Post by Iron Webbo on Jul 10, 2015 10:42:43 GMT
DANNY COWLEY'S PROGRESS REPORT
Iron Manager talks about progress to date and aims for the season
We sat down with manager Danny Cowley before tonight's opening pre-season game and our new man was pleased to share his thoughts with us on pre-season and the coming few months.
"I write this piece on the eve of our first friendly against Leyton Orient. Nicky and I have been in post for 10 weeks today. The boys have been back in since the 25th June and will have completed their ninth training session by the end of tonight. The schedule has been demanding but we have found the players' attitude and application to be excellent. As a consequence we are seeing an upward curve in terms of players' fitness levels and we are starting to convey our ideas with regards to team strategy and our tactical organisation.
The first 8 weeks of our tenure involved us working behind the scenes, building relationships and becoming familiar with how the different areas within the Club operate. This involved us speaking and more importantly listening to as many people associated with the Club as possible, from the Board of Directors, players, management staff, to the many volunteers who give up endless amounts of time supporting the Club. This has given us a valuable insight into why the Club has been so successful over recent years but also identified ways and areas where we could move it forward. We have tried to make marginal improvements to many different areas in an attempt to improve the environment for the players. There may be a perception that some of these areas are not directly related to player performance, however we believe that they can actually be critical to a player's success.
We try to create a culture which is player centred and an environment which the players enjoy working in. Some of the changes include refurbishment of the changing rooms, improved travel provision for away games, additional support for the medical 'team', changes in both the training schedule and facilities and an introduction to video analysis and statistical data to improve our ability to analyse both ours and opposition's performance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has given up their time during this process to help us move the Club forward. We expect all of these small improvements when added up to have a significant impact on team performance.
The rest of our time has been shared between player recruitment and planning our training programme through pre season and beyond. With regards to player recruitment, our first challenge was to try and make early decisions on last year's squad. We had lengthy conversations with all of the players and watched around 30 of last year's games on DVD. This helped us learn about them as both characters and players. It became evident pretty quickly that the players had been a major part of the Club's success in recent times. There was a clear spirit between the players and a real togetherness which is vital in any successful group. We were really pleased to be able to reengage with the majority of last year's squad, this has certainly provided us with both continuity and solid foundations to build from. Regardless of who we add between now and the start of the season, nothing will be more significant than the early business we did with last year's players.
We are happy with the players that we have added to the group thus far and feel that they will compliment what we already have. We are probably two players from being where we want to be. When you are working with limited resources there is a necessity to be patient as players that were not obtainable to you in May and June become available in late July and early August.
Nicky and I both allocate lots of time and energy to the planning of our training programme. We believe that what happens on a Saturday is a product of what takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday night in training. We play in a league where the majority of the teams are full time, thus it is vital that we look to maximise the time we have available with the players in order to be competitive.
During the early part of pre season we try to combine fitness based work with lots of technical and tactical work. We work through the four cycles of the game; in possession; out of possession; and the two transitions of winning the ball from the opposition and losing possession. This allows us to build a game plan that the players all have a clear understanding of. They then have the knowledge and power to be able to problem solve to the many changing scenarios they will encounter.
This is very much a process that will continue to evolve as the season progresses. At the moment the players have a framework to work within. As the training sessions unfold we will try to add more and more detail and build on the players habits until their actions are autonomous.
Don't be concerned if the players do not look as sharp as you expect in the early games of pre season. They are still in a cycle of work that is very demanding, we don't taper the sessions at this stage of pre season, so consequently they are often working under fatigue. Towards the end of pre season, we start to taper the sessions with the fitness element becoming more focused towards short, sharp, explosive work. It will be at this stage that the players will start to see the benefits in their playing performance.
We now embark on probably the heaviest part of our schedule in terms of workload, with the players and staff in 8 out of the next 10 days. In this time we have 3 training sessions and 5 matches. This will be both physically and mentally demanding for everyone concerned but vital to our preparations for the coming season. We have 11 games in total this pre season, which can be broken down into 7 First team fixtures and 4 Squad games. Our organisation in pre season centres around trying to get the players 600 minutes of football each, prior to the first game of the season on the 8th August. This can be a logistical nightmare but certainly they are our ideals and what we work towards. From our experiences this background of games will prepare the players physically for the demands a 46 league game season brings.
We will all be working very hard to achieve success this season. There is no doubt that we need everyone that has Braintree Town FC best interests at heart to play their part. There will be moments when the journey will be tough and we will have our back against the walls. It is these moments, in the face of adversity, that we must show resilience and togetherness. We won't always be able to compete with opposition teams in relation to finances, facilities, support and playing resources. That is fine I can accept that. However we must always ensure that we never come up short in the effort and determination stakes.
Look forward to seeing you all tonight and during pre season - Danny Cowley
Iron Manager talks about progress to date and aims for the season
We sat down with manager Danny Cowley before tonight's opening pre-season game and our new man was pleased to share his thoughts with us on pre-season and the coming few months.
"I write this piece on the eve of our first friendly against Leyton Orient. Nicky and I have been in post for 10 weeks today. The boys have been back in since the 25th June and will have completed their ninth training session by the end of tonight. The schedule has been demanding but we have found the players' attitude and application to be excellent. As a consequence we are seeing an upward curve in terms of players' fitness levels and we are starting to convey our ideas with regards to team strategy and our tactical organisation.
The first 8 weeks of our tenure involved us working behind the scenes, building relationships and becoming familiar with how the different areas within the Club operate. This involved us speaking and more importantly listening to as many people associated with the Club as possible, from the Board of Directors, players, management staff, to the many volunteers who give up endless amounts of time supporting the Club. This has given us a valuable insight into why the Club has been so successful over recent years but also identified ways and areas where we could move it forward. We have tried to make marginal improvements to many different areas in an attempt to improve the environment for the players. There may be a perception that some of these areas are not directly related to player performance, however we believe that they can actually be critical to a player's success.
We try to create a culture which is player centred and an environment which the players enjoy working in. Some of the changes include refurbishment of the changing rooms, improved travel provision for away games, additional support for the medical 'team', changes in both the training schedule and facilities and an introduction to video analysis and statistical data to improve our ability to analyse both ours and opposition's performance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has given up their time during this process to help us move the Club forward. We expect all of these small improvements when added up to have a significant impact on team performance.
The rest of our time has been shared between player recruitment and planning our training programme through pre season and beyond. With regards to player recruitment, our first challenge was to try and make early decisions on last year's squad. We had lengthy conversations with all of the players and watched around 30 of last year's games on DVD. This helped us learn about them as both characters and players. It became evident pretty quickly that the players had been a major part of the Club's success in recent times. There was a clear spirit between the players and a real togetherness which is vital in any successful group. We were really pleased to be able to reengage with the majority of last year's squad, this has certainly provided us with both continuity and solid foundations to build from. Regardless of who we add between now and the start of the season, nothing will be more significant than the early business we did with last year's players.
We are happy with the players that we have added to the group thus far and feel that they will compliment what we already have. We are probably two players from being where we want to be. When you are working with limited resources there is a necessity to be patient as players that were not obtainable to you in May and June become available in late July and early August.
Nicky and I both allocate lots of time and energy to the planning of our training programme. We believe that what happens on a Saturday is a product of what takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday night in training. We play in a league where the majority of the teams are full time, thus it is vital that we look to maximise the time we have available with the players in order to be competitive.
During the early part of pre season we try to combine fitness based work with lots of technical and tactical work. We work through the four cycles of the game; in possession; out of possession; and the two transitions of winning the ball from the opposition and losing possession. This allows us to build a game plan that the players all have a clear understanding of. They then have the knowledge and power to be able to problem solve to the many changing scenarios they will encounter.
This is very much a process that will continue to evolve as the season progresses. At the moment the players have a framework to work within. As the training sessions unfold we will try to add more and more detail and build on the players habits until their actions are autonomous.
Don't be concerned if the players do not look as sharp as you expect in the early games of pre season. They are still in a cycle of work that is very demanding, we don't taper the sessions at this stage of pre season, so consequently they are often working under fatigue. Towards the end of pre season, we start to taper the sessions with the fitness element becoming more focused towards short, sharp, explosive work. It will be at this stage that the players will start to see the benefits in their playing performance.
We now embark on probably the heaviest part of our schedule in terms of workload, with the players and staff in 8 out of the next 10 days. In this time we have 3 training sessions and 5 matches. This will be both physically and mentally demanding for everyone concerned but vital to our preparations for the coming season. We have 11 games in total this pre season, which can be broken down into 7 First team fixtures and 4 Squad games. Our organisation in pre season centres around trying to get the players 600 minutes of football each, prior to the first game of the season on the 8th August. This can be a logistical nightmare but certainly they are our ideals and what we work towards. From our experiences this background of games will prepare the players physically for the demands a 46 league game season brings.
We will all be working very hard to achieve success this season. There is no doubt that we need everyone that has Braintree Town FC best interests at heart to play their part. There will be moments when the journey will be tough and we will have our back against the walls. It is these moments, in the face of adversity, that we must show resilience and togetherness. We won't always be able to compete with opposition teams in relation to finances, facilities, support and playing resources. That is fine I can accept that. However we must always ensure that we never come up short in the effort and determination stakes.
Look forward to seeing you all tonight and during pre season - Danny Cowley
