Leaderboard

For my Thesis I conducted a study on pre-match training methods for team sports and the physiological responses from it. There are plenty of studies published providing evidence of the best training methods / warm ups. Ten years ago, athletes of all sports were doing static stretches during warm ups. I'm sure you all had it in PE as a child. The teacher telling us to do our stretches. Within the last ten years or so, just about all the evidence points to static stretching as a warm up protocol increasing the chance of tears and strains and significantly reducing various performance factors such as repeated sprint ability and vertical jumping. Football however is sgnificantly behind the times. Take any other sport in the UK - cricket teams have exercise physiologists working for them. If you play squash at a high level you have exercise physiologist, sport psychologist, dietician etc etc. In football however, the people that take the training are ex players turned managers. They may have football badges but no real scientific understanding of what they are doing in terms of phsyiologically getting the best out of players. Some clubs have started to cotton on though and have employed full time Strength and Conditioning coaches or Physiologists. I have no idea what the players do in training or if they are being given the most up to date scientific training methods. I don't know if MM or TB sit at night researching studies on the most effective training techniques - if they don't, then I hope thet have employed someone who does! Peter Davidson was S+C coach part time during the Brewster era, although I do think he got some things wrong as they appeared over trained at times. Richard Hastings brother was a fitness coach after him I believe, working as a gym instructor at JJB. What professional football teams need (they do it in every other sport) is some one much more qualified. PhD level and an expert in Physiolgocial training. ICT used to have a sports psychologist named Donald McNaughton on the books part time. As a professional sports club they should aim to have an expert sport / exercise physiologist at the club as well. The job would be to work with and/or advise TB / MM on creating training routines that would best prep for performance AND strengthen the players in a way that decreases injury. i don't know if we have someone like that on our books. Maybe if we did, we wouldn't have as many injured players (certainly nothng could have been done abiut Doran and Hayes injury). But Gillet collapsing in agony at East End Park with a muscle injury? Maybe, just maybe with the right physiological training throughout the season, players would strenghten various phsyioloical factors and injuries like that would not occur. If Butcher is correct in using the injured players as an excuse, then the benefit of this is very simple. less injured players = higher up the table. Not being relegated would probably pay for the physiologists wage.

FROM THE INVERNESS COURIER: Inverness Caledonian Thistle under-siege manager Terry Butcher revealed today he was preparing to unveil two exciting Free Agents to strengthen his starting eleven. Butcher told the Courier in an exclusive interview: "A mate of Mo's knows a bit about that Interweb thing and came across these 2 free agents. This goes to show we don't leave any stone unturned, however grubby that job is, in finding the talent to help us move up the table." The two new signings Ing Wie, described by FIFA's player registry as a Chinese holding midfielder that holds the centre circle in the same way Colonel Gadaffi holds Sirte; and My Cloud a native American forward of Scottish descent who fills the hole behind the target man. Butcher later added: "I'm staking my job on these signings so keep your shoes on folks." IHE was unavailable for comment.

He'll have a bigger groin injury if he doesn't get back on to that park and do something! :irritated:

Spot on cc but tell the muppets upstairs as they hold the purse strings which are seemingly getting tighter and tighter

Financial state From the most recent accounts there's an alarming trend. If there's anything afoot I wish they'd get on with it!

Oh grief - the usual defensive, ultra loyal response. Terry and Mo are simply not above criticism !! The OP was of course slightly tongue in cheek but are we holding back on training ? What is the current fitness regime ? Who the feck is monitoring fitness and preparation for a return ? Hayes is reported to have suffered a groin strain on his return - that totally reeks of not being fit / ready or not having warmed up properly.

From what I heard, Maurice Malpas does the majority of the training. I really do think we should leave training methods etc to those who know what they are talking about and by that I mean up to date methods not from the old days.

I have alsways said that if it wasn't for professional sport, the unemployment benefits budget in any country would at least double and we would have to build more jails.

This quote from Maurice Malpas has turned up on Twitter, I don't mean any disrespect to my fellow footballers, but the majority are thick. (Dundee United defender Maurice Malpas, January 2000) Just as well i've never said anything I will regret in years to come! (Except "I do" To 1st wife obviously)

That would involve thinking.

A full time PhD would cost as much as two players. As a fan why don't you approach the club and offer your services on a part time basis? There aren't many PhD's in the area I imagine.

Has the team improved this season? No, gone backwards. I say Butcher & Malpas for the sack. A relegation battle is hardly exciting. It will be between us & Dunfermline. Horrible feeling that we will go down. Now is the time to change management before too late. Sack Butcher and we may just survive.