http://m.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/foo ... -1-7258733

Hope it works, but......................

This is what Pools used to do regularly during the shittiest part of our history. It didnt make us good then.

Two words spring to my very suspicious mind:

Cost cutting

Obviously is cost cutting but I'd bet it's more effective!


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oh, and isnt warm weather training supposed to very good for long term fitness?

Hmmm saving money no doubt.

I always thought the trip away was a good method of getting trialists into the club and who then hopefully feel at home within the club etc and will sign. Cant beat a 'free' holiday.

so lets get this right.........top Professional clubs, of all sports, use warm weather training, as it benefits the players, but if pools do it, its a free holiday? And as all evidence shows, its much better to send them to army barracks.

Can someone tell Chelsea, Man U, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich please.

Just out of interest, where do Pools go in 2007 when we last got promoted?

Just asking.

It might also be worth taking them up and down the crumbling steps at Crimdon Dene, and it would be good if a TV crew could record it, in black and white please. Be more authentic of the period.

Im not doubting whether warm weather training benefits them or not. Im simply pointing out if I was offered 3 trials, and maybe 2 slightly bigger clubs were staying in the UK and one maybe smaller club was going abroad to a top training complex, I know which id choose. We always seemed to have an influx of trialists around Holland/Spain time.

I like it. Gets them in the right frame of mind.

No doubt a chance for them to do some more Great Escape photos etc.

Going back to basics might not be a bad thing, we went abroad last year n started the season terribly.

I dunno you won't know if it works until later on.

I remember turner had the players back 2 weeks early in the 02/03 season n we started the season brilliantly.


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The players looked embarrassingly unfit in pre season friendlies last year against Boro etc. This was after a week of 'warm weather' training.

Players will get fit if they train hard regardless of if it's 'warm weather' or 'not quite so warm weather with a chance of rain'

Think about this. Who do people keep saying couldn't cut it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke? Who therefore needs acclimatising AWAY from Spain?

Gerrin IOR!! A fantastic thank you from me!

I'd imagine it's Ronnie Moores idea. As has been mentioned we hardly looked the fittest team at the start of last season and that goes a long way at this level. It's was how Chris Turner started to improve things at the club if you look at our period of relative success from a decade ago all of those teams were extremely fit. I remember the quote from Jon Daly when he first signed from Stockport that he couldn't believe the fitness levels here and that he thought he'd signed for the Hartlepool Harriers!

July is generally warm enough anyway 'warm weather' training is a term normally used these days when clubs or athletes go abroad during the winter months.

Warm weather training for a week will do very little. The top teams go to locations with a higher altitude which just so happen to be a warmer climate which is much more beneficial for fitness levels.

In the end of the day were Hartlepool United so what's wrong with the no frills approach? Plus last seasons afternoons in Marbella didn't do anything for their fitness as we struggled with it all season.

To me this is a no-brainer. It's a GREAT idea. Fuck Spain and Holland. Looking forward to seeing the lads running around Bellerby and Preston-Under-Scar in the Summer. Hup-Two!

Is our budget comparable to the clubs listed there like?

Our players of this season could of done with being brought down to earth by Corporal Shouty and accommodation you wouldn't wish on your mother in law. It's only 5 days and will be as good for team spirit as any trip abroad.

I'm not defending the lack of spending but how can anyone justify sending a team that was the 3rd worst in league football to a 'state of the art' training facility abroad while some of the supporters back home struggle to pay for a season ticket.

I'd like to think this is purely Ronnie's decision and not all down to IOR's lack of spending but realistically it's probably a bit of both.

Agree with jonnym4 we are Hartlepool United not Man utd and money is tight so you can only spend it once, so spend it on players 1st and formost

I don't care who's idea it was, it's a very, very good one!

Can't disagree with that.

100% in konkerunce!!!!

Wonder if Russ will join in the daily beasting?

I wish Compton was still here.

Google season pre boot camp. Loads of top clubs do it.

This will get them fit and toughen the squad up its just what they need ,good on Ronnie for this , remember a trainer as they were called then by the name of tony toms an army p.t.i. taking the team to train on the moors

Aye, Tony Toms. Hard as nails. Remember in the middle of winter, snow etc. he would run on the pitch in a vest, chest bulging with bucket of ice cold water and sponge. Strange players never seemed to roll about for ages in those days

oh well. Its back to the mid 70s. Bring back Billy Horner.

I remember reading some of the stuff from last years visit to Spain and it was pathetic. Players asked if they could go in the Pool to 'rest muscles' and he said only when its dark because the sun makes you tired. They didn't even train in the peak heat and instead had to go for naps. When your only there 5 days or something and he did give them a day off, it was just pointless.

Obviously it is cost cutting but I don't think that's the only reason, I think the shambles of last year is playing a big impact in the decision. Also he says if you go away you want the fitness work done first before you go so he's just changing it up, doing something different and then focussing on games.

Great Idea, I remember last season when the players where in Spain, most of them were just posting photos on Twitter of them chilling on balconies.

If anyone can offer me any reasons why training in Spain is better than training here I'll gladly listen but it seems unnecessary and expensive to me

Careful lads, The Colonel will soon respond with "I was only joking"

I know who's idea it was. It's a very very good one too

I think it was a good idea.

Whose idea was it?

Is this really a good idea, I cannot imagine how many red cards Harrison will pick up next season with some unarmed combat training under his belt.

Aye, Military Training hasn't moved on from the 70s

I was only joking lads

Because I said so.

Should harden the soft gets up.

Just out of interest. wasnt the spain thing last year a one off?

Dont we normally go to Holland?

I'd also ban those awful luminous boots too !

barnstoneworth!

I'm old enough to remember manager Len Ashurst and coach Tony Toms ( ex Royal Marine Commado/ fitness instructor) taking Pools lads on the moors for a couple of nights to toughen them up/ improve fitness/ team bonding etc . This was early 70's with Neal Warnock, Willie Waddle & crew.

I think its a great idea too. Get them back down to earth and make them realise how lucky they are to be playing football for a living and getting well paid for doing so. If they at least make the play offs then that,s the time to take them to Spain!

Compton... he would have gone AWOL.

Can't remember an assault course in the middle of a footy pitch?

Just imagine an agent selling Pools to some player. Yes, Hartlepool, yes the monkey hangers, 3rd bottom last season, preseason training with the army..........

Yeah because professional athletes should not have to train....

For strength and conditioning football is miles behind any other sport. This is a week of basically running... It's not exactly torture

Don't remember any games played in Spanish climates in league two last year either. Doesn't mean either are better for training.
Also if a player's signing for us on the basis of a free holiday he'd be better off going on a lads jolly with the likes of Luscombe and then signing for the same team as him.

If the players have the right attitude, they will benefit far more from a week of military training both physically and in terms of team spirit.

It's not like at the end of June they won't already have been on their jollies is it. Just that they'll have paid for 'em themselves.

It's been summer for a month already here and it's only a 2 hour flight from Newky.

Cracking idea, I was in Leeds in 1992 on a course at the University and did some running with Leeds players under Sgt. Wilko they ran for the first 2 days non stop for 2 hours and then got the ball out knock it wide to Sterland one two with Strachan then Sterland would overlap and the cart horse Lee Chapman had to run from the half way line alongside Carl Shutt and Imre Varadi and get on the end of a Sterland cross. Rinse repeat for Nigel Worthington and Gary Speed on the left. The result Leeds were the last winners of the football league. Some say Ronnie are a tad Stone Age but in this league we will play football after they have run not before !