On Thursday last week the fans who'd travelled to Italy to see the team play were allowed to visit an open session at the training ground. The Rivals team faithfully went along to check out how Waddock and Macca are preparing the boys for the new season.
Firstly the training ground - it's miles away. Cook described it in his interview with Rivals as being "45 minutes away and not ideal" and he wasn't wrong. It took us the thick end of 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there last night because of a traffic accident. The players are doing that trip twice a day in each direction it seems.
When we got there we found a stadium of similar quality to a Conference or maybe Conference South side. There's a big main stand down one side with a roof and steep concrete steps which you're meant to sit on but bloody hurt after a while. On the other touchline there's a terrace which is divided by fences into three sections - reminded me of that terrace they used to have behind the goal at the Dell. There's a tiny stand behind one of the goals that looks like it was assembled after weeks of collecting bits of scaffolding they found lying around. Behind the other goal there's a huge concrete wall with club graffiti all over it. The pitch was lush and green and extremely wet - seems the groundsman (who was lovely, nothing was too much trouble for Rangers or the fans) enthusiastically waters it day and night when the players aren't there. Cook and Ward were both appreciative of this when they were talking about the facilities because they say they can pass the ball well on it. The grass did seem a tad long to me though.
Anyway training consisted of splitting the squad into two groups. Waddock took one group down to the end with the graffiti wall and set up a pass-cross-shoot drill which if you watched it for long enough gave you a headache with the players moving all over the place. The first group had three strikers - Nygaard, Czerkas and Ray Jones.
So basically the ball starts wide on the right touchline Rowlands plays a one two with one of the forwards who then spins off into the box, Rowlands chases the ball down the line to the byline and then cuts it back to two of the three forwards who have to score past Cole. Waddock was insistent that the crosses were from very close to the byline and hard and low.
Nygaard's touch and passing was brilliant - he looked like a decent footballer at times, but his finishing was poor. Czerkas' finishing was again pretty good, Ray Jones still doesn't quite do it for me.
I should point out at this stage that Matthew Rose, who was part of Cook and Howell's group crossing balls from the left, lasted 5 minutes before limping off and spent the next 45 minutes having his thigh strapped right up by Prav. He'd arrived back at the hotel the night before limping as well so it's looking like same old same old there.
The second group's strikers were Gallen, Baidoo and Ward and straight away there was an improvement. Goals were flying in from all angles with Gallen looking particularly sharp - and leaner than he has for a while. Waddock was heard to shout down the pitch at the other group "Oi we've got some quality down here now." Sadly Kevin came off with twenty minutes left complaining of a groin injury so I'd say it's unlikely he'll play in the match against San Antonio.
At the dodgy scaffolding stand end Macca led a session of keep ball with three defenders and six attackers. Stefan Bailey got a bit of a rollocking for not concentrating but he'd been excellent in the crossing drill before that so it's not all bad. Rowlands and Ainsworth were all really up for the keep ball session and their passing and chasing down was brilliant all night.
Rowlands certainly seems to be a main man in the camp now - there was a horrifying moment when he stepped back onto a water bottle and his ankle went from under him but he got straight back up and played on.
Everything is planned down to the last second. The fitness guy took them through a warm up routine and then it was "30 seconds to get over to Macca" and they counted and then "28 seconds of this" and "10 minutes and 38 seconds of this" No stone unturned at our training sessions it seems and those that decide to hang around and take a little more water on or chat are pulled up pretty quickly.
For me the big winner on the pitch on the night was Marcus Bignot. What an attitude that guy has, unbelievable. He was the best crosser of the ball in the shooting drill, the best passer of the ball and the best defender in keep ball. He was encouraging the younger players, leading the banter, flying here there and everywhere. He looks a revitalised player.
After the session Gary Waddock invited the fans down from the stands to chat with the players and what have you.
Nick Ward, Lee Cook and Mauro Milanese who I interviewed the night before all recognised me and said hello - no big deal you may think but when I've interviewed people in football before they've totally ignored me even just ten minutes after we were speaking so well done to our guys.
Cook has to have a ball at all times. He juggled one off the coach into the changing room and then out onto the pitch and after the session he juggled it all the way back. Scott Donnelly is never, ever, ever, ever off the phone. He's got a phone to his ear 24/7. I hope he knows about O2 roaming charges the bastards.
There was more traffic on the way back but that did allow us to get a view of the players standing at the front of their bus and singing - no sound of course, mercifully.