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Bolton Wanderers, and their twitter account, attempted to engage in e-bantz again yesterday afternoon, posting this photo of an obviously shattered Darren Pratley:
When you realise your third training session of the day is coming up... #BWFC pic.twitter.com/ZbI1NcKh9M
— Bolton Wanderers FC (@OfficialBWFC) July 7, 2015
Funny, right? Hmm.
Anyway, world-renowned football fitness expert and gobby Dutchman Raymond Verheijen, Director of World Football Academy and Assistant Coach at World Cup 2002, 2006, 2010 & 2014, as well as Euro 2000, 2004, 2008 & 2012 immediately leapt upon the tweet with his own scathing put-down:
Pre-season of @OfficialBWFC is just one of many examples of how far coaching is behind in JurassUK Park. Accumulation of fatigue. Injuries.
— Raymond Verheijen (@raymondverheije) July 7, 2015
We all know (too well) the struggles endured by Neil Lennon and his Bolton Wanderers side last season, and it is interesting that the club appear to be continuing in their efforts to make sure that the players are as fit as possible, but at what cost?
He then made reference to a school of thought amongst fitness experts that working harder (as in more sessions per day without time off to recover) actually performs as a barrier to achieving peak fitness.
Time will tell whether Lennon and his staff are correct, or whether someone like Mr Verheijen is indeed correct, and Wanderers will pay in the long-term for what can be considered outdated thinking.