footballers want the body perfect as part of the overall package which includes the millionaire lifestyle. When you consider the likes of Des Bremner and Frank Carrodus although hardly Charles Atlas could probably out run most of today's Premier League players. When you also consider that footballers today play, week in, week out ,on pitches that resemble bowling greens and that major apoplexy is caused if they have to play more than once a week it leads to the conclusion that players pre Premier League were a lot fitter.

No they weren't.

[Salsa Party Animal]

Another problem is players don't have the stamina to play 90 minutes let alone 120 minutes in cup game with extra time. Increased fitness and faster football means our players work harder than players over a decade ago. I do think we need to look at our playing style and tactics and we need to change it to make it easier on our players and make the ball do more work. Who is responsible for players fitness at Villa Park ? Perhaps we need to change it.

[oldhill_avfc]

As these pages will testify I know little about football. I do know a little bit about horse racing and there was a similar lengthy debate in that sport about whether contemporary horses are fitter and faster than ones in the past. The perceived wisdom that breeding and diet and improved training techniques were bound to make today's horses stronger and quicker was blown away by a massive Jockey Club analysis of race times over the last half century. The figures show that longer races involving stamina have got slower and shorter races based on flat out speed have got quicker.

I think you were closer to the mark in one of your earlier posts, when you alluded to the fact that muscle bulk improves power and speed.  Stamina athletes are slight and lithe.

To play in the premiership these days you have to be lightening quick and maybe that's achieved at the expense of stamina, which in turn reinforces the belief that it's increasingly a squad game.

Another related point in which you're spot on about, is that technique goes when you're fatigued.  The interesting thing though is that it's the decision making/brain function which goes before the legs - something we see in Sanchez's misplaced on the hour mark with alarming regularity. 

[brian green]

I had the privilege of sharing an office for a number of years with Ron Pickering. He told me that if a person was staved to the point of death, the very first energy from the very first food fed to that person would go to the brain.  Survival of the human species required our ancestors to outwit a sabre tooth tiger not to out run or out jump it.

[mrfuse]

With the exception of Goalkeepers I'd imagine most outfield players have a six pack.  Not body builder bulging but defined without any fat covering.  Considering all upper body strength comes from the core this would be worked on at length pre-season.  James Milner would have one too.

Your 6 pack is determined by your fat ratio. I would imagine most footballers have them.

My point wasn't really whether players actually have a six pack or not but the emphasis on a wide range of players obsession with looks over physical performance.

[Savospit]

I reckon our fitness levels went down when Keane left the backroom.

[CT]

I reckon our fitness levels went down when Keane left the backroom.

Please, do elaborate.....

[CT Villan]

Players are much bigger, fitter and stronger now than in the past. If you disagree, point me in the direction of a Paul Gascoigne-type physique in the modern game.

Wayne Rooney ?

[Savospit]

I reckon our fitness levels went down when Keane left the backroom.

Please, do elaborate.....

Because it did.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I was saying this yesterday, I really can't understand why Sanchez is fucked after an hour? He never seems to be tired for his country and he should be able to complete 90 minutes, If not then why not?

[fredm]

Think Sanchez was playing in the Copa whatsitsname all summer, then had only a couple of weeks off before coming back as the season had started and then last week was flying back and forth across the atlantic as well as playing a couple of times. Don't think he has had any time to really get over last season and then do some basic conditioning work uninterupted by matches.