pessimistic_pete 2 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 from tomorrows herald: As Rangers take their daunting four-pronged crusade to Celtic Park this evening, it would seem astute to enquire whether it will be the seemingly never-ending sequence of fixtures or their players' dwindling stamina levels that come to an end first. Not since Jock Stein's Celtic swept the board in 1967 has a Scottish club been in contention for more than three trophies come the final straits of the season. Avoiding defeat against their old rivals tonight will go a long way to ensuring the Clydesdale Bank Premier League trophy joins the CIS Insurance Cup in the Ibrox trophy room. Two ties against first division opposition are all that separate Rangers from adding the Scottish Cup to that haul while a scarcely imaginable quadruple will be completed if Fiorentina and then either Bayern Munich or Zenit St Petersburg are overcome in the UEFA Cup. Success comes at a price, however. Bookings accumulate to produce unhelpful suspensions, while playing Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday for the best part of four months is not conducive to the traditional rest and recovery periods most players usually enjoy after sustaining minor niggles. At Murray Park, Rangers' training ground, the medical team have become just as important as those who don the tracksuits to plot success on the park. The days of the magic sponge, medicine balls and "running off a knock" are no more. Instead there are heart monitors, state-of-the-art gyms and individual fitness programmes and diets. The professional footballer, in truth, has never had it so good. "When we got to the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup final I must have played about 74 games that season," one former Rangers player confided in the Herald recently. "Towards the end we were exhausted. There were no sports scientists or any of these things in those days. The pitches we played on were really heavy, a lot worse than even those we've seen this season. And when we travelled back from European matches there were no chartered flights. Often we would have to stop in London on the way back and not get home to Glasgow until late on the Friday afternoon ahead of a match on the Saturday. Changed days indeed." What those previous generations would have made of the latest performance-enhancing clothing to make its way on to players' pegs in the Rangers dressing room is anyone's guess. Canterbury, a New Zealand-based company, have recently been commissioned to supply a range of BaseLayer merchandise, including the revolutionary IonX garments that are worn under matchday strips and training gear and already favoured by the likes of Jean-Claude Darcheville and Barry Ferguson. advertisement Joe Middleton, CEO of Canterbury, said: "The deal with Rangers brings together two brands with a great tradition. We hope our expertise in technical kit development will be a benefit to Rangers over the following years." Pay attention, here comes the science bit: IonX has proven to be a huge success across a number of sports since its launch in September 2007, with the ground-breaking ionising capabilities of the garments proven to increase power output by 2.7%, increase blood flow and oxygen levels, which in turn can lead to improved performance and recovery rates. As a demanding season meanders its way to a finish, the IonX kit could yet prove invaluable in staving off minor niggles and strains. The majority of the Rangers first-team wear the undergarments during training sessions and often also on long-flights to and from European destinations. Darcheville, a unique character in many respects and with a body prone to breaking down as often as an emotional celebrity, also wears his customised tops and trousers during matches and is grateful for the support it has given him in a season pockmarked with exhilarating highs and frustrating lows. "These clothes have been a great help to me," he said. "When I am hot they help me sweat and cool down and on a cold day it can help warm you up. I wear them every day on the training field and also in the matches and hopefully they help to keep me as fit as possible." Darcheville has been afflicted with so many different knocks and injuries in his first season in Scottish football that his case notes could fill a medical encyclopaedia. A regular visitor to the Murray Park treatment room, the French striker has struggled with hamstring, Achilles and calf injuries at various junctures, and also suffered the misfortune of losing his orthotic insoles when a bag was mislaid on a journey back from France. It is testament to his character, therefore, that he has been able to put these difficulties behind him to attain cult hero status among the Rangers support, even if, understandably, he is reluctant to take anything for granted. "I hope I am starting to find my form again and, touch wood, hopefully, I won't get any more injuries," he said through a translator. "I have to be careful, though, as the last time I said that I thought I was okay I got injured again in the next match. "Losing my insoles didn't help of course. Not having them affected my balance and I started to get problems with my Achilles and then it was one thing after another. I also had muscular problems which was a direct result of not having my insoles. That was quite frustrating. I had a special training programme when I was coming back from injury but now I'm just training as normal. Hopefully all those problems are behind me now and I can continue until the end of the season." Darcheville has famously yet to complete a full match in Rangers colours, often appearing as an impact substitute or slogging it out for an hour or so before being replaced late in the match. The player himself, however, sees no shame in his failure to go the distance, instead emphasising that his performances will be judged on his contribution, rather than the length of time spent on the field. "Nobody in particular decides how long I should stay on the pitch, it just depends on the circumstances surrounding each game. Quite often this season I've been playing in attack on my own and it is a difficult role to sustain for a full 90 minutes. "My mentality is to give 100% no matter how long I am on the pitch for. Sometimes it is better to play for just 20 minutes and make a massive contribution than play a whole game and do nothing, in my opinion. With the way I play and the effort I put in in each game, it is nice to have a rest from time to time as we are not machines. We all need time to recover." Time, however, is a precious commodity where Rangers are concerned. Pip Yeates, the club's physiotherapist, admits he and his colleagues are grateful for all the medical assistance they can get, as they try to keep the club's tiring stars on their feet for one final push. "We use the Canterbury stuff mostly in recovery mode. With the demands that the boys are putting themselves through it takes around 48 hours to recover. So we need to have a strategy in place so they can recover quickly and then go again. "At most clubs you go Saturday to Saturday so it's not as bad, but here we are playing two games a week continually. It's not that the players are tired, because they're not. Their fitness levels are fine. It's just making sure they can recover in time to be ready for the next game." http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines...in_top_gear.php looks like canterbury and rangers have a deal....future kit makers?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSuedeSambas 54,262 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Instead there are heart monitors, state-of-the-art gyms and individual fitness programmes and diets. The professional footballer, in truth, has never had it so good This is why people criticise players like Adam and Boyd. They have no excuse whatsoever to be unfit, it's just pure laziness. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelle1880 258 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Instead there are heart monitors, state-of-the-art gyms and individual fitness programmes and diets. The professional footballer, in truth, has never had it so good This is why people criticise players like Adam and Boyd. They have no excuse whatsoever to be unfit, it's just pure laziness. Absolutely. Also, imagine if you played for Rangers, the club of your heart.... I for one would make sure I was 100% fit every game, so I could give it my best always. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverick1200 2,845 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Ive heard these tops are meant to be good. Hope they do make our strips in the future, i think they currently make portsmouth strips. Would like to see a skin tight top like rugby, least then nobody would be able to pull your shirt while your running past them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_RFC87 761 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Can you buy the strips yea? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSuedeSambas 54,262 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Ive heard these tops are meant to be good. Hope they do make our strips in the future, i think they currently make portsmouth strips. Would like to see a skin tight top like rugby, least then nobody would be able to pull your shirt while your running past them F*ck that. You'd see all my curves! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.mcg 1 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 is there anywhere that has pics of the new strips yet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Someone posted what a Rangers top would look like if it was made by Canterbury and it looked f*kn awful. I like the under-armour stuff tho. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy 68 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Ive heard these tops are meant to be good. Hope they do make our strips in the future, i think they currently make portsmouth strips. Would like to see a skin tight top like rugby, least then nobody would be able to pull your shirt while your running past them F*ck that. You'd see all my curves! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquid111 51 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Interesting article. It does seem that a lot of considered thought has been put into recovery strategies, which is very pleasing. The Canterbury IonX kit is very high quality equipment. (It operates on a broadly similar basis to other solutions, such as Under Armour, and similar offerings now available from Nike, Reebok, and Adidas.) In particular, as another poster noted, Canterbury have an established reputation in manufacturing and supplying performance-orientated sporting garments. In particular, they are noted for their supply of garments to high profile Rugby teams/clubs (from club to international level). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluepeter9 5,167 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Instead there are heart monitors, state-of-the-art gyms and individual fitness programmes and diets. The professional footballer, in truth, has never had it so good This is why people criticise players like Adam and Boyd. They have no excuse whatsoever to be unfit, it's just pure laziness. People can critisise Boyd and Adam all they want - that does NOT make them correct. Neither Boyd nor Adam are lazy, nor unfit (although Adam is carrying an injury but I use unfit in terms of how he turns out on match days). They are not dynamic players in the way, say, JCD is but they both cover a lot of park and do a lot of running. Unfit is just not a critisism I think they deserve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trueblue87 0 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Sounds very interesting. The new Canterbury designed Portsmouth shirt has been developed to give the players a competitive edge in one of the toughest leagues in the world. IonX improves performance. Ionisation improves the flow of oxygen-enriched blood to bring more energy to the muscles, which increases your average power output, improving speed and strength. Need to know more? Peripheral vision provides very little colour information but it does recognise colour and contrast. The shirts benefit from a Peripheral Visual Enhancement (PVE) system in the form of a series of high visibility reflective spots positioned in key areas. The transcreen reflectors, which will react to floodlights and natural sunlight, help players to pick out team-mates in tight situations when they have little time to lift their heads and pick out a pass. The shirt also utilises a moisture management system to ensure that moisture is wicked away from the skin. The quick dry fabric ensures that excess moisture is not being carried around. It's been described as 'the most technical kit in football'. ...What else do you expect from Canterbury? http://www.canterburynz.com/Our-Sports/Por...7-08-HOME-SHIRT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
port_bear 86 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Instead there are heart monitors, state-of-the-art gyms and individual fitness programmes and diets. The professional footballer, in truth, has never had it so good This is why people criticise players like Adam and Boyd. They have no excuse whatsoever to be unfit, it's just pure laziness. Once again a totally unrelated post brings out the Boyd and Adam haters !! It really does amaze me how many fitness coaches and health experts we have on this forum, ones who are so specialised in their area of expertise that they can judge a players fitness by watching them for only 90 mins on a Saturday. I notice that you left Darcheville out of your criticism, a player who has yet to complete 90 minutes for the club, and yes this includes games has played with two up front. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest therabbitt Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I like Canterbury kit, its really hard wearing, the rugby tops last forever, plus their training kits and trackies are class. Would not be at all adverse to Canterbury instead of that other mob wi their shiny nonsense... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briton 394 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 from tomorrows herald: "When we got to the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup final I must have played about 74 games that season," one former Rangers player confided in the Herald recently." Mmm...didn't I read recentley that the Carlos Cuellar is likely to break the record of 61 games played in one season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pessimistic_pete 2 Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 I like Canterbury kit, its really hard wearing, the rugby tops last forever, plus their training kits and trackies are class. Would not be at all adverse to Canterbury instead of that other mob wi their shiny nonsense... arent they skin tight?? i dont like the skin tight tops...prefer them a bit lose... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boab 73 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 from tomorrows herald: Darcheville, a unique character in many respects and with a body prone to breaking down as often as an emotional celebrity, also wears his customised tops and trousers during matches and is grateful for the support it has given him in a season pockmarked with exhilarating highs and frustrating lows. "These clothes have been a great help to me," he said. "When I am hot they help me sweat and cool down and on a cold day it can help warm you up. I wear them every day on the training field and also in the matches and hopefully they help to keep me as fit as possible." Darcheville has been afflicted with so many different knocks and injuries in his first season in Scottish football that his case notes could fill a medical encyclopaedia. A regular visitor to the Murray Park treatment room, the French striker has struggled with hamstring, Achilles and calf injuries at various junctures, and also suffered the misfortune of losing his orthotic insoles when a bag was mislaid on a journey back from France. It is testament to his character, therefore, that he has been able to put these difficulties behind him to attain cult hero status among the Rangers support, even if, understandably, he is reluctant to take anything for granted. http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines...in_top_gear.php looks like canterbury and rangers have a deal....future kit makers?? Laughed at these 2 paragraphs! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexloyal 0 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Portsmouth have a canterbury kit down here. Looks alright on the players but not so good on the fans with your beer bellies! They make all the Rugby kits aswell. Prefer Umbro myself! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexloyal 0 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Heres the Pompey ones - http://www.store.portsmouthfc.co.uk/stores...fault_kits.aspx Nice Blue home shirt! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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