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09 july 2001
New faces and tough training.

Greetings to everyone at the start of week two of our pre-season training. It's been early nights for me lately, so I'll try and help you catch up to date on what's going on.

The training has been hard but also enjoyable, which is a change for a pre season. We usually start the day with either a mini circuit (sit ups, dumb bells, press ups, lunges etc.) or some balance work which is important in the game of football- both of these sessions are with Goody. Then we go into a session of ball work where we've been splitting up into three groups, defenders, midfielders and yes you guessed it, attackers. Terry, Stuart and Ernie have all been taking these sessions and it's been mostly technique work with a few sessions incorporating different runs we are expected to make on a pitch. I've been put with the forwards for the first week. These sessions are lasting around an hour then we have about 40 minutes break, taking plenty of fluids and cereals on board.

Next we split into two groups and one group will do a high intensity run and the other group will have more ball work with games and keep ball. The runs have been either long interval around Richmond Park or speed endurance on the pitches at Richardson Evans. The keep ball sessions are at a fair pace too and after wearing a heart rate monitor for a couple of them I realise how hard we work- it just seems easier because there's a ball involved. When these have finished we have a light lunch of sandwiches and fruit then the two groups swap round and the ones who ran get the ballwork in the afternoon and vice versa. They have been long days but we are always doing things so the hours tend to go quick (apart from the long runs!).

There's been quite a few new faces knocking about, and today a few old faces returned- namely the internationals.

David Connolly and Jermaine are the new faces. Jermaine's looking strong and playing both right and left sided in training so your guess is as good as mine where he'll end up, but he seems as comfortable on either side. David has been doing the testing today with the internationals who had an extended break, and is looking fit- breaking the all important level 13 on the bleep. I'm looking forward to training alongside him in the next few days hopefully supplying him with plenty of crosses, because his goals record is quite impressive. He's not a six footer but looks quite sharp on the deck. He's settled in fine with the rest of the Irish contingent at the club and I think he'll be a massive plus for us.

Trond, Willo and Hughesy also came in today for the testing and all were impressive on the bleep test 13+ I believe. I didn't see Hughesy but Willo has a healthy tan, and smaller nose!

Its good to see Trond because we can start rehearsing again and trying to get our first gig booked! Last Tuesday was 30 years to the day that my musical hero Jim Morrison died and after watching 'Doors Night' on VH1 wanted to get back in the studio again. Trond's my new room mate this year and I think Willo is going in with Ards replacing Euellie, so hopefully we can relax before games and come up with some musical inspiration.

After finishing training today we came in to the closing moments of Wimbledon, and what a match that turned out to be. The lads were split on who they wanted to win and the last game had plenty of cheering and screams of disbelief when Ivanisevic (hope I've spelt that right!) kept double faulting. I was up for him as I'm sick of the Aussie's winning everything at the moment and was actually nervous for him serving the final point.

Yesterday was another fishing day for me and again got close to my record, 14lb leather carp. Still got to break that record and get that dodgy haircut of my site. Speaking of which, about an hour ago I had a haircut, very severe, a number 1, seems a long way from the long hair I had at the start of last season! I might gain half a yard in pace though (wishful thinking).

Last but not least I've been asked quite a lot lately about my own situation at the club and all I can tell you is that, yes I have only 11 months left on my contract, and yes I want to stay at the club I cant really do anymore than that other than play my football and tear some full backs apart this year, I believe we can get back to the premiership this year and I want to be a big part of it. .

Gareth.