The amount of social touching is really striking to me. I'm no psychologist/sociologist but I'm guessing it's indicative of a pretty close bond between the group. I've mentioned before, I know a few of the lads featured fairly heavily in the footage personally but don't/rarely have seen them in that environment (at work basically) - away from there they're not like that at all from what I've noticed. A different relationship I guess. I found it really interesting/fascinating.
That was a great watch. A proper team that is, they deserve the support they get and all the plaudits that have came their way. The scenes in the dressing room after the home game against Coventry stood out for me. The dynamics of it all had never occurred to me. Obviously I only ever went in, got changed and went home or to the pub. But here, players coming in at slightly different times, all beaming wildly and then whooping it up again in the room. Then the wait. Some lads doing interviews coming in later, Jobe first, then they all go nuts again. Then the collosus that is Dan Ballard comes in and they're off again. Then him and Neil having to say a few words, rapturously received by the rest. What would you give to be among all of that?
Just watched - class. Great team spirit - they will run through brick walls for each other. Ballard, Onien and Hume literally would.
They really are a slick outfit now with this stuff. We're getting better slowly on all levels. I am constantly astonished at the steady progress made since we were taken over. They haven't even spent giant sums, just, (as they said at the start) more or less what we could afford or generate. I'm not sure I can remember anything like it being done before, without lashing out loads of cash, not from as far gone as we were.
ha I spotted this. As I have social anxiety I absolutely hate any sort of greeting or touching other than a standard handshake. These lads are embracing every time they see each other. I’d hate it personally but it’s nice to see and as you say you’d think it’s a sign of a good team bond
I wonder if it has been somehow subtly engineered. Or is that a bit far fetched? The lads have been told to touch eachother more (can you imagine!). I guess it's more likely to be a by-product of being a close group and having a great team spirit rather than a creator of it. Le Bris does have his diploma in mental training so I do still second guess the psychological aspects of these things.
you may be right. But I’ve also always noticed that they all shake hands with the guys in the tunnel when they arrive on match days, almost without exception. It feels like something that’s been encouraged for at least a good few years
That's just a courtesy thing though for me. What I noticed was beyond just the stuff on welcoming, it was all the little touches - little affectionate squeezes of shoulders, playful pokes in the ribs, arms round shoulders, taps on the head etc just when passing eachother. I've been parts of teams that have been close but don't recall any of this (maybe it happened and because it was all so subconscious I just don't remember it happening). It think it's great. I can see though that if you are not such a tactile person or you have anxieties around this sort of thing that it would be a personal hell!
Seemed to be heavily involved with the celebrations, so was clearly invested in everything. Considering how highly rated he was when he came into us, is it possible that a proper pre-season would enable him to show everybody that he is the player we thought he was when he first came?
I always remember spending time in the dressing room flicking players with tackles if they had had a bad game.
