June turns into July and the sanctuary of the beach gives way to
the toil of the training ground in the scorching summer sun as
players return for pre-season.
As Steve Wilson pointed out in
his recent blog there is a
24-hour window between the football seasons. The last campaign
ended with Monday's final
humiliation for the England Under-21
team and the new one started all over again with a
Champions League qualifier on Tuesday.
But there are 38 days left until the Football League season
starts on 7 August (most teams play their opening game on 8 August
but the Middlesbrough v Sheffield United match has been switched to
the Friday by Sky Sports) and I personally cannot wait for the new
campaign to kick-off.
I thought last season was fantastic, with
Burnley's promotion to the Premier
League showing that anything is possible, and there were
plenty of twists and turns elsewhere.
Rest assured there is also plenty of pre-season work currently
going on behind the scenes at the BBC to make sure our coverage of
the Football League will be in tip-top shape for the forthcoming
campaign.
In addition to 10 live Championship games, starting with
Newcastle's opening day trip to West Brom (which will be shown on
BBC One), there will also be delayed highlights of every
single game available to UK users on the website.
Our individual club pages are being redesigned to showcase the
additional video content and there will be plenty of news, match
reports and blogs to really bring the competition to life.
For footballers in the Championship, League One and League Two,
the start of the new season probably seems a very long way off.
Take Bristol City. Their players report back today and will
spend seven days working on their fitness in England before heading
off for a pre-season training camp in Portugal.
The friendlies then come thick and fast until the season
starts.
A week in Portugal doesn't sound too bad but
manager Gary Johnson insists it will be "gruelling".
He tells me: "Pre-season is very important. You have to make
sure the players are mentally and physically ready when the season
starts."
Johnson has his training programme mapped out more or less in
its entirety, its content influenced both by scientific and
technological advances as well as his own experience of what works
and what doesn't. (Incidentally, if you run a football team you
might be interested to hear the thoughts of Reading's Academy boss
Eamon Dolan on
how to plan a pre-season programme for your club.)
At least the enthusiasm for finding the steepest hill and
forcing players up it until they are sick seems to have passed.
"I remember that well," Johnson told me. "I remember every
pre-season when I was at Watford - and every pre-season I wanted to
give the game up.
"There is a way to build up a players' fitness and if someone is
throwing up at the top of the hill you have not done it right."
City did not make the play-offs last season and so the players
have been 'off' for seven weeks. Well, that's not entirely true -
every member of the squad was given a programme to follow during
the close season, while voluntary sessions have been held on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday in recent weeks. I'm told a fair few
players have attended.
"We can check what they have done," said Johnson. "All the
results can be uploaded and seen on a computer."
Fitness readings can be compared with the previous summer, while
progress through pre-season is constantly monitored. Heart and
pulse rate monitors allow Johnson to understand how hard a player
is working and whether certain tests and drills are working an
individual to capacity.
Hydration and diet have also taken on added significance, which
is partly why Johnson and many other managers choose to take their
players on a pre-season trip.
"You know exactly what the squad are going to be eating and
drinking as well as how they are going to sleep - and these are
very important in the first weeks of pre-season," said the City
boss.
There is also a 'fat club' at City. Players who return for
pre-season overweight are the subject of ridicule from their
colleagues and have to endure additional training before being
allowed to join the rest of the squad.
Politically correct it is most definitely not, but in the
banter-heavy world of professional football I can imagine how it
would incentivise a player to return in good shape.
Johnson lays heavy stock on having the right atmosphere in his
squad. He tries to vary the exercises and drills to ensure his
players do not become bored.
In Portugal, they will face at least two sessions a day,
although the manager is quick to spot the importance of leisure
time.
"It is a good opportunity for new signings to integrate," he
said. "A week-long training camp is as good as a couple of months
of normal training in this regard."
When I talked to him, Johnson stressed the importance of trust
and good man-management.
He told me he does not make use of all the advances in
technology to try to catch his players out, like a school teacher
with an errant pupil.
"We are here to help the players," he said. "At the end of the
day, they might get into the first team. That means more appearance
money or they could eventually get a good transfer. They have to
make sacrifices, but it might benefit them in the long run."
Many players may need some convincing, but it will all make
sense when the season starts on 7 August.
