Joining me today.

Steve Sidwell, former midfielder for Brighton Chelsea.

John Walters, who played 56 times the Republic of Ireland.

Well, over 200 times for Stoke, amongst other things as well.

But John, first preseason that you haven't been a professional football or what you been up to Have you been really living it All right?

Yeah.

I was been in Portugal a couple of times.

So Peter Crouch there.

So the big man, I'm not be riding around in a golf buggy.

Homer from Kids of the Lago.

I didn't even know they made them are bumped into Ah, more, more of a little boy.

My little boy is obsessed with them.

Yeah, I bumped into him on days. 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:0.380 I could have a look at the car we've got. 00:01:0.840 --> 00:01:1.910 I got to the car park. 00:01:1.910 --> 00:01:16.520 There's a home, A golf buggy pimped out Gold Street was gonna ask if you were missing it Because what you've actually done on your holiday is go back into a football environment.

It let it.

Ah, I admit it.

I've not missed that one bit.

No, no, no, no, nothing like that.

Go the gym 56 times week anyway.

But, uh, he was always good in the running user use.

Yeah, I've always been good at that.

I've never understood that.

Because you've had a year now, Steve, you to kind of get get your head around it.

But I never understood why you You'd be forced to keep fit every day.

Have to watch what you eat.

You.

Why you wouldn't just at the correct it.

Really?

I can't say you bottle that you work out because that's slightly too dodgy territory.

No players now keep themselves fit, don't they?

But the temptation to just go I'm just going to do everything that I couldn't do when I was playing.

Must be another. 00:01:59.750 --> 00:02:7.490 It's just ingrained in your you don't for so long since you left school itself the river That what 20 year careers and e I think you just have. 00:02:7.490 --> 00:02:12.230 It's now just you know, I know the temptation is there to indulge and especially when you go away on holiday.

I have a few beers and a lot of one.

You're having rough sex that we spoke about, but it's just the get up and go to Well, you know, we're just to go out, work out.

It's gonna be around a bit of the gym, you know, just keep healthy as well.

Is it the routine?

Is that maybe what you miss more than me?

Obviously, there's gonna be part of it when you're pushing yourself to the edge, you don't miss, but the routine, the pattern of your life.

When you have player, you get every 100 on the place.

You just go in.

Nothing's done, especially the higher up you go Lower leagues.

It's not so much, but higher.

If you go Athens done for you.

So it's easy.

So you go in, you just drive in.

You don't have to think about your kit.

What food You get anything like that.

It sounds something simple, but I think that's the biggest thing players misses having not every single day of doing it. 00:02:55.990 --> 00:03:3.220 Yeah, but then you talk about just let yourself go when you're finishing the Harry's Heroes is on a while ago looking at. 00:03:3.220 --> 00:03:12.960 Maybe a e mail came on because I thought you'd think there's a lot, that kind of influence that comes into it as well.

Yeah, the thing with Mae is a few players as well.

Ah, the bits I miss is, you know, used to travel back from a long, often evening game and you get back into bed at one o'clock two o'clock in the morning, the aches and pains, or the next morning.

But that's the bit.

I miss something here, the aches and pains that the the of the preseason runs where you know, you thinking you can't do another 10 as it was back in the day.

But you do and you feel good after them.

So weird feed into their the ones that I miss.

Sounds strange, but a lot of fun, but I do miss that as well.

You're still on the picture on your coaching about so you can get yourself.

You boot on.

Yes, off like that and the past. 00:03:52.540 --> 00:04:0.570 A couple of years, Ida, Barely especially the past year, I was literally every single day in the gym on my own, just like no one, not on the pitch. 00:04:0.570 --> 00:04:6.210 And near the end, I was running on the pitch, so just I was getting different aches and pains. 00:04:6.210 --> 00:04:8.620 I saw competitions to herself on my own. 00:04:8.860 --> 00:04:16.470 So it's up to about two or three and you pull ups a day with the ski just ski machines, arm bikes after maker.

Think off.

That wouldn't happen.

Leg on there.

So just carried on the john P adjourned now, So I'm like, in a different way just keep myself girl.

But like you said when you were going into it pre season training, you're always near the top of the stats.

So you'd have been all right with what Rama Lukaku Did he post it training stats on online windows to make a point about himself and his own fitness in and speed, But would I mean okay, if he did Well, you probably feel right about it, But would you be?

Would you be happy if if that kind of information was out there, they said that they Scotty got took down very quickly because the players were unhappy, but I'd say it was more down to the sports science.

Harmon that have said, Listen, we kind of that kind of information leaked out, but it was quite surprising. 00:04:58.820 --> 00:05:0.030 I mean, I talked about watching. 00:05:0.030 --> 00:05:5.190 I pulled a few time to see where that least Woz and there was a few big names that was down the wrong and that's for sure. 00:05:5.200 --> 00:05:6.350 Thing with Statoil, right? 00:05:6.350 --> 00:05:10.580 And Kate came up with Stone because the other thing to train him right and some people were doing it.

So they used to put the stats up, got taken down after about a couple of weeks because people saying, Hang on a minute on each plane every week, police at the bottom of the list.

He's not spending right, but didn't really change but the stats so that what he put off it was Speed wasn't any point, so he was second.

That could be from a afraid.

So a Friday session day for game.

You don't do a lot.

You don't get up to that top speed so we could have a session off where obscene and especially in the island companies for used to be called a lots of obsessed with how fast we were on DA You put this stuff starts off evil.

I have quickest this on the other, and he'd be like Robin in the other last Faces.

And then what you wouldn't be playing and I need a lot of in the game will be angle on playing every game.

That's what I'm doing. 00:05:53.580 --> 00:06:3.250 But you'll see people in train and then where the ball goes out for a corner or something they sprint up to is I don't know what you're doing but deliberately to get that staff. 00:06:3.610 --> 00:06:6.060 But there's always someone in prison, not just with stats. 00:06:6.060 --> 00:06:6.970 Is always a player in. 00:06:6.980 --> 00:06:17.550 In preseason, the fans are watching preseason matches, is always a player who goes to scores like a load of goals in preseason that doesn't feature when the start the season comes round two players notice that Do you think?

Wow on he's You've got a big name is not really done in in prison, but they guarantee to start.

And then there might be somebody who looks like they're putting everything in.

Their stats might be great.

They might be scoring goals in preseason, but they're just not not getting the opportunity.

Or do you know the difference?

It all comes down to the individual.

I mean, we're not.

When I was at Chelsea, Didier Drogba was Obviously we know what a player Iwas but Monday to Friday didn't really do a lot in training, But let's accept it because they knew when it comes to game day on a Saturday it got when you the game, Andi say these energy save his legs for that office.

You know, it was in well in one aspect that he doesn't have to train probably four till Monday to Friday because he could be one of the first names on the team. 00:06:56.380 --> 00:07:3.180 She anyway, whereas the other players that are on the freedom to think you need to train 100% to get in the starting lineup. 00:07:3.360 --> 00:07:11.290 But he was one of the main players that come out straightaway that for money to Friday, wouldn't really see on a Saturday, then just set the world alight.

But you got the opposite with the lads that are unbelievable in training.

But when it comes to the weekend to go missing, I don't see how you go mission on whether it be whether it be come the big occasion.

They just don't fancy or cruel where when the pressure's on.

It's similar appreciating.

You get plays out flying, and then when it comes to when something actually matters, that's when Accounts doesn't pre season is just basically just getting yourself fifth as long as you get through injury free.

Yeah, and you start that season.

He could play 45 preseason games and nothing.

It's exactly the same as when you play that first game is different.

Aches and pains.

Yeah, yeah, no matter what.

1st 10 minutes you got, legs are gone, you breathe. 00:07:53.180 --> 00:08:0.210 And no matter how many preseason games you're playing, you wanted to play well pre season to get a few good games like personal games under your belt. 00:08:0.210 --> 00:08:0.490 Just go. 00:08:0.490 --> 00:08:1.060 Yeah, I feel good. 00:08:1.060 --> 00:08:2.260 Actually, I'm in the right place. 00:08:2.260 --> 00:08:4.390 Where is sometime but then a preseason. 00:08:4.390 --> 00:08:8.850 I've gone for still not feeling a sharp because every preseason, different every football club. 00:08:8.890 --> 00:08:11.930 I mean, right now Brighton, for instance, we've got a new manager.

It's a whole new raging.

So they're doing amore period ionization, which is much more rest In terms of arrestees.

Breast is key compared to what I've been used to put two before.

So there been times that I really want to doom.

Or but they've been told, No, you just need to pull the handbrake up a little bit because we're not getting fit for the start.

The season.

We're getting fit for Christmas, the back end of the season.

So it's all different at different clubs.

Yeah.

Did you do the one?

So you came on the market.

Use it.

Stoke.

It was very same.

Is that exactly?

Starts.

Harpreet Singh releases.

No matter so literally, The hardest thing you do is quite easy.

It's quite easy after a small side of games where you get every that every club's difference.

In the Tony Pulis warm was completely different. 00:08:54.640 --> 00:09:1.540 You get an Austrian like the hills were like that connects you to 10 sets and then you have to bike 10 sets. 00:09:1.550 --> 00:09:10.000 But you could walk quicker than going off on a bike like your impending get off the bike and the bike up way past people.

But you've got to buy into it.

That's the thing.

If you change a manager, you've got to buy into their their different approach.

That might be one who says I want you.

You know I want you to be working hard.

I want to be like a Tony peerless manager.

He's gonna absolutely make sure that you're tired.

Mrs.

Well, appreciate mental.

Getting getting through mentally for the tougher ones is the biggest thing for me.

An injury free beacon.

Get through mentally ill injury free.

Then you're ready for the season.

Really?

Yeah, a lot of it is changing terms off.

It's very individualized now.

You know, back in the day it being the whole group would do a certain run.

Where is now?

The strikers do explosive runs that's more suited to their games, um, and then and the individual mean again every club different.

But you go in Brian, for instance, which threw urine samples in the moment. 00:09:57.100 --> 00:10:3.690 See if he was hydrated, dehydrate a stretch test on all these schools, had it up to see if he was fatigued. 00:10:3.690 --> 00:10:7.570 And if he was to take you wouldn't train as Muchas ex winds it. 00:10:7.570 --> 00:10:11.230 So it's very tainted now to the individuals, much of the group.

There's the football side of it, and then there's everything else that goes into preseason and even down.

You have the media days now where you have to go and stand in front of the green screen and you give it a game face then well, you have todo life scored a goal.

I mean, some lives that love them like that Love those days love doing a little dance but the worst one was a two state You're right can do it Dance for us But there's no music try saw in disguise like there is no me trying to answer There's no beat that you can get to But now that they play play music in the background of the lads can actually get brought into some of them make a profit tape Yeah.

How are you in there for?

You want to get first in the queue?

Because if you don't get fares to keep you waiting all that so you've got to go in the morning. 00:10:58.410 --> 00:11:1.430 You know which day is you get in fast in the morning. 00:11:1.430 --> 00:11:2.880 You can you can go right through it. 00:11:3.200 --> 00:11:4.560 But you know what? 00:11:4.760 --> 00:11:10.250 You don't You have to leave till after train and then it's like 22 hour wait three always.

And there's also what you gotta do and then they're getting the last ones and people getting blue paint pored over there was like, But, you know, then you have the biggest players in the team as well.

You know, the ones that fancy?

Yeah, that they'll get the best ones.

So they get tea.

Oh, yeah.

Well, a friend of mine has worked on on one of those things.

She was saying that trying to explain it to the newly promoted sides particular those who've been in the Premier League maybe a few years ago.

Congo, That's fine.

Is like a couple of minutes for each of the players.

And then we're done now.

No, not now.

Yeah, we had, um you know, if you're finished, my create Brian, uh, we used to have a day literally the first day back.

It would be you have stations to go around on.

This one would be all the TV outlets that would be done.

And then it would be right with your teeth checked. 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:1.750 That then dentist would be because a lot off few latitude. 00:12:2.470 --> 00:12:10.500 If there's if there's a few people in a there's a lot of injuries related teeth a lot, especially with back and hamstring.

So there was.

People have in their eyes test it.

Then you had the stretch tested and all these tests was done in case.

Obviously, if you got injured, there was a benchmark for when you're done, you rehab that, you come back, that you're stretches all your your lunges was exactly the same.

So But that was that was that took up up the whole day as well.