Muff 245 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Every team has its unsung hero. While Walter Smith has rightly earned acclaim for re-establishing Rangers' respectability at home and abroad, and Carlos Cellar and David Weir are deservedly feted for their obdurate partnership, Adam Owen's contribution to a potentially bountiful season has been overlooked - though not within the corridors of Murray Park. Owen is the Welsh conditioning coach who has stealthily negotiated the Old Firm divide. At 28, he is a popular contemporary among the first-team squad but of greater significance have been the methods with which he has revitalised the weary and reinvigorated the old. A player of modest achievement - he scaled the heady heights of Connahs Quay Nomads in the League of Wales and East Stirlingshire in Scotland - Owen's chameleon qualities have taken him from youth-team coach at Celtic to first-team coach at Sheffield Wednesday and now to the hub of Rangers' sports science and fitness department. He was the unidentified figure in the celebratory photographs of Rangers' CIS Insurance Cup final victory against Dundee United and, by all accounts, has become fond of lending his signature during the daily autograph chores. He may have inherited Dr Ian McGuinness' status as "The Big Cheese" - Edam Owen, perhaps? - but Owen's area of expertise has been an essential part of Rangers' rebirth under Smith. advertisement Yesterday, Christian Dailly paid tribute to Owen's behind-the-scenes work. The arrival of the 34-year-old Dailly from West Ham United in January may not have been unanimously applauded among Rangers' supporters but he has performed admirably as a utility player in league, cup and European duties. David Weir, at 37, is another convert to Owen's principles and Dailly insisted the conditioning coach's fitness, nutrition and recovery programmes have fuelled Rangers' ambitions on four fronts this season. With a Scottish Cup replay adding to Rangers' relentless fixture commitments, Owen's influence will be even greater in the coming months. "Adam has been different class with us," said Dailly. "He is really brilliant and is non-stop, getting on at people all the time about what they should be doing. We are in and out of those ice baths all the time, then eating within five minutes of coming off the training ground and after matches as well. We get recovery food, which is really anything with energy. We get it all in. The sooner, the better. "He also makes sure the recovery sessions are done properly. This is a huge part of football anyway. You need to be able to look after yourself properly and that's where Adam comes in. He is a great guy and is going to be really important for all the players with so many games coming up but I don't want to say too much because I don't want him to get a big head." Dailly is no stranger to sports science. A renowned fitness fanatic, he memorably indulged in a period of body building in order to beef up after his £6m transfer from Derby County to Blackburn Rovers. The effects impinged on his mobility and he soon gave up the weights but, even at this advanced stage of his career, Dailly boasted the highest fitness levels at Upton Park weeks before he decided to accept Rangers' offer of a short-term contract. "I'm into a lot of the stuff Adam gets us to do anyway," he said. "I've tried most things in my career, as soon as I've heard of them. I think it's important. I do whatever it takes to get me going, whether it's stretching or weight training. If you can do it properly, then you can play for a long time. If you do it, as I have, from an early age then the body does age a bit slower and that means you can play for longer." Dailly's family situation could prevent any long-term stay at Ibrox: his wife and four children have remained at the family home in South London (although even in spite of the hectic fixture schedule he is able to visit on a weekly basis). But the success of Weir since he joined from Everton last January, initially on a short-term deal, has given Dailly incentive to savour the remainder of the season before discussing any extended contract. "It's not that difficult," he said. "Mentally, it's fine for me. The manager is good and lets me go down the odd time as well. So I'll maybe get an extra day down there during the week. I'll stay up if there are a couple of games close together. It's totally fine. I'm a big family person, but once it's in your head that this is what I'm doing, it's fine. I did really want to do this: from a purely selfish point of view I wanted to play for Rangers." As the season approaches its climax, he has been pleasantly surprised by the possibilities ahead, having already earned a CIS Insurance Cup winner's medal after beating his former team, Dundee United, in a dramatic Hampden Park penalty shootout. "Hey, bring it on, we are all bang up for it," he said. "This is what I want to do. I'm really enjoying this and I feel great. We want to win every game now. It might not happen every time, but we'll keep going." With a little help from the unsung hero Excellent article Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterC 12,275 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 certainly was good, read it in the Herald last week. It must be said the heralds rangers coverage is far better since speirs left that paper. Daryl Broadfoots a good writer and I would say pretty pro-Rangers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlegKuznetsov 10,816 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 certainly was good, read it in the Herald last week. It must be said the heralds rangers coverage is far better since speirs left that paper. Daryl Broadfoots a good writer and I would say pretty pro-Rangers I agree with all that. Did they change their Sports Editor too? I was told he was an ex-Celtic View man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmarvloyal 0 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 What's Dailly rabbiting on about always wanting to play for Rangers? He is a born and bred Celtic man and there is picture evidence to prove it ffs! As for Owen, i agree he has made a huge difference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkiebear 1,013 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 What's Dailly rabbiting on about always wanting to play for Rangers? He is a born and bred Celtic man and there is picture evidence to prove it ffs! As for Owen, i agree he has made a huge difference. where is this picture evidence then? I thought he was born and bred Dundee united. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 What's Dailly rabbiting on about always wanting to play for Rangers? He is a born and bred Celtic man and there is picture evidence to prove it ffs! As for Owen, i agree he has made a huge difference. where is this picture evidence then? I thought he was born and bred Dundee united. Google it. Played for Celtic in a testamonial, we've posted the pics of him in the green and grey on here several times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted March 25, 2008 Author Share Posted March 25, 2008 Christain Dailly was born a Dundee United fan. He grew up suporting them. His Uncle is a Dundee United fan and so is his Cousin!! He played in a testimonial against Liverpool, doesn't mean he supports them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Aye, I don't think he supports the Tic. People pounced on those pics we had, added 2 and 2 to make 5. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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