Macari: “Parkes and McAvennie rarely trained”

Former West Ham manager Lou Macari has explained his concerns to find out Hammer Phil Parkes could not train when he joined the club saying he could only do fitness work on an exercise bike.

Speaking Exclusively to Moore Than Just A Podcast Macari said: “I couldn’t do anything about Parkesey not being able to train every day, because his legs had whatever problem there was, he had to sit on a bike every day, I don’t care who you are, you can’t sit on a bike and go out and do your very best on a football pitch so that was a worry to me”

On Frank McAvennie’s attitude to training at West Ham:  “Frank wasn’t the best of trainers, he used to moan and groan more than anyone but he got on with it. I wish I had got my hands on him earlier to educate him, you need to be fit, if you are running around London and doing whatever you are doing you are not going to be fit, not doing your training, you’re not going to be fit. I warned him before the Stoke game,  I said your fitness levels are crap but I have got to play you anyway, what happens, the first game I am wheeling him into Stoke Royal infirmary. I said to him, I told you Frank, didn’t I? I told you!  You can’t play this game unless you have a good level of fitness. Frank was an OK fella, he was Jack the lad, he was a good person but a little misguided’         

You can listen to the full Lou Macari interview at http://wwww.moorethanjustapodcast.co.uk

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