[Archived] Tony Strudwick

[tonygreenbank]

The Times reports today that Utd have completed a major coup by poaching Rovers fitness coach Tony Strudwick who has turned Rovers into "the fittest team" in the top flight. Hughesy understandably is none too happy so late on in preseason but the clubs are working on a substantial compensation package.

Not only are the Big Four poaching the best players they are seemingly attacking the infrastructure of their rivals. I suppose money will always talk in the end. Anyway thanks to Tony for the work hes done at the club and lets hope we can get a suitable replacement.

[EwoodGlory]

This happened last month aswell

Paul Johnson has joined Liverpool's academy staff as recruitment manager.

He joins the club from Blackburn, where he held a similar post and arrives with an impressive track record.

[revolutionrock!]

[brfc fan]

[broadsword]

I think we poached him from West Ham.

[revolutionrock!]

Well if you look at it from another way , the players now know what he did to make them so fit so i dont see a prob really

[Mike Graham]

Good luck to Strudwick and Johnson; it's a free market and money, promotions and higher profile jobs will always result in movements like this.

[only2garners]

This will explain why he was spotted next to Ferguson on the United bench at the Charity Shield on Sunday.

[Hughesy]

We will no doubt find another gem, with even better talents!!

Trust in Hughes!!

[RevidgeBlue]

You'd think we'd have been able to offer him a sufficiently tempting package to keep him at Ewood.

Wouldn't have thought keeping one set of players fit was particularly more attractive than another really.

[Rovers_4_life]

Surely they cant make that much difference, Hughes, the other backroom staff and the players know their techniques inside out so i would imagine they can just continue with them?

[broadsword]

You'd think we'd have been able to offer him a sufficiently tempting package to keep him at Ewood.

Wouldn't have thought keeping one set of players fit was particularly more attractive than another really.

Working at one of the biggest (if not the biggest) clubs in the World probably has more prestige. It might also be more of a challenge. In any case, I would say it instantly makes his CV look a little bit better.

Who knows, we might well have offered him more money, but he went anyway?

[modes98]

Had a chat with him last season. Top bloke, seemed very happy at rovers, but the lure of the champions was too much it seems.

Shame to lose him, but plenty more fish in the seas and that.

[RoversFanUSA]

Working at one of the biggest (if not the biggest) clubs in the World probably has more prestige. It might also be more of a challenge. In any case, I would say it instantly makes his CV look a little bit better.

Who knows, we might well have offered him more money, but he went anyway?

You know i was playin FIFA 07 and was playing as Rovers but when i tryed to buy john terry i got a reply back that my club didnt have enough "prestige" so he turned down my bid . Anyways we have to find where manu is getting this so called "prestige" and get some for ourselfs..I know a guy that'll buy a whole lot of it if we can get our hands on some...

[ihateburnley]

Yet again a classic example of bloody Williams putting release clauses in our employees contracts. JW OUT!!!

[philipl]

All kinds of things can be read into the Man U raid- they obviously admire what Sparky is achieving at Ewood.

Anyway, Real raided the Mancs, they raided us. There are phenomenal strides being achieved by sports science at present- some of them are even legitimate! Rovers will have the pick of fitness coaches and no doubt there are a number that have come to Sparky's attention.

The big challenge is that Strudwick obviously got the Rovers players to listen and do. Whether the new guy combines technical excellence with bedside manner remains to be seen.

[shane123]

What does Strudwick look like. Has anyone got a picture of him

[youandwhosearmy]

are you going to hurt him?

[rover_groo]

Thats quite a shame that Tony has upped his sticks and moved onto pastures new.

He was appointed by Mark Hughes when we head-hunted him from West Ham back in 2004/05 season. Very highly regarded at Rovers and certainly improved fitness levels of the players and were up there amongst the best in England, if not Europe.

He was a very well organised man at his job and plenty of experience to boot it wasn't too big of a surprise that he was hunted down by the 'so-called' bigger clubs. It probably has to be said that his daily commute to work, would near enough be cut in half as well, so I'm sure that would have been another point to consider.

However, I did find it a tad bizarre as I thought all the background medical staff group were one of the best, if not the best. They all seemed to knit well as a pack and it would be a fair comment to state that they were fairly close off the pitch as well. Now, we'll have to get another man in to fill Tony's position and I feel that Michael McGurn from the Irish Rugby team would be an ideal replacement.

For the geezer who wanted to know what Tony looked like, then here's your man.

I'm just about to say a wee prayer that this man doesn't go back to the club we snatched him from (Man Utd). According to almost all of the professional players who have worked under Dave have regarded him as the best physio they've ever had and the words as, 'I would trust him with my life' has been used before.

[philipl]

Inside the Man United routine. Everything seems to rotate around Queiroz and Strudwick. This is probably very close to what happens at the Rovers too given Strudwick moved from Brockhall and Mark Hughes' years of watching Ferguson developing his techniques.

Was there any overlap between Hughes and Queiroz? I think McClaren was still there when Sparky was a player which just goes to show that not everything is infinitely transferable!

Rovers replaced Strudwick with the Bolton fitness coach who was hugely respected for many innovations at Bolton- in fact I remember a debate on here a couple of years ago about why Bolton were ahead of Rovers in facilities and techniques.

[American]

Is there an AESF honorary Grooby for pulling up the most obscure thread months later?