28th July 2015
I slammed my car door shut as I stepped out of the car and walked across the carpark toward the Bodymoor Heath training ground. I walked through the automatic doors and signed some various Aston Villa shirts laid out on the tables on the right by the single door that led through to the training centre. I then signed in with the receptionist before walking through to the training centre and I then embarked up the stairs toward my office at the top floor. I entered my office before throwing my jacket on the sofa by the window and sitting behind my desk.
I began drawing up my plan for today's training session when assistant manager, Reginald Ray, entered the office and settled down behind his desk. One of the first things I had altered at the training complex as manager was by getting permission from Randy Lerner to insert an extra desk into my office so that me and Reginald could office-share so we didn't have to scale 6 floors just to talk about a club matter. "Morning boss" Reginald said as he slung his fancy coat over the arms of his chair and searched through his papers on his desk.
"You all ready for training?" I asked Reginald as he continued to flick through his paperwork. "Certainly am. You ready for your first training session?" Reginald asked me kindly. "I'm nervous about it but it shouldn't be too bad. I'm just going to try and make them fitter for the upcoming season" I explained to Reginald. I checked the time on my watch before leaving the office with Reginald at 10AM and heading out toward the training pitches.
One by one, the players began to filter out of the changing rooms between 10:30AM-11AM and as they came out, I sent them on a 3-lap run of the pitch. I even got some hearty welcomes from each player as they trudged out to begin their first training session under the new man in charge. Gabby Agbonlahor was one of the first to leave the changing rooms and when he caught sight of him, he came over and introduced himself professionally. And it was Gabby's action that really set the tone for my thinking of the squad here.
After the players had all done their 3-lap run of the pitch, I made them pass the ball around themselves while we set up the training drills. When the goalkeepers eventually completed their 3-lap run of the pitch, I sent them and goalkeeping coach Tony Parks over to one of the far goals to train the goalkeepers up. Me, Reginald Ray and head coach Eric Black set up a shooting drill in one of the goals while the fitness coaches set up fitness drills on both sides of the pitch.
When I decided that we were ready to begin the actual training session, I walked over to the players who were joking about as they passed the ball to eachother before I called them all in towards me and the coaches. "Alright, lads, most have you may not have heard of me but I am the new man in charge here. My name is Liam Drury, and I am your new gaffer. I am going to show you all respect, because you are professionals, and I want you all to show everyone amongst the backroom staff your utter respect. Is that understandable?" I demanded of them.
"Yes" they all muttered as they took in the words of their new gaffer. "Now, this upcoming season is going to be a big one for you lot. I want us to fight against relegation and I expect us to beat it. You are all capable of achieving that and from day one to the very last day, I want to see 100% from you otherwise you can forget about playing for this club" I said and the players all nodded, arms crossed, at my words. I clapped my hands together at them while smiling and I jogged over to the fitness exercise with them.
"Right. So, I want you all to get into a queue and I need you all to jump through the ladder, run around the cones, play a 1-2 with Eric here then play a 1-2 with Dejan and run to the back of the queue. Once the person ahead of you has run around the cones, you can then begin your turn" I said. Micah began his turn and then, me and Reginald took a step back from the exercise and began to inspect the players taking their turns around the fitness exercises. I then turned to Reginald as we continued to inspect my crop of players.
"There's some good players amongst them" I said as Rudy Gestede took his turn around the fitness exercise. I saw Reginald smile as I stood there watching the players and their body movements. I then stepped forward toward the exercise before shouting "COME ON". The exercise stopped and I then led the players over to the shooting exercise. I explained to them that they had to play a 1-2 with me, run round the cone, receive the lay-off and then shoot past the keepers in goal. I smiled as Jordan Ayew netted the first shot and thought that this was time to battle relegation...
I slammed my car door shut as I stepped out of the car and walked across the carpark toward the Bodymoor Heath training ground. I walked through the automatic doors and signed some various Aston Villa shirts laid out on the tables on the right by the single door that led through to the training centre. I then signed in with the receptionist before walking through to the training centre and I then embarked up the stairs toward my office at the top floor. I entered my office before throwing my jacket on the sofa by the window and sitting behind my desk.
I began drawing up my plan for today's training session when assistant manager, Reginald Ray, entered the office and settled down behind his desk. One of the first things I had altered at the training complex as manager was by getting permission from Randy Lerner to insert an extra desk into my office so that me and Reginald could office-share so we didn't have to scale 6 floors just to talk about a club matter. "Morning boss" Reginald said as he slung his fancy coat over the arms of his chair and searched through his papers on his desk.
"You all ready for training?" I asked Reginald as he continued to flick through his paperwork. "Certainly am. You ready for your first training session?" Reginald asked me kindly. "I'm nervous about it but it shouldn't be too bad. I'm just going to try and make them fitter for the upcoming season" I explained to Reginald. I checked the time on my watch before leaving the office with Reginald at 10AM and heading out toward the training pitches.
One by one, the players began to filter out of the changing rooms between 10:30AM-11AM and as they came out, I sent them on a 3-lap run of the pitch. I even got some hearty welcomes from each player as they trudged out to begin their first training session under the new man in charge. Gabby Agbonlahor was one of the first to leave the changing rooms and when he caught sight of him, he came over and introduced himself professionally. And it was Gabby's action that really set the tone for my thinking of the squad here.
After the players had all done their 3-lap run of the pitch, I made them pass the ball around themselves while we set up the training drills. When the goalkeepers eventually completed their 3-lap run of the pitch, I sent them and goalkeeping coach Tony Parks over to one of the far goals to train the goalkeepers up. Me, Reginald Ray and head coach Eric Black set up a shooting drill in one of the goals while the fitness coaches set up fitness drills on both sides of the pitch.
When I decided that we were ready to begin the actual training session, I walked over to the players who were joking about as they passed the ball to eachother before I called them all in towards me and the coaches. "Alright, lads, most have you may not have heard of me but I am the new man in charge here. My name is Liam Drury, and I am your new gaffer. I am going to show you all respect, because you are professionals, and I want you all to show everyone amongst the backroom staff your utter respect. Is that understandable?" I demanded of them.
"Yes" they all muttered as they took in the words of their new gaffer. "Now, this upcoming season is going to be a big one for you lot. I want us to fight against relegation and I expect us to beat it. You are all capable of achieving that and from day one to the very last day, I want to see 100% from you otherwise you can forget about playing for this club" I said and the players all nodded, arms crossed, at my words. I clapped my hands together at them while smiling and I jogged over to the fitness exercise with them.
"Right. So, I want you all to get into a queue and I need you all to jump through the ladder, run around the cones, play a 1-2 with Eric here then play a 1-2 with Dejan and run to the back of the queue. Once the person ahead of you has run around the cones, you can then begin your turn" I said. Micah began his turn and then, me and Reginald took a step back from the exercise and began to inspect the players taking their turns around the fitness exercises. I then turned to Reginald as we continued to inspect my crop of players.
"There's some good players amongst them" I said as Rudy Gestede took his turn around the fitness exercise. I saw Reginald smile as I stood there watching the players and their body movements. I then stepped forward toward the exercise before shouting "COME ON". The exercise stopped and I then led the players over to the shooting exercise. I explained to them that they had to play a 1-2 with me, run round the cone, receive the lay-off and then shoot past the keepers in goal. I smiled as Jordan Ayew netted the first shot and thought that this was time to battle relegation...
