TangledUpInBlue
Active Member
Precisely. “Only yourself to blame” only works if you’re bothered. They’re not !!!
Is Seagrave partly to blame?
- Thread starter olibar
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I'd love to hear your impressions of the place.
Lako42
Well-Known Member
Problem is what happens when it doesnt work.
Footballers are not very good at responsibility
TangledUpInBlue
Active Member
Bloke that had a lot of input into facilities was originally poached from Spurs. He showed us round. Although the dome is the showpiece view of the place, there is a bit of public access to that part but the huge crescent shapped building is the players main bit. We were followed round on the tour by a security guard with no photos allowed even though the players weren't there.
Large dinning area, with panoramic views over pitches, is partitioned off with first team squad having better tables cutlery etc . Idea is that junior players can see this and aspire to the rewards generated by progression to first team squad. Same applies to changing room and shower facilities.
Monitors are everywhere with timetables such as "players to pitch 7 10.30 " or "Soyuncu treatment Room 3 9.00 ". Idea again is no excuse for lateness.
Gym facilities are top drawer with heated pool and running machine in water, proper amount of rest is also considered very important. Each player has individually tailored protein drinks and diet carefully monitored.
There is a computer room where players and coaches would run through their performance either individually or as a group i.e the back four together . Bet that was interesting after sunday !!!
Brendon, Susan Whelan and Rudkin have large separate offices that are connected and are glass sided to the corridor. Brendon has a button that clouds the glass. Tour guide said that when someone goes in and glass goes opaque then they are in for a bollocking.
The players bedrooms are about the size of a travelodge and tastefully done. Senior players seem to get dibs on the one that face the training pitches that look like they go into the distance. Top and his brother have their own suites which we were not allowed to see.
Interestingly he said that the room mini-bars are boring containing only "still or sparkling", that alcohol was not allowed on site and such was the monitoring that it would soon become apparent if someone was drinking too much. Apparently, according to him, they are professional and some players acutally go teetotal during the season.
My overall impression was that the players must feel like machines at times with absolutely nothing left to chance and a completely regimented, controlled existence. There is also a sense of Big Brother watching you and dictating everything you do. As I said the idea is to leave no excuses for a crap performance but would also leave you feeling a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
I can understand the club's desire to monitor and, to some extent, control the players, They have invested a lot of money in them so they'll want to be getting the best out of them. For the players though.... yes, big brother-ish. I am not a number!
Thanks for taking the time to write that up, I appreciate it. It does sound a very impressive facility - to even have guided tours is pretty incredible in itself when you think about it. I'd love to have look myself, just to get an idea of how futuristic it all seems.
parafox
Well-Known Member
How many treatment rooms does Evans have?
How much time do the players spend there? I assumed the bedrooms were only for pre-match stays, to assemble the team prior to travel etc, I didn't think they'd be used often.
I assumed players turned up, trained and then went home - physio and treatments aside. Or is the place like a day job?
I assumed players turned up, trained and then went home - physio and treatments aside. Or is the place like a day job?
Brown Nose
Well-Known Member
John Percy's piece after Sunday was interesting on this. He said that Seagrave was believed to be a factor in the declining form of the team. One thing he pointed out was that a number of expectations haven't played out. For example, the club wanted the players to spend much more time on site rather than just coming for training and going straight home. They're not doing it.
He also said that the atmosphere there was pretty clinical and quite a lot of staff thought that they've lost the spirit that was generated at Belvoir Drive. Several of the things introduced when they moved in have already been abandoned, such as the players being encouraged to stay at Seagrave the night before home matches.
It painted the picture of a rather disjointed operation.
Blue Maniac
Alzheimers sufferer
“Hey lads, we spent all this money on a new training ground and you all get paid the price of a large house every few weeks so how about doing basic things that will boost your performance above League One level? No? You’d rather get arseholed and post shit on Instagram at 5am? I guess that’s fine, do whatever.”
#FoxesNeverQuit
#FoxesNeverQuit
Thank you TangledUpInBlue for your article. It all seems like a world created by someone who doesn't understand the real world of football club working. Fantastic in a dream but not the best for the players world.
We hope that it will in time become what it's supposed to be but, myself, I think it could take a while.
We hope that it will in time become what it's supposed to be but, myself, I think it could take a while.
Lako42
Well-Known Member
I can see why Seagrave has removed a great deal of personality and togetherness from the club ethos.
It's clinical, massive, perfect. Everything the old place wasn't.
Lako42
Well-Known Member
It's also got no link to the city that the team represents, whereas the old one did.
AberFox
Member
I agree with those that say that the move to Seagrave has probably impacted negatively on the team, certainly in the short term. You'd hope that as time goes on, the environment would become more familiar and homely, particularly with more players signed who never trained at Belvoir Drive.
One of the long term benefits of the mov3 will include making us attractive not only to first-team signings, but also potential academy recruits. We could be reaping the footballing and financial rewards of this in a few years when academy graduates are either bolstering the ranks of the first team, or being sold for a few million at a time.
One of the long term benefits of the mov3 will include making us attractive not only to first-team signings, but also potential academy recruits. We could be reaping the footballing and financial rewards of this in a few years when academy graduates are either bolstering the ranks of the first team, or being sold for a few million at a time.
Lako42
Well-Known Member
Ah yes, of course it's the only impacting factor on everything.
Blue Maniac
Alzheimers sufferer
They haven’t spent hundreds of millions on players?
Yes, I personally think there'd be something in that.... it all contributes.
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