Jump to content

Our players as individuals...


graeme_4

Recommended Posts

Our players as individuals are worrying me greatly at the moment.

Pretty much every player we have has slowly become worse and worse as the season has progressed. Guys like Law, Black, Shiels and Templeton have gone from bossing matches and ripping Steven Whitaker a new arsehole every game, to looking very average. In fact, worse than average. A team with Rab Douglas, Darren Dodds and Marvin Andrews in it has embarrassed us with their ability to hold onto the ball a number of times this season – and that isn’t a one off.

Our SPL quality players now look like they can’t pass a ball 5 yards, or control a ball without more than 3 touches. It’s actually frightening. Just about every player in our team has regressed significantly, and that should surely be the biggest criticism aimed at our manager, first team coaches and training regimes.

People will point to guys like Mcleod and Wallace, but I’d argue Wallace has certainly stagnated recently and Mcleod looks nothing like the young maverick that burst onto the scene last season.

Something stuck with me in an early season interview with James Milner, who said something to the effect of “the new manager is implementing a new faster paced training system, and we can all see the effects of this on us as players, we will hopefully be able to translate this into team performances soon.”. And it has done, Man City play a much more fluent attacking game these days, when compared to last year.

Whatever our manager is doing, in having the opposite effect.

Yes, we are getting results (with goals coming primarily in the last 3rd of games) against part-time or semi-retired players, but that simply will not wash in the next 2 seasons. The ‘Championship’ is a huge step up, and if our players continue to perform like this I really think we will struggle big time. An SPL team in the cups will beat us comfortably I think, despite our extravagant spending.

IMO Ally/Kenny/Ian Durrant really need to take steps towards addressing this – or Wallace will.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Our players as individuals are worrying me greatly at the moment.

Pretty much every player we have has slowly become worse and worse as the season has progressed. Guys like Law, Black, Shiels and Templeton have gone from bossing matches and ripping Steven Whitaker a new arsehole every game, to looking very average. In fact, worse than average. A team with Rab Douglas, Darren Dodds and Marvin Andrews in it has embarrassed us with their ability to hold onto the ball a number of times this season – and that isn’t a one off.

Our SPL quality players now look like they can’t pass a ball 5 yards, or control a ball without more than 3 touches. It’s actually frightening. Just about every player in our team has regressed significantly, and that should surely be the biggest criticism aimed at our manager, first team coaches and training regimes.

People will point to guys like Mcleod and Wallace, but I’d argue Wallace has certainly stagnated recently and Mcleod looks nothing like the young maverick that burst onto the scene last season.

Something stuck with me in an early season interview with James Milner, who said something to the effect of “the new manager is implementing a new faster paced training system, and we can all see the effects of this on us as players, we will hopefully be able to translate this into team performances soon.”. And it has done, Man City play a much more fluent attacking game these days, when compared to last year.

Whatever our manager is doing, in having the opposite effect.

Yes, we are getting results (with goals coming primarily in the last 3rd of games) against part-time or semi-retired players, but that simply will not wash in the next 2 seasons. The ‘Championship’ is a huge step up, and if our players continue to perform like this I really think we will struggle big time. An SPL team in the cups will beat us comfortably I think, despite our extravagant spending.

IMO Ally/Kenny/Ian Durrant really need to take steps towards addressing this – or Wallace will.

As I said in another thread,this is the single most worrying thing that not one player sees a steady progression under Ally's regime.

I agree with what you say regards Wallace and,especially,MacLeod..........stagnation.

Look at McKay when he broke thru last season and compare that with the guy that was sent out on loan.

Templeton,Crawford,Shiels have confidence issues.

It's like any expression of individuality is frowned upon and,eventually,every player is ground down to fit the format of poor passing ability,lax ball control and a penchant for putting their laces thru the ball and getting rid.

It stinks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Footy fitness

Thanks to stratospheric salaries and the indiscretions of certain individuals, professional footballers come in for a lot of abuse. As our breakdown of a typical pro's weekly training regime shows, however, in terms of sheer athleticism they're difficult to criticise. Even after covering over 10km during a game (Rooney clocks in at an average 11.78km), most are back training the next day, and many will get just one day sans workouts a week. Think you can match them? Emulate Capello's finest with this routine.

The regime

"Weekly training programmes vary depending on the training phase (off-season, pre-season or in-season), the number of games in the week, and the individual's training status," says Nick Harvey, first team fitness coach at Southampton FC. "But a typical training week during the season with no midweek game runs something like this."

Saturday

After the match, recovery consists of ice baths and compression tights. The latter are specially made leggings moulded to an individual's physique which promote blood circulation, increase oxygen flow to muscles and wick away sweat.

Sunday

An active recovery session. This might be, cycling for 15-20 minutes at 60% of maximum heart rate.

Monday

Extended Recovery Work: "Sometimes we'll do a light football session or it might be some technical work, but physiologically the focus is still on making sure the players are fully recovered 48 hours after the game, which is often when tiredness and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) sets in," says Harvey. "It's a light day focusing on recovery before the higher intensity stuff on Tuesday and Wednesday."

Tuesday

AM: High intensity football work, such as conditioned small sided games focusing on keeping possession with no goals, or a man-to-man game where you have to stick with one opponent wherever he goes.

PM: Strength and power work. For example, squats, deadlifts, bench-presses and pull-ups (volume and loads are tailored to each player).

Wednesday

AM: Moderate/high intensity football work. Possession drills and 11-versus-11 tactical play.

PM: Power development and complex training. This is a mixture of strength and plyometric work designed to develop explosiveness. The focus is typically on low reps at high speed, such as power cleans (3x4 sets) and hurdle jumps.

Thursday

Rest day.

Friday

Low Intensity football work (focus on tactical preparation) with speed and reaction time training in warm up. For example, short shuttle runs setting off when a man breaks the line or at the blow of a whistle.

Shake it up

Often during the season, of course, teams play three games in the space of a week and so recovery and tactical preparation are prioritised. "Nutrition is key at these times," says Harvey. "Recovery XS is a key part of our strategy, providing the body with all the key nutrients it needs after matches – and we also use a recovery drink after intense training sessions and whey protein drinks immediately after strength and power work.

Link to post
Share on other sites

n the age of Ronaldo's £80 million transfer from Manchester to Madrid and the complex transcontinental trades of 16-year-olds, Barcelona have been a counter-cultural force in world football. While English Premier League football clubs spent much of the past decade splashing their borrowed cash to sign up millionaire star players, or poaching teenage boys, like Fabregas, from the youth academies of the clubs that did produce good young players, Barcelona were quietly growing their own team, the majority of whom cost not a euro in transfer fees.

A few miles from the training ground and overshadowed by the enormous Nou Camp stadium is a delightful 18th-century farmhouse. Built in 1702 and sitting rather incongruously among the constant noise and clamour of one of the busier districts of the city, it is known as La Masia.

FC Barcelona converted this ornate building into a boarding house in 1979 to accommodate the older boys on their youth programme. Outsiders are not usually permitted inside what is seen as a private place, where the future of the club is being nurtured and the football club is in loco parentis.

From the age of 13 or 14, boys who live outside the city are housed here, letting the club mould their futures more fully, and ensuring their training time is not interrupted by debilitating travel to and from the ground. Typically the 14 year-old boys will train for six hours a week and play a game of 90 minutes.

But crucially it allows the club to develop not just their football skills but their lifestyle and attitudes, preaching the virtues of healthy eating and early nights. The boys live, sleep and eat together at La Masia, housed in bunk-bed dormitories. They eat communally in a stylish refectory with period chandeliers. They do their homework in a spacious library and have a games room with table football, pool and PlayStations.

Read more: http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz2r2riQKEy

Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Average week of footballer. Mon to Thursday, start training at 10;30 and fininsh at 12, sometimes 1:00. Most people arrive and get changed for around 9;30. European and South American footballers tended to get in for 9;00 and stretch and warm up for an hour first. Friday you would do a jog, and then 'shadow play' and set pieces and finish with 5-a side and finish for 12. All teams are different but that is the basic routine.

http://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/11kdz7/iama_professional_footballer_who_has_played_for/

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Upcoming Events

    • 30 March 2024 15:00 Until 17:00
      0  
      Rangers v Hibernian
      Ibrox Stadium
      Scottish Premiership
×
×
  • Create New...