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Broadfoot savages Kilmarnock


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Quite strange if Broadfoot claims Alessio ain't into fitness as he worked with Conte. Conte is notorious for his intense training. 

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/english-premier-league/23/blog/post/2954921/what-its-like-to-train-as-a-chelsea-player-antonio-conte-fitness-regime-examined

The combination of fitness and tactics are fundamental to the Italian's approach to management and, by extension, the success he has enjoyed. Conte may have earned respect for his innovative methods regarding how he sets up his teams, but he would not have been able to apply to them without a distinctive physical approach.

 

"I want to play with high intensity, to win the ball back very soon after we lose it, to attack with the right balance," said Conte before the season began.

This is a manager, who has spoken about how he wants his players to "eat grass" and "sweat blood." In other words, to work until they drop, but then be ready to work again.

How does Conte do it?

High-intensity fitness drills, in which extreme work is done in a short but concentrated space of time, are the basis for Conte's fitness philosophy. Sources have described the training as "gruelling" and a look at just one of the regular drills reveals how much is demanded of players:

Run 100 metres within 20 seconds; rest for 20 seconds -- repeat for seven minutes.

Run 75 metres within 15 seconds; rest for 15 seconds -- repeat for seven minutes.

Run 50 metres within 10 seconds; rest for 10 seconds -- repeat for seven minutes.

ESPN FC pundit Don Hutchison is a former professional who is still at a good level of fitness and has been through some testing preseasons.

"I've had altitude training in Salt Lake City with Coventry; that was horrendous," he said. "Army boot camp at Hartlepool; that was even worse. Liverpool's wasn't too bad, but at West Ham we used to do lots of long-distance running and then, as the weeks went on toward the start of the season, it would turn into sprinting work. So, over the years, I've had some brutal ones."

Hutchison went through these Conte drills and it is telling that he considered them as tough as anything he has seen before, in terms of demand on the body.

"Harder than what I thought it would be, to be honest," Hutchison said. "When I set off for the first one, I thought 'not too bad,' then I had 20 seconds' rest, went again and, after four or five, I could feel my chest pumping and all of a sudden I could feel the lactic acid creeping into in my calf muscles and my hamstring and my quads... that was tough."

Conte is not alone when it comes to this approach to fitness: Two of his rivals for the top four -- and possibly for the Premier League title -- have similar principles.


Jurgen Klopp had triple sessions in Liverpool's preseason, an approach that sources say left many of his players so exhausted that they would sleep in hotel rooms rather than go home in between.

Meanwhile, Ben Davies has revealed that his international teammates are often "stunned" when Tottenham players tell them of Mauricio Pochettino's fitness regime.

As for Chelsea, Conte has set his stall out and those late goals are the early dividends. Defender Gary Cahill described his most recent preseason as one of the "hardest" he's ever experienced, but in the long run, it could make Chelsea very difficult to outlast as the season goes on.

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10 hours ago, C4mmy31 said:

Read the KB article back, perhaps you missed the part where the man himself said AA told him he was "a big player for him"......

 

Lets be honest - Kirk’s saw/seen the writing on the wall and jumped before he was pushed. If he’d been given the extension he requested he’d still be at the club, happy to do low intensity training and pick up his cash. These claims are so he can attempt to save some face. 

Either that or AA has said he was a bigot player for him. Kirk’s English isn’t the best and perhaps he just misunderstood.

Time to move this out of Killie Kickback btw. He’s not our problem anymore.

 

Edited by Zorro
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12 hours ago, C4mmy31 said:

Read the KB article back, perhaps you missed the part where the man himself said AA told him he was "a big player for him"......

 

AA was always going to say that though, especially before the Del Fabro signing. Its called man management. Clearly, he didn't really fancy Kirk and his hissy fit. Therefore, parting of the ways best for all.

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KILMARNOCK winger Dom Thomas has maintained that he has no issue with the change in methodology at Rugby Park following the appointment of Angelo Alessio as Steve Clarke’s successor.

Kirk Broadfoot left the club and took a pop at the Italian’s training sessions on his way out the door last week with the veteran defender’s vocalisation of his frustrations coming on the back of intense speculation about the unrest among senior players at the club.

Thomas, though, was keen to buck the trend with the 23-year-old declaring himself willing to adapt to the idea that different coaches can bring in different strategies.

One of Broadfoot’s criticisms was the lack of physical condition with a focus since Alessio’s arrival on shape and tactics rather than the more robust elements.

“Kirk might have been loyal to Steve Clarke but I can’t speak about him,” said Thomas.

“For me, the squad we have is together. We have a good dressing room. It is a good dressing room to be part of and I think we will do well. There is a togetherness. I enjoy going to my work every day.

“Kirk has his own opinion, but my opinion is that training has been good. I have been enjoying it, working hard and my fitness levels are up.
I feel sharp and fit. If we were not fit and ready we wouldn’t be so high in the table.

“I don’t really notice that much change. Things are pretty similar.

It is a good group of boys and it is a happy camp. If you are not together you won’t keep three clean sheets in a row.

“Steve Clarke was brilliant at Kilmarnock and is one of the best managers the club has ever had.

I didn’t play as much as I would have liked. I probably needed a change and I got one. It is up to me to impress the new manager.

“And as much as I didn’t play much under Steve Clarke I felt I learned a lot from him.”

It was a fraught start to the season before recent results suggested that Kilmarnock may yet find their feet under Alessio.

And Thomas has maintained that the ambitions of the Rugby Park club and their desire to maintain their recent lofty placings in the

Premiership table have not been diluted in the turbulence of the last six weeks.

“When you do that well and take the bar that high realistically it is going to be hard for whoever gets the job to continue that,” he said. “But the boys want to keep raising it again. Our ambition is still to finish third this season and get into Europe. Hopefully we can work hard to get back there.

“It is a new era and I think the fans are still behind us.”

The best way to silence any dissenters is by getting results but in that respect Kilmarnock have a fairly heavy schedule ahead.

They play Hibernian who have had their own struggles so far this term twice, in the league and then the Betfred League Cup, with a visit to Celtic Park sandwiched in between this month.

However, Thomas is optimistic that the performances before the international break will offer some confidence ahead of the next phase of games.

“You read a lot about what is going on but we are sitting in the top six,” he said. “When you are in and around the place everything seems fine to me.

“The spirits are high and we are in the top half of the table so things can’t be that bad.

“These things happen in football but we just take it as it comes.

“You have good weeks and bad weeks. We have just come off the back of a win so the spirits are high.

St Johnstone is a hard place to go but we got a win and another clean sheet.”

 

 

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Ah, good old Scottish sports journalism. 

Broadfoot ‘insists’ - as though he’s sharing some big secret expose. 

Dom, meanwhile, ‘maintains’ - as though his positive view is bollocks and the papers will catch him out on it any minute now. 

Meanwhile, in the real world, two guys have different opinions. 

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Player who leaves club after being unhappy about potentially losing his place with negative article in newspapers.

Player, not playing under previous regime, back with club and getting game time with positive article in newspapers.

Fans, who should know better, reacting massively one way or the other depending on their own agenda.

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Big season for Dom Thomas this one. If he is going to make it at this level he has to make an impact this season.

Clearly has the ability to body opponents in the lower leagues but needs to show he can do it against the better teams.

Started well with the winner against Accies. Hope he manages to keep improving and can make his mark on the team

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