With Hammers enjoying a break from the rigours of
Premiership football this weekend, we spoke to the Club's Head
of Technical Support, Niall Clark, to gain an insight into the
physical condition of the players at this stage of the season, find
out what is planned for the remainder of the campaign, and to
reflect on the success of the sports science department following
Niall's arrival last summer…
Q: Has this two-week break come as a help or a hindrance
for yourself and the players Niall?
A: It's definitely a help. To be honest, the break is more
important psychologically than physically. Even though people
perceive playing football every week as being the best thing in the
world, it can still become mundane if you are doing the same things
every week and, mentally, the players need to take a break.
At the moment, it's nice to reflect on how well we have done so
far and what has been achieved, as well as looking forward to how
we can kick on from here. It's nice for the boys to get away
from the day-to-day involvement, refresh themselves, have three
complete days without any football and come back ready for the last
12, 13 or maybe more games that are left.
Q: People may say that, given our fantastic run of form at
present, it would have been better to play on Saturday and keep the
momentum going. What is your response to that view?
A: I feel the benefit of having a rest far outweighs the momentum
we have gained recently. That won't go away - the memories are
fresh, when you look at the league table you see that we are still
in a good position, and sometimes you can find yourselves in an
even better position by not even playing. We've also got
several international players who are going away on duty this week,
and it's nice to give them a rest before they travel. So from
my point of view, it's fantastic that we've had a break,
and it benefits everyone - not only the players. It's also
important for the staff to get away for a couple of days, and
I'm sure everyone will return from their rest feeling refreshed
and ready to go again.
Q: What training methods and approach are the players working to at
this stage of the season?
A: At the moment, we are going through what is known as the
prophylactic phase, which basically means to prevent and protect.
The players are given plenty of rest, but not complete rest. A
perfect example is this two-week break - we've had a total
break mentally from the demands of Premiership football but,
physically, the players trained on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
last week, and will have a normal week of training leading up to
the Everton game next Saturday.
The intensity has been strong, and I've actually overloaded
aspects of training, such as the strength and power work, because
the recovery time is longer. The players have moaned about that, of
course! But they've had the luxury of three days complete rest,
and this week we will lower the intensity, ready for Saturday's
game and the final push. From now on, it will be purely maintenance
and recovery.
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Q: Presumably, it's more about conditioning the players now
rather than improving their fitness?
A: That's right - long gone are the days of running miles and
miles just for the sake of it. Physically, the group of players we
have here are phenomenal athletes. The ProZone statistics and data
prove that, and from my point of view, it is fantastic to be
working with these guys. It's not only one component either.
For example, Nigel Reo-Coker is not only strong - he is also
powerful, quick, and has great aerobic base, flexibility and
reaction time. The players are all excelling in every component of
general fitness but you've also got to be aware of individual
needs, and when they do need to rest. The old mentality was work,
work, work, but that is not the case any longer, because the only
time you benefit from exercise is when you rest - that is when your
body adapts to the work you are doing.
Q: Much has been made of the trend we have developed recently for
coming from behind to win matches and finish games strongly, is
this the result of the fitness regime and philosophy at Upton
Park?
A: I think it's simply all connected to the practices and
management we have in place here. The manager has given me full
control of the intensity and duration of training and Peter Grant
takes everything on board and allows me to do the fitness sessions
through the football - because everything we do is
football-related, there is no running for the sake of it. So the
players enjoy it, and they have all shown the right attitude from
day one. They have put the effort in, responded to the challenges
we have put in front of them, and have been reaping their rewards.
Q: You must be delighted at the physical performance of the
players so far this season?
A: The actual performance of the team is obviously very satisfying,
but what I take the biggest amount of pride from is the low number
of injuries we have suffered this season and how many players have
been available to the manager. Apart from the busy Christmas
period, when we suffered a couple of muscle strains and a couple of
impact injuries - Nigel's ankle and Danny Gabbidon's gashed
knee, we've had absolutely nothing all year, including
pre-season.
So from my point of view, that is the biggest achievement.
We've got a relatively small squad, so it has been vital that,
99% of the time, the manager has had a full squad to choose from.
That is massive in the Premiership. You look at the likes of
Newcastle, Manchester City, Spurs, Bolton - they've all been
full of injuries. Yet our physiotherapist, Steve Allen, hasn't
had a single player in his treatment room for the past two weeks.
That gives me an enormous sense of pride.
Q: How have the players responded generally to the new ideas and
techniques that you have introduced since arriving at the Club last
summer?
A: From the players' point of view, I've got to be honest,
it boils down to success. If they feel fitter, look good, are
playing better, and the team are winning on a Saturday, then they
love me.
I made a big decision to come here after five years at Reading
because, when I joined, West Ham were favourites for relegation
from the Premier League. People thought I was taking a chance, but
I wasn't, because it all comes down to trust, and I trust the
manager more than anyone I have worked for. I knew I was coming
into the right environment and I knew that I would be working with
someone who would allow me to carry out my role in the right way.
To be honest, it doesn't surprise me that we have done so well
this season. It's all down to hard work and application, and
the management and players deserve a lot of credit for the way they
have approached the challenge.
Look out for more from Niall Clark on whufc.com later this
week…