There are times when I feel sorry for players these days as the summer break lasts about five minutes and they are back to work. But then I remember what pre-season was like when I started out and any sympathy goes right out of the window.
Current players hit the ground running when they report back – they don’t need to chase a minibus to get up to speed. The Hearts squad will check in today ahead of the new season in Scotland and in Europe. And it is changed days from my time. Pre-season used to cause a sense of dread about three weeks before you were due back.
When I was at Hearts we’d have wee Billy Brown sending us up and down the Italian mountains. He'd be standing there with the sun block on his face, looking like an Aussie cricketer, while the sweat was lashing off us.
