Are we flogging our players in training? | Vital Football

Are we flogging our players in training?

SwindonLatic

Vital 1st Team Regular
The manager was fulsome in his praise a few weeks ago about Lee Evans running 13k in a reserve match. Are we working the players too hard, trying to replicate the ridiculous fitness of the manager’s beloved Liverpool, which is leaving our players physically and mentally fatigued at the ends of games? Just throwing it out there. If we’re not finishing games strong (and we ain’t scoring at the end of games either) maybe there is an issue behind the scenes in how we are preparing physically for games?
 
The manager was fulsome in his praise a few weeks ago about Lee Evans running 13k in a reserve match. Are we working the players too hard, trying to replicate the ridiculous fitness of the manager’s beloved Liverpool, which is leaving our players physically and mentally fatigued at the ends of games? Just throwing it out there. If we’re not finishing games strong (and we ain’t scoring at the end of games either) maybe there is an issue behind the scenes in how we are preparing physically for games?
There's an issue behind the scenes full stop !
 
The manager was fulsome in his praise a few weeks ago about Lee Evans running 13k in a reserve match. Are we working the players too hard, trying to replicate the ridiculous fitness of the manager’s beloved Liverpool, which is leaving our players physically and mentally fatigued at the ends of games? Just throwing it out there. If we’re not finishing games strong (and we ain’t scoring at the end of games either) maybe there is an issue behind the scenes in how we are preparing physically for games?

The fact we are so poor at finishing games does suggest there is fitness issues - like you say we could be working them too hard, or maybe not working them hard enough. Maybe Evans and Williams are running miles but that less down to good fitness training throughout the camp and more down to the lads themselves being naturally fit and many of the other lads are not fit enough. Maybe they are fit enough but the way we prepare for games in terms of turning up and turning down the intenisty as the game comes closer is not right and they aren't going in fresh - it's impossible to know for sure other than something doesn't seem right.
 
Like clockwork the soft tissue injuries start to kick in as the weather gets colder. This has been ongoing for 2 years. We can’t field a settled team for much of the season. Like the away form, like conceding late goals, this isn’t down to bad luck. These are issues the management and staff should have addressed.

Cook has already started the excuses about our lack of centre-backs. Now he’ll be rolling out the excuses regarding midfield. No doubt Moore will pull up soon the way he is flogged in games.

 
So we're going to be without one of our most in form players for the next few weeks in a vital period that will no doubt result in another couple of players getting injured. Last time we suffered with injuries and suspensions, Cook accidentally stumbled upon a few decent players that managed to lift the form and performances (Mulgrew and Williams), however I doubt he'd be that lucky twice in a season.

We seem to get our fair share of these types of injuries which makes me think there's no issue with training lacking intensity, its probably more the case that its quite old school of 5v5/11v11 and run run run which is overworking hamstrings etc rather than emphasis placed on tactics or techniques etc.

The end of game droop seems to me more to do with the players minds than anything else i'd say, not fitness in itself. Its almost as though they get to the 80th minute and on track for 3 points or even just 1 point and panic because they're scared to leave with nothing. Conceding late seems to be a sucker, as soon as that goal goes in we seem to always loose. We could be 3-0 up, concede once and end up loosing 4-3. There's no confidence, and no clear place to find it. The manager compliments the opposition more than his own team, so they're not going to find it there. The fans that still manage to drag themselves to the games - and lets be honest, its a decreasing number (but fair play to all of you) - watch with hope but resignation, so that's no place to look. And as far as self-motivation or dressing room characters to lift things ... The only player who looks to have any sort of personality (judge yourselves on if its good or not) is Windass ... and if he ever appears for us again, it'll be because Cooks been booted and the new manager doesn't play favourites.

But hey-ho, roll on Millwall with our patched up squad and if we loose, it'll be anyones fault but Cooks
 
Like clockwork the soft tissue injuries start to kick in as the weather gets colder. This has been ongoing for 2 years. We can’t field a settled team for much of the season. Like the away form, like conceding late goals, this isn’t down to bad luck. These are issues the management and staff should have addressed.

Cook has already started the excuses about our lack of centre-backs. Now he’ll be rolling out the excuses regarding midfield. No doubt Moore will pull up soon the way he is flogged in games.


As someone on twitter pointed out, we’ve probably had more hamstring injuries since the start of last season than away points.
 
Never looked before but Joe Williams has had some long term / medium term injuries.
From one of the links ... nail on head ?
"While there is a slight bit of concern over some nagging injury issues that seem to keep popping up for Williams, it can be somewhat explained by his rough-and-ready playing style similar to that of James McCarthy. "

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/727989/Joe-Williams-Everton-EFC-Injury-News
https://www.toffeeweb.com/players/profiles/WilliamsJ.php
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.co...tol-city-bid-barnsley-marco-silva-news-latest

As has been mentioned, the number of injuries being picked up over the course of the last two Championship seasons appears to be high.
Coincidence ? Bad luck ? or ..... ?
Away form .. Coincidence ? Bad luck ? or ..... ?

Roberton had a spate of injuries (including hamstrings) at Everton. The chap in charge was given the heave ho and their medical department revamped.
(Said chap is back in charge now).

Anyone recall the beloved Jurgen's spat with Raymond Verheijen ?
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spo...ews/jurgen-klopp-v-raymond-verheijen-14354330

PS I am sure we all wish our injured players adequate time to recover and to return fighting fit.
 
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I can't remember who it was but i remember one manager (maybe Roberto) saying something like you can't avoid against broken bones, torn ligaments, etc and things like that but if you are doing everything properly you shouldn't get soft tissue injuries. Around that time we seemed to have very few injuries of that nature too so there seemed to be legitamacy to the theory.

The sheer amount of hamstring injuries over the last 18 months or so does make me wonder if we are doing something wrong. Imagine if it was different types of injuries then maybe it could be bad luck but it seems a very distinct parttern to be pure coincidence - i suspect that we are doing something wrong for this to keep happening - is the training ground pitch too hard / soft, are the players warm up routines not quite right, are they training too much when they are tired, are they not training hard enough so in games they are pushing themselves heavily, are the physios not up to standard, are they being asked to play when they aren't right? It could be so many things but i think it's likely something other than pure bad luck.

Not just the lads who were out with hamstrings, but the number of lads who've had their hamstring taped up last season and even the year before and played on. There has been a lot of player who looked like they were experiencing some issues with their hamstring but were passed fit to play.