The start of another week but at least this Monday we had little or no travelling, save that to and from the training pitch and a couple of journeys to meet and greet our two Co-Directors, Rasmus Ankersen and Phil Giles who were visiting for a couple of days. Breakfast, as per usual, was a very pleasurable experience and once that had finished the players had a get together with our Performance Coach Tom Bates.
Tom has, for the past decade been working with international athletes, including those representing Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games, coaches, managers and teams, helping them to maximise their potential and perform under pressure. His own maxim is “anything is possible when action meets intention".
Following the session with Tom, the players split into two groups; one went off to the training pitch and the other to the beach. I should add, not to sunbathe, but to train. Whilst all this was going on, Paul Williams and I had to give our apologies for having to miss a training session, as we were off to meet Rasmus at Faro Airport.
We were back in time for lunch, and we had to wear the kit in which we travelled here to Portugal, and to all away games, as it was an opportunity to have our annual tour head and shoulders shots taken by Mark Chapman. This was followed by a very relaxed group shot of players and staff alike.
After the short photo shoot it was an opportunity for the players to visit the club’s clinic and receive any treatment/massages which were applicable to any minor aches and pains they may have. Then at 3.45pm it was time again to walk the walk to the training pitch for a full blown training session.
Dinner was at 7pm and this evening, with the arrival of Rasmus, the tinkling of a glass could be heard as we finished our desserts. He was briefly briefed on what was expected and duly took his place on the chair to sing Let It Be, by The Beatles, which was a bit more of a challenge that that of his fellow Dane Andreas Bjelland, who sung the Danish national anthem the previous evening.
Following dinner there was a meeting between the coaches and the conditioning and sports science staff, whilst we were off to the Airport again, this time to collect Co-Director of Football Phil Giles.
Then it was back to the hotel.
And so to bed.
Day Nine
Tuesday 14 July at last, and it is match day, our first match of any substance since that fateful evening of Friday 15 May.
Almost nine weeks have elapsed since that last game and as I'm sure like many thousands of Bees fans, we can't wait to get going again. That was certainly the opinion of each and every one of the players as they arrived back for pre-season training.
Yes, they all spent well-earned time with their families and loved ones, in no doubt far flung places. But now they are all desperate, whether new to the Club or returning players, to get back to peak fitness and ready and fully prepared for the long challenge ahead.
So as we near the end of what has been a very successful pre-season training camp it was good for all to get back out on the pitch for a proper match. The day started in regular fashion, albeit with a later breakfast at 9am.
Then the players had the opportunity to go along to the medical centre at set individual times for treatment, massages before the final training session at 11am before the match. Meanwhile we heralded the arrival of a few more visitors, namely Chairman Cliff Crown, Chief Executive Mark Devlin, and two of the media team, Chris Wickham and Sean Ridley.
At noon it was time for Snacks and then the players had a rest period prior to a pre match meal at 3.30pm at the hotel.
Before the team got on the coach at 4.30pm, the players sat down for a pre-match analysis meeting. Marinus went through the analysis of the training sessions with the players and highlighted some key aspects that he wanted to put into practice for the match against Farense.
Then it was off to the Estadio da Nora, a stadium where FC Ferreira normally play, and which has a capacity of 2,000, which wasn't put to the test for this particular match. However there was a sprinkling of about 40 Bees fans there who had made the journey over, including one who has had a holiday home locally for the past ten years. Now that's what I call forward thinking.
The details of the match itself can be read elsewhere on the website. Then it was a coach back to the hotel for dinner at 9.30pm. As you may have expected, and hoped, the glass tinkling started after we had all finished.
First up was Chris Wickham who did what can only be described as a rap version (I think that's the right word) of Squeeze’s Cool for Cats. Then it was the turn of Sean Ridley who turned out to be the star of the singers this year with a very professional performance of Free Me, which segued into Pinball Wizard from The Who’s album Tommy. He, unlike everybody else, was no doubt waiting to get the opportunity to sing.
Phil Giles was next up with a solo version of Hey Jude, which doesn't sound the same as when The Beatles sing it or when the Bees fans sing it. But hey, it was a safe bet. Then Chairman Cliff Crown rose after a cacophony of sound from tinkling glasses.
He chose Elton John's Your Song and in truth gave a perfect rendition of the first two verses. It appears that after a number of somewhat, how can I put it, below standard performances, the best was kept to the last few acts. Mark Devlin, cleverly, arrived late for dinner and much to his chagrin missed the opportunity to sing for those gathered in anticipation. But hey there's always another day.
After dinner, the Analytical Team sat down with the coaching team to present the analysis of the match and review the key patterns of play. Then Luke Stopforth and new analyst, Piet Cremers (who had joined us from the Marinus’ former club Excelsior) put together the Team Post Match Analysis Presentation.
Head of Analysis Neil McIlhargey worked late into the night to break down every players’ performance so that it was available for the team to analyse their individual game first thing in the morning. And so, no doubt before Neil did, to bed.
Peter Gilham