With the global pandemic still very much on everybody’s mind pre-season has been a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces have had to fit perfectly.
And the decision to take a short training camp in Scotland was a plan that needed carefully checking out by the manager and medics.
Head of Medical, Richard Collinge has been a key figure in all the planning and is happy with what he has seen over the last week at St Andrews where the squad has been based.
The next stage will be the return to Rush Green before we play a series of pre-season friendlies ahead of the new campaign which kicks off at the London Stadium against Newcastle on September 12.
Beyond all the very satisfactory medical requirements Collinge claims it has also s been a really good weekin terms of the mental and physical preparation of the players and building some real good team unity across the players and staff
Commenting at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/august/23-august/head-medical-richard-collinge-pre-season-scotland he said: ” Travel was one big hurdle that we were facing in the current climate in terms of COVID-19, so we sat down to talk about it.
It’s a great environment, hotel-wise, and the University, where we’ve trained, have been wonderful in terms of accommodating us at short notice, so it’s been a great trip. A change of scenery is always something we look to do in pre-season, and the manager’s recommendation has meant we’ve been here and had a really productive camp.
When the players returned from their holidays, we started off with a screening process. First and foremost, we have to do COVID tests – that carries over from last season – which we started last Sunday, and then last Monday we worked in small groups, respecting all of the guidelines that we work within now, as we did another screening process.
We looked at the players in the physio room in terms of joint range of motion and muscle strength. Likewise, that carried over into the gym: we look at certain strength and power attributes of the players. We have to do routine cardiac checks and blood tests on the players, and once we’re happy with the results, they go on to the pitch.
All of that forms a jigsaw puzzle that allows us to create individually tailored programmes. Whether they’re a new player or a player that’s been here for ten seasons, we have to individually tailor not only what they do in terms of gym preparation, but also what they do on the pitch as well. It’s a meticulous process.
This situation is novel for everybody. Players and staff have worked through some incredibly difficult times in the last six months, and certainly probably some of the most challenging I’ve had in my career and I’m sure for the manager and his staff and the players.
It’s been a really good week this week in terms of the mental and physical preparation of the players and building some real good team unity across the players and staff.”