In 30C heat Eddie Howe issues a rebuke to the players in yellow bibs.
“If you are lethargic and don’t work as a team you will get f*** all…”
There’s no room for passengers. Leaders Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier are ordered to raise standards. It was a few minutes into a pressing drill at Newcastle ’s Austrian training base, and Howe stamped his authority. “Training is fiery and competitive. We want to create that mentality,” Howe explained later. “No drill is wasted. I am passionate about my coaching, and my team, and if they are lethargic you wake them up. After that they were very good.
“We have a lot of winners in the group who want to win everything including training drills. I want to push the players to a very high level. In the Premier League with the transitions in the game, the physical exertions you need to win a game can only come from a high demand in training.”
A team who won just once by mid-Jaunary last season, then got 12 victories in their last 18 games, have stepped up a level, pinging passes through bodies when nothing appeared on. Chasing like terriers to retrieve the ball after they lose it. No wonder Bruno Guimaraes’ verdict on the Austrian training camp was direct: “I am dead! Really dead. We have run and sprint and work but we know the intensity of the Premier League.” It’s been a busy week of work, and some play.
The Toon squad, and coaches, have loved their mountain bike blasts to training through mountain meadows. A speaker blasts out music for the warm up, chosen by a player. On Saturday Sweden defender Emile Krafth turned DJ… and ABBA was pumping out. Someone should warn him not to do that if Roy Keane - who once rollicked his Sunderland squad for playing Dancing Queen in the dressing room - is ever his boss.
After sun cream was slapped on - poor ginger-haired Matty Longstaff took this job seriously - and the balls came out. United’s Brazil contingent Guimaraes and Joelinton were using their shins to do keep-ups with Miggy Almiron. During training Howe and his team of coaches apply principles outlined in video sessions to the pitch. From the sidelines you see players interacting well, dishing out advice and demands of each other. There is a strong element of self-policing when a head drops or someone moans.
“In pre-season you have to imprint everything you want your team to deliver,” says Howe. “You have to get into them in a condensed time and maximize every moment. I think you will see that work coming out in games as pre-season progresses. I hope there will be substantial improvement on last year in terms of overall performance. There is no guarantee because you are playing top teams and the aim is to win. I have no problem with winning ugly as well, doing whatever we have to to get results. Like we did last year.”
Away from the pitch there has been some down time and fun. Ryan Fraser won the go-kart racing - amazingly there was a mini Grand Prix track at the hotel. Chris Wood was second, with 6ft 6ins Dan Burn cursing that his knees were jammed against the steering wheel. The slowest players and staff faced forfeits. Poor Almiron was in the slowest five.. and had to perform a boy band song, pretending to be the Backstreet Boys.
There is golf on site at their 5-star hotel, and Jonjo Shelvey is a decent player. Some of the staff have been playing tennis and tried a summer toboggan run, one unnamed daredevil coach taking a tumble.
Newcastle will have more running power this year after a pre-season with Howe. They will have more quality, having added Sven Botman, Nicky Pope and permanently signed Matt Targett. They now have to add some extra goal power to sharpen up the squad, the talents of which Howe looks set to maximise including keeping more possession and creating more chances.
Back at the team hotel, Howe concluded: “The start of next season the pressure is going to be on from the first game and we want the best of both… results and performances. That is the aim. It has been two physical sessions a day here, on the grass and gym. We have mixed in team building. There has been video analysis. We had a team meal. We have kept it fresh and there’s been an afternoon they could spend together and calm down. The perfect week.”
What was Howe off to do next? “Watch the training session video back. You always spot something,” said Howe. Really? “Yep, this job isn’t rock and roll!”
