Player Training

[Antman]

Cole Skuse:'...But we’ve got Sean O’Driscoll now and he’s laid down a marker already. Training has been very intense and very good, so hopefully we can kick on now...'

it isn't the first time we've heard this. but what beggers belief is that a manager (DMC) could expect to have a competitive championship team that didn't train intensively!

it may be just player 'blah' for the sake of an interview, but it fits with some of the awful lack of basic skills on display of late that training has been less than effective.

how many ways are there to cock this up though? football is surely built up on basic rules - ball skills, positional awareness, fitness, tactics, and you'd have thought that DMC would have gone back to basics to fix the problems that were evident to all except him.

i've also read SOD saying how he prefers to keep to an understandable formation - so if they are playing badly, at least they 'understand' their shape (accepting that footballers aren't the brightest bulbs in the box)

anyhow, i hope SOD does work them hard - they do one simple job, and if they're crap at it, why are they here.

[Ian M]

Cole Skuse:'...But we’ve got Sean O’Driscoll now and he’s laid down a marker already. Training has been very intense and very good, so hopefully we can kick on now...'

it isn't the first time we've heard this. but what beggers belief is that a manager (DMC) could expect to have a competitive championship team that didn't train intensively!

it may be just player 'blah' for the sake of an interview, but it fits with some of the awful lack of basic skills on display of late that training has been less than effective.

how many ways are there to cock this up though? football is surely built up on basic rules - ball skills, positional awareness, fitness, tactics, and you'd have thought that DMC would have gone back to basics to fix the problems that were evident to all except him.

i've also read SOD saying how he prefers to keep to an understandable formation - so if they are playing badly, at least they 'understand' their shape (accepting that footballers aren't the brightest bulbs in the box)

anyhow, i hope SOD does work them hard - they do one simple job, and if they're crap at it, why are they here.

SO'D has also been known to describe a formation as solely the way a team lines-up at a kick off.

[And Its Smith]

Every single time a new manager comes in to a club one player will say exactly what Cole Skuse has said. Don't be naive enough to think this says anything about McInnes's ways.

[HarryCardno]

McInnes was a risk from the off sadly didn't pay off. S'oD far more sensible appointment.

[Kid in the Riot]

Cole Skuse:'...But we’ve got Sean O’Driscoll now and he’s laid down a marker already. Training has been very intense and very good, so hopefully we can kick on now...'

it isn't the first time we've heard this. but what beggers belief is that a manager (DMC) could expect to have a competitive championship team that didn't train intensively!

it may be just player 'blah' for the sake of an interview, but it fits with some of the awful lack of basic skills on display of late that training has been less than effective.

how many ways are there to cock this up though? football is surely built up on basic rules - ball skills, positional awareness, fitness, tactics, and you'd have thought that DMC would have gone back to basics to fix the problems that were evident to all except him.

i've also read SOD saying how he prefers to keep to an understandable formation - so if they are playing badly, at least they 'understand' their shape (accepting that footballers aren't the brightest bulbs in the box)

anyhow, i hope SOD does work them hard - they do one simple job, and if they're crap at it, why are they here.

Think you're reading too much into it. I heard training was intense and hard work under McInnes, and SOD is on record as saying he used to hate hard training routines as a player so doesn't make his players do them!

SOD is also anti-formations as Ian M says...

[Barrs Court Red]

McInnes was a risk from the off sadly didn't pay off. S'oD far more sensible appointment.

I'd say it did in that he kept us up. Unfortunate for him that the wage bill was then halved.

[TRL]

I'd say it did in that he kept us up. Unfortunate for him that the wage bill was then halved.

Ah yes that old chestnut. Was the playing squad halved as well?

[Frank Reynolds]

Ah yes that old chestnut. Was the playing squad halved as well?

No but it was full of inherited players that no other club wants.

[steviestevieneville]

Think you're reading too much into it. I heard training was intense and hard work under McInnes, and SOD is on record as saying he used to hate hard training routines as a player so doesn't make his players do them!

SOD is also anti-formations as Ian M says...

Anti- formations ? Do explain because i haven't heard him say that.

[TRL]

No but it was full of inherited players that no other club wants.

good enough to stay up last season, so good training and the addition of say 8 players, would you expect improvement?

Excuse after excuse if you ask me.

[Kid in the Riot]

Anti- formations ? Do explain because i haven't heard him say that.

See Ian M's comment above. Think he prefers a more 'fluid' form of football from what I've read...saying 4-4-2 for example doesn't have to be rigid.

[Frank Reynolds]

good enough to stay up last season, so good training and the addition of say 8 players, would you expect improvement?

Excuse after excuse if you ask me.

Yes I would. And I think in many areas we have, all over the club.

Who do you propose takes on Nyatanga, James Wilson, Gerken, Fontaine, Kilkenny and Elliott? Or would you advocate more debt by paying them off? McInnes offloaded a lot of deadwood in his tenure.

With Baldock, Kelly, Davies, Anderson, Cunningham and Heaton, I'd suggest a considerable improvement in that end of the pitch. The first half of the pitch is where we're losing games, and as McInnes said today he couldn't bring in the centre-halves we could all see were required.

That said, Foster, Pearson and M. Wilson were a step in the wrong direction (regardless of nationality) and Del paid the price for that. No point crying over spilled milk, but he deserves some credit.

[exAtyeoMax]

Training is going to be intense if you only have a couple of days before the first match

[TRL]

Yes I would. And I think in many areas we have, all over the club.

Who do you propose takes on Nyatanga, James Wilson, Gerken, Fontaine, Kilkenny and Elliott? Or would you advocate more debt by paying them off? McInnes offloaded a lot of deadwood in his tenure.

With Baldock, Kelly, Davies, Anderson, Cunningham and Heaton, I'd suggest a considerable improvement in that end of the pitch. The first half of the pitch is where we're losing games, and as McInnes said today he couldn't bring in the centre-halves we could all see were required.

That said, Foster, Pearson and M. Wilson were a step in the wrong direction (regardless of nationality) and Del paid the price for that. No point crying over spilled milk, but he deserves some credit.

So would I, but we are bottom, playing woefully, with no organisation.

Del is creating a smoke screen for his own inadequacies as a coach/manager. I can't blame him, he wants another job. But the BS will not fool me.

The players you mention, well del rates Elliott, handed him a new contract. Del rated Fontaine, handed him captaincy. Leaving gerkin tango Kilkenny and wilson.

Run the contracts down or loan them out. Wilson and tango have been injured a lot anyway. Leaving gerks as a backup keeper. Effectively leaving kilkenny to try and offload, and the only one on big big wages.

[Kid in the Riot]

Training is going to be intense if you only have a couple of days before the first match

Plus they might not be able to train at all tomorrow given weather forecast!

[hippy273]

Plus they might not be able to train at all tomorrow given weather forecast!

Unless they get up to Leeds early if the pitch is in good nick.

[BristolCity1992]

Seems to me that certain players just decided not to play for McInnes.

Be interesting to see just how much they improve from here on - my money is on a miraculous turnaround.

If that is the case they should be hounded out of the club surely. They should play for the fans and themselves even if they don't want to play for the manager.

[Frank Reynolds]

So would I, but we are bottom, playing woefully, with no organisation.

Del is creating a smoke screen for his own inadequacies as a coach/manager. I can't blame him, he wants another job. But the BS will not fool me.

Or, he's not BSing...

He's saying what he feels. I don't think he's an inadequate coach or manager. I think he will be a success elsewhere, but in hindsight this was probably a job for somebody who had experience of turning a club around rather just a burgeoning reputation.

He made strides in the right direction in some ways. In others we stood still. I don't think we went backwards, especially considering what went before him. On the playing side (which matters most) it hasn't been good enough but definitely not worse.

[TRL]

Or, he's not BSing...

He's saying what he feels. I don't think he's an inadequate coach or manager. I think he will be a success elsewhere, but in hindsight this was probably a job for somebody who had experience of turning a club around rather just a burgeoning reputation.

He made strides in the right direction in some ways. In others we stood still. I don't think we went backwards, especially considering what went before him. On the playing side (which matters most) it hasn't been good enough but definitely not worse.

sorry I added more whole you were typing

I agree he has probably learnt from this, and may have more success elsewhere. He needs to learn to walk before he can run. Less tinkering and learn your trade. You need better more intelligent players than we have to tinker

[Frank Reynolds]

Seems to me that certain players just decided not to play for McInnes.

Be interesting to see just how much they improve from here on - my money is on a miraculous turnaround.

I'm agree to an extent. When you break down the squad, how many of them are we maximizing the potential of? Is there even one?!

I don't know whether that's down to not playing for McInnes as a personality, or his tactics, or just them being plain not good enough.

I think with a defined plan, and a manager who knows what he wants tactically, we could get out of it. A miraculous turnaround, in my opinion, is beyond this group of players (or least the weakest links in our chain)

[Super]

Some of these players are lucky to still be here with the efforts they have put in this season. No doubt they will all point to the tactics of the previous manager but they have given up in too many games. They need a kick up the ass and hopefully SOD has done this.

[Guest]

Didn't David James come out saying similar when Del first arrived?

It's noticeable that SO'D isn't in a rush to sort his assistant out which suggests he's running training himself and perhaps first hand contact with the players is better than what we had where Del rarely did if you believe what others have said

[Lammers]

Iv'e spent most of this evening going through exiled robins blogs about S.oD, Very interesting read and yes he states a number of times he dosent go for formations, more about how to teach / educate players to be in the right positions, states how in a ninety min game how much time players have the ball taking in to account goal kicks, throw ins etc, the time dwindles down massivly, So players need to know where to be, almost learn how to adapt..

Really interesting links, i suggest if people need to know more about Driscols training style etc to read it. and no i'm not Exiled Robin.

[TRL]

Didn't David James come out saying similar when Del first arrived?

It's noticeable that SO'D isn't in a rush to sort his assistant out which suggests he's running training himself and perhaps first hand contact with the players is better than what we had where Del rarely did if you believe what others have said

Yep. Bog standard player hyperbole. Haven't taken notice of this sound bites for years. Makes a change for it not to be Carey

[CiderHider]

Just more platitudes which mean FA.

Heard it all before.

Its bullshite.

Its more than that, we need to hear this type of thing, its for once positive media witout winning games, the building blocks upon which great things can be achieved!

I think Sod will challenge the team, rather than sit down and get to know yous with all the players - no time for that indulgence, we need to cut to the chaise and Sod will simply pick the best players which he sees in training, which suits us, no egos, no nothing, simply our strongest 11, even if that is 4 strikers, or 2 defenders.

.

[Mad Cyril]

Would the extra intensity of the first training session be down to the players as much as the manager?

Think about it - new boss trying to assess his squad - you'd be pretty dumb not to put in a full shift.

[Rudolf Hucker]

Didn't David James come out saying similar when Del first arrived?

It's noticeable that SO'D isn't in a rush to sort his assistant out which suggests he's running training himself and perhaps first hand contact with the players is better than what we had where Del rarely did if you believe what others have said

I wonder whether McInnes would have benefitted from a different and more effective assistant manager? Tommy Doc doesnt appear to have positively influenced Del regarding team selection, formation and his tendency to tinker. I would have expected an assistant to have advocated greater continuity. Perhaps Doc was too much of a yes man and not prepared to stand up to Del?

Whenever I heard Doc speak after a match, he certainly didn't fill me with any confidence. If training was largely his responsibility, he may be the cause of our lack of organisation? Of course, the buck stops with Del.

[bemmyredjeff]

Every single time a new manager comes in to a club one player will say exactly what Cole Skuse has said. Don't be naive enough to think this says anything about McInnes's ways.

To be honest listening to Andersons interview he certainly wasn't afraid to give a few home truths about lack of organisation, but then I suppose he has more reason to react like that.

Good old Cole, tentative and reserved off the pitch as well as on it, sounded like he couldn't give a monkey's.