[Archived] Preview of ROVERS vs. Blackpool; 19 March 2011.

[rebelmswar]

Even if we win this game we will still go down.

The die is cast.

Sometimes you gotta roll the hard six.

[47er]

To be fair he has let us off so we can't complain.

However i am currently researching new and wonderful ways to write on message boards, watch this space.

"new and wonderful"------a sensible post perhaps?

[Fylde Coast Fan]

We're staying up, starting with 3 points here. Please?

[andyroversmad]

Is Formica ready for this match ?

[Amo]

Is Formica ready for this match ?

Should start, IMO. Could be just the unknown quantity we need to shake things up.

So long as Hoilett, Olsson & Kalinic play, I reckon we have a chance.

[USABlue]

Should start, IMO. Could be just the unknown quantity we need to shake things up.

So long as Hoilett, Olsson & Kalinic play, I reckon we have a chance.

Yes and I am sure if he does and doesn't cut it everyone will be in an uproar as to why Kean did that in such a game blah blah blah

[Majiball]

"new and wonderful"------a sensible post perhaps?

Maybe, one day, we'll see. But you have to admit I'm the funniest scientist on here.

[roversmum]

Save it for Red Nose Day.

On topic, apparently Holloway went on a romantic break with his wife and spent most of the night watching DVDs of Blackburn's last few games. Uh oh. Wonder if there's any chance our erstwhile Manager has carried out a similar exercise with Blackpool DVDs? One can always hope, I suppose ...

[philipl]

Ian Holloway's preparation for the Rovers game

Watching Rovers' last few performances must have really cheered him up on his birthday- no wonder he is in such high spirits about the game next week!

[John]

Ian Holloway has been pretty critical of a certain agent involved in "helping" Steve Kean to the manager's job - he will be very fired up for this one....

[Kelbo]

Ian Holloway has been pretty critical of a certain agent involved in "helping" Steve Kean to the manager's job - he will be very fired up for this one....

Well if I was Holloway, I'd be telling the players we will be very nervous, to get at us early, close us down and put us on the back foot, he will certainly have the team up for it, my question is, will Kean have Rovers well prepared?

[John]

Kean is working the players extra hard in training apparently - that's the way novice, coach our players into better ones.

Let's hope Kean realises that when in a relegation battle it is about the mind too.

[philipl]

I would not knock the extra training.

For some time, the players have not been looking as fit as they used to.

[Majiball]

I would not knock the extra training.

For some time, the players have not been looking as fit as they used to.

Lets just hope it's all being organised in the correct fashion and takes into account adaptation signalling pathways. Because a lot of clubs in England don't.

[patrickvalery]

I would not knock the extra training.

For some time, the players have not been looking as fit as they used to.

You're absolutley correct Phil. I almost added a name to the postential saviours thread a while ago, simply for this reason. I won't say his name for the same reason as i didn't post it before - Fear of ridicule!! But one of his main managerial cornerstones is fitness. An average side can improve their chances immeasurably by being fitter than the opponents. How many games are won and lost in the last few minutes of any given match?

Hughes had us fitter than most sides and it paid dividends. I even felt we should have been fitter under Allardyce. With all his sports science i thought we would have been a fitter and more 'in your face' outfit than we were.

[Majiball]

You're absolutley correct Phil. I almost added a name to the postential saviours thread a while ago, simply for this reason. I won't say his name for the same reason as i didn't post it before - Fear of ridicule!! But one of his main managerial cornerstones is fitness. An average side can improve their chances immeasurably by being fitter than the opponents. How many games are won and lost in the last few minutes of any given match?

Hughes had us fitter than most sides and it paid dividends. I even felt we should have been fitter under Allardyce. With all his sports science i thought we would have been a fitter and more 'in your face' outfit than we were.

It is scientific fact that higher endurance levels lead to more sprints, more ball contacts, more anaerobic actions (IE tackles) and increases these actions above the norm especially in the second half.

Sam's sports science came from his back room team of 33 odd people at Bolton not him. We have a good man in Howard at the club who is well supported by Lamb, but 2 people cannot do the same job as the 7-8 people Bolton had working on fitness. 2 men will struggle to keep up with all the latest science and given the way physiology has gone since we have been able to track proteins etc, you need a PhD to get your head round it all. The biggest mistake IMO the club made during Sam's tenure was not expanding the back-room team, Sam knows some of the best people in British sports science and I'm sure he could have put together a back-room team that would rival the best. And this is what people don't understand the likes of United have their own research facility, headed up by Laia an ex Bangsbo disciple and so they can do serious science. We have nothing like this at all and the difference it could all make is easy to see in any Journals.

[John]

Obviously it never got to that stage however Sam wanted to add to the backroom team with the supposed forthcoming investment from Venky's.

Sparky also placed massive emphasis on sport science when he was here, Tony Strudwick was fundamental to that - remember doing a tour around and seeing first hand their methods, fascinating stuff. Think the taffia were also fans of Boddingtons

In relation to training, Sam and Hughes believe (due to their training intensity), that their team's get stronger in the 2nd half of the season. Think Sparky has been mentioning that recently (how because of the work they put in they will reap the rewards now).

Looking back at last season, I thought we looked particularly sharp post January - the Dubai break helped but we looked really good which helped us in our superb end to the season when we matched the best clubs in the land.

[patrickvalery]

It is scientific fact that higher endurance levels lead to more sprints, more ball contacts, more anaerobic actions (IE tackles) and increases these actions above the norm especially in the second half.

Sam's sports science came from his back room team of 33 odd people at Bolton not him. We have a good man in Howard at the club who is well supported by Lamb, but 2 people cannot do the same job as the 7-8 people Bolton had working on fitness. 2 men will struggle to keep up with all the latest science and given the way physiology has gone since we have been able to track proteins etc, you need a PhD to get your head round it all. The biggest mistake IMO the club made during Sam's tenure was not expanding the back-room team, Sam knows some of the best people in British sports science and I'm sure he could have put together a back-room team that would rival the best. And this is what people don't understand the likes of United have their own research facility, headed up by Laia an ex Bangsbo disciple and so they can do serious science. We have nothing like this at all and the difference it could all make is easy to see in any Journals.

You're absolutely right Maji, i didn't know any of that. I'm not professing to be anything more than a complete novice on the subject. I just always felt we would have more energy levels under the Allardyce regime. I guess it makes perfect sense that we didn't reach these heights if he wasn't permitted the man power to implement it.

When Hughes was here, did we have more in terms of resources in this department? Genuine question and not a sarcastic comment. I only ask because we did seem to have a higher fitness level back then. Perhaps thats down to the playing personnel. I guess some players are naturally fitter or more mobile which gives the effect of being fitter as a unit.

Either way, i think it could be key in shaping the remainder of our season.

Edit,

I see John has answered most of that.

[Mercer]

Save it for Red Nose Day.

On topic, apparently Holloway went on a romantic break with his wife and spent most of the night watching DVDs of Blackburn's last few games. Uh oh. Wonder if there's any chance our erstwhile Manager has carried out a similar exercise with Blackpool DVDs? One can always hope, I suppose ...

As a result of watching these, he's apparently extended his break for a few more days!

[John]

Does anyone know if the ice trucks were ever implemented for recovery, think we tryed them out.

I think he is still working with us however the influence of Jamil Qureshi was also pretty major especially in Sam's early days - could do with using him myself at the moment

[Guest linganzi]

What a massive pleb holloway is, who is he to comment on us, our issues? We have had Brenda bruce, fergie and the collective media express their delight should we demise, the opinions of the only idiot more clueless than kean.

Winning this is massive

[Majiball]

You're absolutely right Maji, i didn't know any of that. I'm not professing to be anything more than a complete novice on the subject. I just always felt we would have more energy levels under the Allardyce regime. I guess it makes perfect sense that we didn't reach these heights if he wasn't permitted the man power to implement it.

When Hughes was here, did we have more in terms of resources in this department? Genuine question and not a sarcastic comment. I only ask because we did seem to have a higher fitness level back then. Perhaps thats down to the playing personnel. I guess some players are naturally fitter or more mobile which gives the effect of being fitter as a unit.

Either way, i think it could be key in shaping the remainder of our season.

Edit,

I see John has answered most of that.

If you want an honest answer on the application of sports science within the world of football I would say with certainty that football does not properly embrace science nor does it apply it in the right way. I won't name clubs but for example one current premier league club is obsessed with something called CK, they believe it holds the key to monitoring fitness and fatigue. Trouble is we know it's a load of tosh and it can't be used in this manner.

But the biggest hurdle you have to overcome is the culture of football and it's obsession with pandering to the players. Lets say I sit down with a player and discuss his diet, what do you think he's eating? Mostly absolute rubbish, you sit there explain it all and the serious benefits it can bring. So what happens next you walk into the canteen and he's sat there eating all the rubbish you told him not to 10 minutes ago. You would never see things like that in say Rugby or cycling two sports that really do embrace science. Ask the players to do afternoon sessions and most won't want to regardless of the benefits, it's a joke and nothing ever gets said because we don't want to upset the player.

Under Hughes we had someone on the team who IMO is one of the best fitness coaches within our Island, Roden. Trouble is when they left they took everything, everything so the new guys had to start from scratch. But this is very common in football but doesn't help the team concerned in the long run.

Trouble is current training practices in this country are flawed and arranged more for the players convenience than anything else. Current culture is not about being the best, but about pandering to players who since they get paid more than any other sport should be doing all that they can to improve, but all you hear is I made it here doing what I have I don't need to change. Never in a million years would I hear that from an elite cyclist or rugby player, they will do whatever you ask without question as they want to be the best, football doesn't.

[Mercer]

Holloway isn't everyone's cup of tea but what he has achieved at Blackpool is fantastic.

Let's face it, he does have a track record and achievements to his name in stark contrast to Mr Kean.

I hope we hammer Blackpool but for goodness sake, Holloway merits respect and I do wish that he was in charge of us rather than Kean!

[Glenn]

Lingazi, Do you want to rephrase your comments about Oysten and Holloway in a way that doesn't state they are corrupt as a simple matter of fact?

[Guest linganzi]

Yes, ok, its only my opinion based on what is presented to us , I am privy to some info regarding the last transfer window that supports it but I won't go down that route when things are delicate on here.