Working Nine To Five

[Guest BrickHands]

The Thoughts and Ramblings of DarcheVinny

 

For a few weeks now I have been wanting to tackle the subject of training at Rangers and even in the whole of scottish football. After reading that Hearts manager Paulo Sergio will be introducing double training sessions for his squad - seemingly to work and concentrate on improving passing within his team - now is a good time for me to discuss where Rangers could be going wrong on the training field.

 

Now, before I go any further, it is important to make it clear that I am not a football coach! Nor have I ever been present at any training session at Auchenhowie. Who am I to question the quality of training on offer at Rangers you may ask? I can only comment on what we are seeing (or more importantly not seeing) on the pitch each match. The whole purpose of training is to improve the team and individuals on the pitch, so where do I think we are going wrong? Or not working hard enough on in training? To try and offer answers to those questions, I will list areas of weakness - without getting too in depth - that I have witnessed both at Ibrox and on television, so far this season.

 

Fitness

In the european qualifiers against Malmo FF and NK Maribor respectively, the opposition were a lot fitter (yes, I know Malmo FF were half way through a season but the gulf in fitness levels was beyond that) and boy did it cost us. Painful, slow, uninventive build up, laboured passing and poor control can all be attributed to poor fitness. Also against a fitter opposition, it is harder to find chinks in the armour. This leads to the flank to flank passing we see, almost waiting for the opposition to break formation, as opposed to pro-actively causing them a problem. Now we can argue our pre-season was cut short due to the new start of the season, but should we have not started earlier to counter that?

 

Pass and control

How many lapses in concentration do we see in this area? Under/Over hit passes, heavy touches or mis-controlled altogether (probably not fair to name names...but I shall say Edu and Whittaker could be viewed as serial offenders). These mistakes break down our own attacks, doing the other teams defensive job for them! Not to mention gifting goalscoring opportunies to the opposition.

 

Set-pieces

Each and every set-piece won should be taken as a goalscoring opportunity. If I single one game out specifically, the home and second leg versus NK Maribor. Rangers had sixteen corners that night according to BBC Sport's match report. Granted, the goal we scored was a result from a Jelavic knock down off a corner, but we still should have made more of those sixteen goalscoring opportunities. How often do we see free-kicks and corners being taken and failing to beat the first defender/hit the wall?

 

Finishing

Again, I'll use the second leg versus NK Maribor as my example of consistently poor finishing. Whether players are snatching at opportunities, lacking composure (again this can be a result of poor fitness) or simply poor at finishing, we have an issue in this department currently. The manager himself said the number of chances we had in the home and second leg, was enough to win a number of games, let alone one.

 

All of the above are basics for any footballer and football team, at any level. All can be worked on and improved on the training field. Can all of the above be worked on in just three hours a day? Not for me. Be it double sessions, or 'working nine to five', I think our players need to be training better and more often, each afternoon should be given to working on team and individual weak points. Like I said initially, I am no coach or have ever been witness to training sessions, but the weaknesses on the pitch are there for us all to see. Be it Sasa's right (and possibly prosthetic) foot or Edu's first touch, all weaknesses can be improved upon and become strengths with practice and more importantly, time committed.

[metlika 0]

Double sessions might put a strain on the team and the amount of injuries we get in the past concludes we probably shouldn't. I don't really know but we need someone else who wasn't part of the Walter/Ally management team.

 

Having went on a tour at Murray Park on Wednesday they have all the fitness equipment/gym equipment required. PLG helped by expanding the gym as it was smaller and brought weight machines as they weren't there iirc, but there is too much focus on that. I just feel they have everything there but need a different coach amongst themselves (McCoist, McDowall, Durrant and Adam Owen).

 

A full technical coach for everything seems in order our set pieces have been poor for a while bar the penalty taking. Passing is something to be desired its not good enough especially when you get out passed by even SPL dross.

 

To sum up I feel technically we are something to be desired, passing, set pieces and control. Physically we aren't in bad shape but still our player seem to pick up month long injuries which is a worry.

[Super_Ally 0]

If PLG brought in weight machines then he's not the futuristic, all knowing second coming of jesus and Wenger wrapped into one that he's purported to be.

[Guest BrickHands]

I just think afternoons committed to skills would really eliminate a lot of our on field issues. When I was at school playing rugby, we trained 5 times a week, for an hour each session. We were considered to be middle tier with regards to english schools rugby. Compare that to Sedbergh, a school that has produced England internationals such as Will Carling and Will Greenwood, they trained 5 days a week from 12-5pm! Very much challenging for the Daily Mail national cup, where as we'd challenge for the regional segment of the Daily Mail vase.

 

In short, more time dedicated to skills training, better team and players.

[pete 2,499]

Personally I think all training should be done with a ball. I do not believe in running laps of the field except for warming up and cooling down. Where needed a sprint trainer could help a players speed. I remember a few years ago that Rangers had appointed a state of art science sport trainer who was linking all training to computers. Well in my opinion we have never had such an unfit bunch of players. I am pretty certain of one thing, Rangers may have lost against Malmo under Jock Wallace but it would have been on skill and certainly not in fitness.

[Darthter 542]

If you want to be the best......you have to train harder, longer and BETTER than the rest.

 

Fitness: if your players can't last the entire game at full pelt, they are useless.

Ball control: if your players can't keep the ball under control, they are useless.

Goal scoring: If your players can't put the ball in the net, they are useless.

 

I have always maintained that footballers get it too easy. Nothing wrong in doing fitness work in the morning, then specific training in the afternoon - ball skills, passing, crossing, finishing. This doesn't just need to be out on the field. Using classroom time as well to allow the analysis of different games (Rangers & other), to see how better teams play. use video to demonstrate to the players how they should be doing it, then get them out on the park to do it.

 

I think one of the biggest problems we have ATM is poor positional awareness. Players all too often make a pass, then stop!! Its as if they have done their bit, and now its someone else's turn. OR.....they make their pass then move into a position which takes them out of the game - as demonstrated perfectly by Whittaker last week for Scotland. If you watch Barca.....whenever a player has the ball he usually has at least 2 passing options within 10-15 yards. This doesn't happen with us, which only leaves a long pass across the pitch.

 

As for the risk of more injuries.....don't buy it. If excessive numbers of players are getting injured during training, something is wrong!!! They are supposed to be Professional athletes FFS. Also, the extra sessions don't need to be overly physical - more focused, specific & technical.

[Super_Ally 0]

The idea that more/longer always = better is false.

[Darthter 542]

The idea that more/longer always = better is false.

 

So training for a few hours in the morning is enough???

 

I have noticed when people are talking about top players, a common point that's mentioned is that you normally find them out on the training ground practising after everyone else has gone!!! That's what sets the absolute elite apart from the very good - they put in that extra amount of effort/training.

 

The extra training needs to be VERY focused, and not simply having a kick about. It should be about honing and improving individual parts of a players game.

[Super_Ally 0]

So training for a few hours in the morning is enough???

 

Doesn't say that anywhere in my post.

[Darthter 542]

Doesn't say that anywhere in my post.

 

but you did say "The idea that more/longer always = better is false."....which IMHO implies that the current training is enough, and that they wouldn't get any benefit from longer or more training.