I know that they haven't exactly done 90 mins in games but Reid, Burns and Bryan all playing in under 21's does that mean that they aren't going to start next match or is cos they are young they won't feel as tired as the rest??? I'm confused? mind you that's nothing new!
Who knows Most of us still fail to comprehend why highly paid, so called professional athletes seemingly cant play 2 x 90 minute games of football over a period of 7 days without being too tired and not up for the fight ?!
Seem to remember players holding down a job and playing. Stories of Tom Finney working as a plummer on Sat morning before a game???
Players do get tired physically and mentally. It does take time for muscle glycogen to build up and soft tissue to repair, but ALL clubs have squads to deal with x amount of games in x of days. If they are tired rotate them e.g Baldock. This "tiredness" is effecting whole XI including those who have been rested. Put the excuse up there with the other Cotterill excuses of wind, wet, don't know my midfield etc.
Well I am one of the ones who just can't buy into this "tired" bollox........sorry, but guys in their 20's,top pro's and highly trained with a full fitness program? Come off it! Even guys in their 30's who have been doing it all their careers should be able to at least put a shift in ffs. The problem is more than just being tired..............
Add three hours of training every day on top of this, and additional time commitments outside of this. They're not exactly working 45 hours a week like many of us here, but to be fair I spend most of my day sat behind a desk. I consider myself very fit, and I think I'd struggle to be considered match fit for professional football. My argument against people that slag off referees was always "run at a decent pace for 45 minutes and then try to go through your 7 times tables in your head". What seems easy from a comfy chair is very hard when you're running on empty. The same goes for those playing. Comparing the fitness levels of players back then to those now is beyond stupid. There's just no comparison to be made whatsoever. Tom Finney, if anything, was considered an exception back then because he came into professional football from the army, and kept his level of fitness up. It probably still didn't stop nearly all footballers of that age smoking like chimneys... This is my biggest gripe about the club so far. The Lansdown's are so quick to tout the money spent on the academy, but we don't even ****ing use the academy! We've (apparently) got a number of star players in our ranks, ones that have real futures in the game, but players we were saying had a future in the lower leagues of English football back when we were a Championship side still aren't getting a chance. Our academy is going places, but next season I reckon most of our academy products will be going elsewhere, and probably for free. In my mind, Lansdown should look towards pushing Bristol City's academy towards Category 1 status, simply so we can guarantee the clubs future against the academy. If a Category 2 academy won't produce a single worthwhile player, then more work needs to be done.
Bryan and Reid's form has dipped slightly - this happens with younger players. Burns deserves to start a home game
Enjoy being called "beyond stupid" by someone that doesn't even know me. Didn't actually compare fitness, was taking about being "tired" can't remember this being an excuse years ago, and by definition if less fit and holding down jobs then surely players would have been even more tired than they are today. Hey but it's just my stupid opinion!!
what a load of bollocks, its their job to be fit! In the days of one sub we had a very small squad and nearly all the players played over 40 games in the league plus cup matches, but you never heard AD say Gerry Gow needs a rest. The 3 names mentioned are kids, surely they would have the fitness to play 2 90 min matches in a day, i'm sure they'd luv it!
When you're talking fitness factor in too the mudheaps that players of yesteryear had to play on...and they played in all weathers....... think of that 'iconic' picture of Finney....with lumps of leather on their feet and a soaking wet football to kick, pass and head................
The players don't exactly put in the diehard commitment that would add to the 'tiredness' All these sports psychologists, physios, nutritionists etc and the players are still tired?
Maybe thats because these players (16 & 17 years old) are hardly what you need in a relegation scrap, and its totally the wrong environment to introduce them into their careers. They need to be introduced towards the season's end, after all the nonsense is over. Trouble is of course that we have spent the last 5 years on tender hooks right up until the last whistle. Maybe if the die is cast before the end (either way), then we can introduce Morrell etc for a couple of games. Otherwise its going to be next season, wherever we are
Add to that all of the Cortizone injections that the likes of Tommy Smith had week after week just to play. He is now a virtual cripple.... Unless you had a fracture of a bone in the 60's and early 70's then you weren't even technically injured and you'd sure as **** play the next match ! Seeing some of the namby pamby players in all leagues and at all levels these days makes me cringe. I would say to all of the players man up and get on with saving your sorry arses from another embarrasing situation this season. Roll your sleeves up, work your bollocks off for 90 mins and collectively do your utmost to win every game whether you're successful or not. Then then I might give you the sort of hero worship you believe should be unconditional
I'm not defending the players but, we are comparing them to us. We are used to doing a 45-50 hour week. They are used to training and playing 90 mins a week. So when they play 2 games a week that is technically overtime. As I said I'm not defending them, I work throughout the week and I'm tired at the end of it. I'm especially tired this week as I was out on a jolly last night 4 hours sleep head is pounding but I'm hard core so I'm off to the office for a sleep
Read my last post. The levels of fitness required to play football now are a million miles away from how it used to be. Most of us could probably play 90 minutes of football 40 times a year, but try playing that at their level. You talk about kids, but have you ever watched a youngster be introduced to first-team football? More often than not they lack the strength to keep them going for an entire season. Football is football. The pitch isn't going to have a huge impact on the fitness required to play. If you had been working hard all day, only to be slagged off by your managers and your clients, would you have the same diehard commitment to your job? In this hypothetical example, let's also say that there are dozens of other companies around the UK that would also happily take you on in a few months time. Also, we're a League 1 side. I doubt we've got that level of help, even when we were flying high in the Championship. While I agree, we heard this last season. A few youngsters had a crack in the last game of the season, and most of us believed that our team would be built on the academy. However, aside from Bryan and Reid for a few games we've seen nothing come from the academy, and I reckon we won't, even if we go down next season. A relegation dog-fight isn't the best way to introduce a player to first-team football, but we need to do it at some point.
"Read my last post. The levels of fitness required to play football now are a million miles away from how it used to be." Is that comparing? surely that's beyond stupid?
Baldock covers more miles than any other in the City side. Is he tired ? NO ! Heâs able to self motivate. Others need motivation and a belief in the âgame planâ. That is whatâs lacking. Over to you Mr Cotterill - It's in your job description.
Footballers are human beings so the 7 games in 21 days will affect some more than others. Baldocks work rate is one of the highlights of this season though.
