Tough times for players… but get it all into perspective as health workers battle coronavirus
IT’S NOT going to be easy for footballers, who may be stood down for the next four or five weeks until mid-May.
Having been keeping in shape as best they can while there is all this uncertainty, now is the time to take a rest.
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Because when they do return, it is going to be non-stop.
While isolation can be tough mentally, perspective is needed in times like this when there are many essential workers in far worse situations.
Once training again, I imagine they will have around three weeks to get up to speed before trying to finish off the last nine games.
And while it looks doubtful that next season will start on time, there will be another quick turnaround to get that started too.
So with what they have already had, as well as the next few weeks, this will be a much longer break than most players have ever experienced.
These days international footballers rarely get more than four weeks off.
And while it’s not ideal, nobody could have predicted the situation we’ve ended up in. We have no choice but to make the most of it.
Those international footballers will be used to getting straight back into it having had a month off.
Nowadays, most players will do a little bit of work anyway before reporting for pre-season.
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In fact, I would be very surprised if anybody goes back after this extended break having done nothing for eight or nine weeks. Personally I hated pre-season, but I always tried to do something before coming back.
When we won the title at Blackburn in 1995, I only had one week of training leading into the season because of food poisoning and hepatitis.
It was hardly ideal and I wasn’t as sharp as I could or should have been. But I scored in the first game at Southampton and then at home against Leicester after that.
As a forward, if you score it masks over things. But while not exactly great preparation for the season, it can’t have been too bad as I ended up starting all 42 league games.
As well as that, I had three separate spells out for seven months because of injury.
In terms of getting back used to playing, it was a gradual build-up rather than going straight back into it.
I’d get my fitness up and then step up to training with the first team before I was ready.
But for the players now it’s going to be very different, with maybe just three weeks to prepare for playing those last games in a very short period.
It’s not an easy time, but having never faced a situation like this everyone is in the same boat.
CAPS OFF TO SKIPPERS
Across the country, we have seen the great work done by captains.
Whether it be Jordan Henderson, Troy Deeney or Mark Noble, to name just three, all these guys are doing a brilliant job.
I said last week that it was only a matter of time before players came together to do their bit to help. And the #PlayersTogether fund — to help NHS staff on the frontline — is a fantastic initiative that is going to do a lot of good.
The captains also have a crucial role in trying to keep their whole squad involved with each other.
With training probably going to be stepped down now, that will be less crucial. But they have an important role to keep the morale up and make sure everyone is okay.
It’s part of the job and if there is an issue, you’ve got to be there to try and help.
At the end of the day, I don’t think you’d be given the armband if you weren’t that sort of personality.
AL GOOD WITH ME
I’m keeping as busy as I can during isolation,
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As well as my work for this newspaper, I have been doing Match of the Day podcasts and bits with Premier League Productions.
I was at Augusta watching Tiger Woods win The Masters 12 months ago with my son.
Now he’s helping me working in the garden.
There has been lots of dog walking and cycling.
While the weather in Newcastle is not as hot as it is down south, it was a nice Easter weekend.
