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THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK

Life President⭐⭐
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
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Location
SHOEBURY
I went and saw a very enjoyable training session today. It was mainly a very intense and fast match of about 10 v 10. No goalies as Smith and Bexon played with the Youth. PB and GC stood in goal each end to knock the ball back, not save shots. PB would blow the whistle about every 8 minutes for a 30-60 second break. It was an extremely good workout for all the players. It was a very good standard of football and highly competitive, as you would expect with players trying to earn a contract or a place in the starting Eleven. Adam Barrett stood out for me. He still roles back the years and is still very fit. He even plays the training games like a cup final. Nile Ranger was the one I really went to see. He was clearly not up to the fitness levels of all the other players as he hasn't played for so long, but........he really impressed me. He has a presence at 6ft 2ins. He played more of a midfield role, probably to get fit. He holds the ball up well, he's very strong, so was hard to wrestle the ball off. He has very quick and skillful feet for a big man. He clearly has all the attributes to play at a higher level, if only he can get the desire and his brain right. The fitness will come.
At the end they did a running hard routine, about 6 times the length of the pitch a few times. This is where I really felt sorry for Ranger. He started well but was lagging behind at the end and was bent over and had a little lie down. He was clearly in pain as his lungs must have been bursting. But like I said, he's been out of the game for so long, so this sort of thing is to be expected. Once he gets up to the fitness levels of the others, he can be some player, if he wants it bad enough. We shall see.
Very close to the end of training a Rossi ice cream van turned up. I thought, well he's not going to do much business. I wasn't sure the players nowadays would be allowed an ice cream, but at the end of training they all headed to the van, including the manager and all the trainers. They all had an ice cream or lolly. I think it must have been a treat from the club or Phil Brown. Good for morale and team bonding I thought. And yes, after the workout they just had, they all seemed happy about it. Then Ricky Duncan called the very young youth to the van, they all seemed reluctant as they thought he was joking, but he wasn't, and they all got an ice cream.
So basically, it was a very hard session that will have done all the players no end of good. I hope Nile Ranger sticks with it, because it will get easier the fitter he gets.
 
Good report. I opened he sticks with it too.

He has the talent undoubtedly and I'm sure PB will be pushing him and the boys very hard to try and get his fitness levels up quickly.
 
Yes great report -- more of these please !!!!! Maybe we can have daily updates.

I remember previous managers bringing in the ice cream van before --- Jack Payne always used to have a mini milk , Liam Dickinson had Funny Feet & Anton Otulakowski a Tongue Twister.
 
I think Nile could lick anybody . hes not after too much lolly though and at least Ted Smiths byceps are no longer wafer thin, boom boom, sorry!
 
I think Nile could lick anybody . hes not after too much lolly though and at least Ted Smiths byceps are no longer wafer thin, "Zoom" "Zoom", sorry!

Edited for accuracy.

Some might think your a "screwball" but I thought it was a "Fab" post.
.
 
Great news that we're training the players up on Rossi ice cream. Both to engender some local pride and for it's medicinal qualities.
 
Maybe this is why our shooting is so dire during games. The players aren't used to having to beat a keeper :smile:

And in some games, we can't beat the midfielders or the defenders, let alone the keeper! :smile:

I like Phil's plan.. he's clearly acclimatizing the squad to "no mans land" AKA the 6 yard box! :smile:
 
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