Player Fitness

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merse btpir
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Post by merse btpir »

Gulliball wrote: 28 Sep 2017, 22:38
People are more likely to be generally critical, negative, look for problems when we are losing yes, that was one point I was trying to make. There will always be over-emotional and reactionary posts when we're losing games, and there's been plenty of examples of that over the last 4-5 years. We've lost an awful lot of games in that time, across numerous owners, managers and playing squads
Players nowadays need to be really fit throughout the whole season because the game now is very technical and very fast played on much firmer and better pitches than before and the players need to run and run and run for the whole game so the emphasis needs to be less on the upper body strength as of old but on speed of thought and body and the capacity to maintain those levels for the whole of the ninety minutes throughout the whole of the season. I don't think what has become the millstone around Simon Jeffrey's neck (and by association, his manager) of manhandling large tractor tyres is really appropriate in this day and age for a sport like football.

Also; team shape and making keeping possession a priority maximises the chances of maintaining those fitness levels necessary to compete to the end and I thought there was a vast improvement in both the way that the side was set up on Saturday and the manner in which they went about building play through the three thirds of the pitch rather than impatiently launching long balls to chase into channels, frequently losing as much possession as before and thus save on the need to expend unnecessary energy chasing the ball to get it back.

As the manager has touched on; he is trying to give the players more organisation and discipline than before and that (to me) showed on Saturday.
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Post by Jack »

Some interesting points have been made about player fitness and the advantage that full time players have over part timers based mainly on the premise that they have more time to train and also to rest between games and training sessions.
While fitness is of course of the utmost importance for players at National League level it isn't the be all and end all. The working environment, living standards, family environment and general wellbeing all impact upon a players performance.
There are some part time players who have well paid employment in their "day job" and the wages they get from football pay for the extras not the essentials. They probably train a couple of evenings with their team mates and every other day at a gym on their own (24 hour gyms are commonplace in larger conurbations these days). Some of them manage people and have transferable skills to take onto the football pitch which full timers who have only ever played football don't.
I remember hearing about a game between Nuneaton and Hereford a few seasons ago where the fulltime players of the former Hereford United were baiting the Nuneaton players because they were only part timers. The Nuneaton team included some University graduates one of whom was an Assistant Principal at a private school and another who was a design engineer for JLR and probably got a new Discovery to run in every 6 months. I don't think the Nuneaton players were too bothered by the grief they were getting and they had the last laugh when Herefoed went belly up.
It would be difficult for us to operate at National League level on a part time basis because of our location and lack of good jobs but our players will always struggle to make ends meet on what we pay and they probably have to look after the kids whilst the missus goes out to work. Many of them have to live away from home during the week. Compare this with the South East where a lot of our competitors are based. Even the full timers at those clubs can find other part time work and the part time footballers have plenty of good employment opportunities.
Don't overestimate the advantages of being fulltime - the part time players are a lot fitter physically and probably mentally than they used to be.
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Post by MellowYellow »

Jack wrote: 03 Oct 2017, 16:06 Don't overestimate the advantages of being fulltime - the part time players are a lot fitter physically and probably mentally than they used to be.
Please don't think I'm having a pop at you Jack but if as you say is correct why are 70% of the part-time clubs in the National League in 'hybrid' mode to turn their clubs into full-time outfits, at huge financial costs, if there is little advantage. There is, except in the case of Torquay, a huge advantage in being full time. You have Solihull and Guiseley and one of the 'hybrid' teams Chester in the bottom 4 for a reason. One can have a full debate on the passionate part-timer vs. the seasoned professional, but the fact that all national league part-time clubs by their own admission would like to go full-time tells a story within itself.
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Post by Dazza »

I suspect this one of those rare occasions when you can both be right. Yes the gap has narrowed a lot but it doesn't anyone who can afford it going full time maybe.
merse btpir
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Post by merse btpir »

Without wishing to make too much of a generalisation, I would say that in this day and age the part-time player at National League level has football income and hence priority first, supplemented by ther employment and lower down the pyramid it is the reverse.

I now several Isthmian League players we cannot envisage playing National League because of their jobs and that is why they play in a league with no overnight or lengthy day time travelling demands...that's how there are some very, very good players in that league.
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Post by MellowYellow »

merse btpir wrote: 03 Oct 2017, 18:01 Without wishing to make too much of a generalisation, I would say that in this day and age the part-time player at National League level has football income and hence priority first, supplemented by ther employment and lower down the pyramid it is the reverse.

I now several Isthmian League players we cannot envisage playing National League because of their jobs and that is why they play in a league with no overnight or lengthy day time travelling demands...that's how there are some very, very good players in that league.
Yes, I think that about sums it up nicely, although at the moment that is not the case with our opposition tonight, although with the 'hybrid' clubs it will be a certainty. My real gripe on all of this, is that there is undoubtedly an advantage to being full time and Torquay have for three seasons failed to make it work for us. Lets hope tonight see's a change of fortunes.
merse btpir
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Post by merse btpir »

MellowYellow wrote: 03 Oct 2017, 19:20 that is not the case with our opposition tonight, although with the 'hybrid' clubs it will be a certainty.
Tonight's late arrival by Maidenhead shows why any part-time club in this league needs to be a football first set-up and not an evening after work sort of club....It's a national league and that means what it says on the tin!
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Post by Trojan 67 »

Recently watched episode2/season15 of NCIS where Special Agent Torres tosses a tractor tyre in a gym. :red:

Aye, you've guessed it, he injured his back! :lol:

Will the tyred tossers get a result at Aldershot? They might well do if they don't tire second half. :-D
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