[Archived] Levels of performance and fitness

[Kelbo]

I have watched quite a number of lower league games this year and whilst there is a lacking of touch and ability with many players, the levels of their performance, fitness, pace and tempo appears to be much higher than we have at Rovers, Why?

They appear to be more focused and organised and you can see a definate game plan, again, we dont seem to have a game plan, why?

More importantly, even at these lower levels, the subsitutions made seem to have an impact on the game!

I would be interested for peoples thoughts on this for despite Kean being awful, this also throws doubt on the abilities of Eric Black and the fitness coaches etc.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Things like organisation and motivation has to come down to Kean - though I agree the other coaches must share some of the blame. Fitness really should be down to the fitness coaches - unless Kean is overriding their advice.

One thing to consider is how the players have been conditioned - I remember under Hughes we always seemed to start the season slowly (fitness wise) but build up as the season progressed. Over a 46 games season - it is even more of a marathon than the Premiership - maybe they are being trained to last the course rather than setting out of the blocks quickly and fade as the season goes on ? Nah - being too optimistic - we have always looked slow under Kean - wonder if it is motivation rather than actual fitness.

[Sparky Marky]

conditioning is being able to go again when you're knackered....this lot are the most out-of-shape squad we've had in years..hanley/robbo looking heavy...not lasting full 90 mins all over...

Disgrace

[john.leigh]

Just one look at Kean gives you an insight into how highly he seems to value personal fitness.

[ABBEY]

No comparison between numb nuts team fitness and sparks

[Robert Tressell]

I think Hughes, and for that matter Allardyce and Sounness , never cared so much what the players thought of them and would never try to curry favour of the players by giving it to them easily, for them it was their way or the high way and they have been around the block enough to not care one bit what a mr Dunn, Murphy, or Pederson thinks about them. Where as Kean has no pedigree, no clue and no charisma, so the only way he is accepted is by letting 2nd rate players rule the roost which inevitably does not include giveing 110 percent in training.

[forumquizmaster]

I think Hughes, and for that matter Allardyce and Sounness , never cared so much what the players thought of them and would never try to curry favour of the players by giving it to them easily, for them it was their way or the high way and they have been around the block enough to not care one bit what a mr Dunn, Murphy, or Pederson thinks about them. Where as Kean has no pedigree, no clue and no charisma, so the only way he is accepted is by letting 2nd rate players rule the roost which inevitably does not include giveing 110 percent in training.

This makes perfect sense and is also my theory.

[Sparky Marky]

Too right, Dunn should be nowhere near this squad...not been in any type of shape for years and is conning the club he supposedly supports. Kean is complicit in this of course.

[Kelbo]

It will be very interesting to see the fitness of players out on loan, Goodwillie set to start tomorrow, I bet he looks quicker and slimmer!!

I will say this from experience, the more physically fit you are, the more mentally alert you are!

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Things like organisation and motivation has to come down to Kean - though I agree the other coaches must share some of the blame. Fitness really should be down to the fitness coaches - unless Kean is overriding their advice.

But as has been pointed out, our fitness levels vary under different managers....and even a Bristol City fan on the preview said their players are looking much fitter.

I don't know about the complexities of our training but the buck must stop with the manager....he's had multiple assistants and different coaches and it's made little to no difference so he is the common denominator and therefore should be blamed imo.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

But as has been pointed out, our fitness levels vary under different managers....and even a Bristol City fan on the preview said their players are looking much fitter.

I don't know about the complexities of our training but the buck must stop with the manager....he's had multiple assistants and different coaches and it's made little to no difference so he is the common denominator and therefore should be blamed imo.

Don't get me wrong - ultimately the buck must stop with Kean - just that other members of the coaching staff may not be doing their jobs as well.

[Mercer]

Don't get me wrong - ultimately the buck must stop with Kean - just that other members of the coaching staff may not be doing their jobs as well.

I find it incredible that we have Kean, Black, Hendry, Brunskill, a Head of Sports Science and TWO Strength and Conditioning Coaches.

Just what the feck do they all do - whatever they do, IMO, they make a dog's breakfast of it.

[Fife Rover]

Don't get me wrong - ultimately the buck must stop with Kean - just that other members of the coaching staff may not be doing their jobs as well.

Yes but any REAL manager would be letting the coaching staff know in no uncertain terms what he expects from them; and following up on any failures to achieve in even stronger terms!!.

[Baz]

Yes but any REAL manager would be letting the coaching staff know in no uncertain terms what he expects from them; and following up on any failures to achieve in even stronger terms!!.

Especially one appointed on the merits of being a good coach, rather than managerial record.

[Veevs]

I find it incredible that we have Kean, Black, Hendry, Brunskill, a Head of Sports Science and TWO Strength and Conditioning Coaches.

Just what the feck do they all do - whatever they do, IMO, they make a dog's breakfast of it.

I was wondering that to.. but then you look at how fitness played a part in certain regimes and how some of our previous managers most notably Ince and Kidd to one extreme and Hughes to the other went about things and how fitness on the pitch was obvious.

I think part of the issue is coaches/managers who try to be one of the lads.. it just does not work as they don't have the same psychological pressure.. if someone played crap under hughes/Souey/BFS they would not hold back (and would most likely be dropped like a stone) but the same certainly can not be said of the others.

[LeChuck]

I know this is a drop in the ocean compared to the bigger picture at the moment, but I just read an interesting piece about Kieron Dyer and his injury problems.

No wonder Hughes was able to play the likes of Bellamy/Santa Cruz injury free with this sort of approach:

Dyer: ‘I have been put on a special training programme and I haven’t missed a session this season so it must be working. There is a lot of sport science involved. We take saliva and urine tests in the morning and if my saliva test is a bit high, they pull me out of training or modify it.'

It's been evident throughout Kean's reign that the approach to training and fitness has been sloppy at best, negligent at worst.

[davulsukur]

Performance levels have been woeful in Keans entire time in charge.

2 games from last season always stick in my mind, Bolton at home and Wigan at home.

The Bolton game was massive. The 2 bottom clubs of the PL fighting to stay off the bottom of the table over Christmas. In reality Kean couldn't have had an easier preparation, the importance of the game was obvious and instilling a battle mentality into the players shouldn't have been difficult, assuming the players still had some pride left in themselves. And yet we barely turned up for that game. The fans saw the writing on the wall and all hell broke loose - deservedly so in my opinion as well.

The other game was the Wigan game, no explanation needed really; we were awful in a game which we needed to win in order to have any chance of survival.

Those 2 games sum up Keans whole time in charge, the players rarely show - passion, desire, hunger, work rate, aggression (in the correct way) motivation.

The alarming lack of motivation we often show, is one of the main reasons why Kean is just a coach and not a manager. When you throw in the serious lack of shape the team shows, he is only ever going to be a failure.

[1864roverite]

KEANSCUM couldnt motivate anyone apart from his slug arsed self when stealing the wages he takes home every month. He is an incompetent fool at best, a medicore speciman of the lowest form of humanity.

The person that lives in the bloated skin named Steve Kean is bereft of decency, dignity, pride and class.

There is nothing else left to describe it.