In addition to the captures of Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson and
Tevez, the Reds made another important signing during the summer
months in the shape of new Fitness Coach Tony Strudwick.
Tony, who recently completed a PhD in Sports Science at Liverpool
John Moores University, joined the club in July to replace Valter
di Salvo after a three-season stint at Blackburn Rovers.
A former Fitness Coach for Coventry and West Ham, Tony also brings
a wealth of international experience to the club having previously
worked with some of the countrys brightest prospects including a
teenage Wayne Rooney - during his time with the Football
Association
How excited are you to be here and have your first couple
of months in the job gone so far?
Very well. Its hard not to get excited when youve been given the
opportunity to work with some of the best players in the world at
such a fantastic club. The sheer size of the operation is
unbelievable. But the fact that there are so many different facets
to the club is what really struck me when I first joined. The
expectations at a club like Manchester United are massive and the
aim is to have the best players, the best staff and the best
facilities and thats exactly what weve got. Its a place where
you want to come and work every day.
Tell us about your role at the club?
A big part of my role involves preparing the players for training.
Aside from the training element I also have responsibilities on
matchday during the pre-match warm-up. I work closely with Carlos
[Queiroz] and the other coaches on a daily basis. Carlos drives the
coaching process and as fitness coach its up to me to support him
and the manager from the point of view of preparing the players
both for training and for matches. In the main, thats from a
physical point of view but it also involves the mental side of the
game at times. The physical preparation part isnt just about
putting the squad through a warm-up, I prepare them for whats
going to happen in each individual training session its all
about looking at the bigger picture. There was already a very
successful framework in place before I joined the club, but
hopefully I can add some fresh ideas to the set-up. I look at my
role as being a long term evolution process because year-on-year
its important that we keep raising the bar.
Had you worked with any of the players before you
joined?
Yes I knew a few of the lads before I came. During my time with the
FA I worked with Wayne [Rooney] at England U16 level. He was a
fabulous player and a supreme athlete even then he was already a
man at 16 and he continues to get better and better. I also worked
with Wes Brown, Michael Carrick and Tom Heaton when they played for
the U21s. Michael is a player I know particularly well having
worked with him at West Ham too. Its great to see how hes
developed hes a terrific guy and a great player. Hes in good
company at United its fantastic to see the talented mix of
players weve got within the squad and hopefully they will continue
to go from strength to strength.
How was your first meeting with Sir Alex?
It went very well. The boss has a real aura about him but he also
has an unbelievable ability to make you feel at ease and feel
welcome. Another great thing about him is when he brings people
into the club he undoubtedly trusts their opinion which gives you
great confidence.
It must have been pleasing to see the team pick up a trophy
in your first match for the club in the Community Shield at
Wembley
Yes it was great. I didnt really feel an ownership over that
performance because Id only had one training session with the
players. Nevertheless it was nice to pick up a win and a trophy on
my Wembley debut! It was great way to kick-off the season and a win
like that always helps to solidify team bonding which can only have
a positive impact on the rest of the campaign.
How big a part does a fitness coach play in todays game or
have they always played an important role?
The model were starting to adopt in this country now is like those
used in Southern Europe the Italian model, the Spanish model and
to a lesser extent the French model. Historically, the fitness role
at a football club was often left to the physiotherapist. Over time
clubs would bring in a running coach now and again, but that wasnt
ideal because a footballers fitness is different to that of a
runner. Over the last fifteen to twenty years there has been an
evolution within the game to adopt a more foreign approach and to
have more specialist coaches in specialist areas of the training
set-up. There is a much bigger emphasis on the physical preparation
of footballers than ever before because of the number of games that
players are involved in each season. For that reason virtually
every Premier League club now has a fitness coach. Coaches dont
just look at the training process nowadays, they look at the
recovery process as well. At a club like United nothing can be left
to chance. Its part of the managers vision to leave no stone
unturned and he fully recognises the importance of having a fitness
coach. Hopefully I can play some part in helping the club remain at
the forefront of the game.