Hurst: Pre-Season Will Be Hard Work Monday, 25th Jun 2018 14:09 New Town boss Paul Hurst said it will be hard work from the off as the Blues squad returned to a blazing hot Playford Road for the start of pre-season training this morning. Asked whether the players would be eased back in, Hurst said: “I think you know the answer to that - no! It’ll be hard work, that was what I was certainly used to as a player and then it seemed to change. It’s great for us staff, stood on the side watching the lads do the hard work.” Despite his 2017/18 finishing less than a month ago when Shrewsbury were beaten in the League One play-off final, Hurst says he’s ready and raring to go again. “I think had I been going back to what I was used to it would be different,” he admitted. “But this is a really exciting challenge, it’s great to meet all of the players for the first time, outline my expectations, how we work, so I’m really looking forward to it.” Quizzed on his expectations for the new season, he added: “To be the best that we can be and that’s what I’ve just said to the players. “I’m not one for setting particular targets as such. I think that would be foolish, particularly when I haven’t worked with them yet. “I’ve seen some footage but again, as I said in my first press conference, some players might respond better to me, some might have been better working under the previous manager, so we’ll see how we go. “But one thing I don’t think you can ever ask for more than is to push yourselves and be the best that we can be as a group and as a team. If that’s very good, we’ll all be happy with that.” Does the new boss feel his arrival and the World Cup positivity currently engulfing the nation will give fans and the club a lift? “I hope so. I’ve been told it’s been well received. But at the same time I’m not foolish or naive enough to think that won’t change if we don’t get good results, that’s what it comes down to. “Hopefully we can get some good results and put on some good football that the fans like to see and that’s what we’ll be striving for and the hard work through pre-season is in preparation for that first game against Blackburn.” Although Andre Dozzell, Tom Adeyemi and Joe Garner were among those training, Emyr Huws, Dean Gerken, Teddy Bishop and Danny Rowe were all not yet ready to get involved as they continue to recover from the injuries they suffered last season. “There’s still some lads in with [physio] Matt [Byard] missing out on this beautiful weather,” Hurst continued. “We’ll be working hard to try and get them up to speed as soon as possible. “It’s a little frustrating, I guess for them and for me, but that’s part and parcel of football, we know that injuries occur. "But hopefully we can get them back out during pre-season and give themselves at least a chance of being involved in that first game.” He added: “There’s Emyr, Teddy, Danny Rowe, Dean Gerken, I think there are five in total with young players as well that aren’t able to start just yet [including defender Chris Smith]. “We’ll monitor those as we go along in terms of timescales. But I think it’s certainly hopeful that they may be available for the start of the season, but it depends on how much work they’ve been able to put in. ‘What I would say is that the lads [who were injured last season] that are out there working, the likes of Tom and Andre, we’ve got to be careful with them. It’s great that they’re out there but they’re not absolutely 100 per cent ready to go as we speak. “But again, the more work we can get into them, the more likely they are to be in good shape and put themselves forward to be part of the team. “There are a couple of lads that we just need to be careful of and monitor them. Without mollycoddling them we need to just keep a closer eye on those. “And for all of them because one thing, with the pre-season that we want to put in place, it will be difficult. “Everyone will say that as a manager but we know that it is and what we’ve got to be conscious of is not losing too many players, certainly not to the point where we’re asking staff to put boots on. "We’ve got to just ease our way into it slightly but I’m sure the lads won’t feel like we are.” Hurst was pleased to finally get out on Town turf with his squad having been appointed nearly a month ago. “It’s great to finally be in and meet the players, start working with them, get my messages across, the ones I think that are important to get off on the right footing,” he said. “Make some clear guidelines about how I want to work and what I expect from the players and I think we’re all looking forward to it.” But he says his work on the training ground is only one aspect of his role: “That’s only part of the job in truth. It is important to do the work on the training pitch, of course it is, but I think the job is a lot more than that. Just building relationships is very key. “If I want players to run through a brick wall for me, I’ve got to show them that I’m worth doing that for, and this football club. That’s a big part of it and something that I’ll be concentrating on as we move forward.” He says he’s a manager who is always willing to listen to his players: “My door’s always open, I’ve said that to them today. We might not always agree with conversations that take place but again I haven’t got an ego where I think that everything that I say is right and what other people say is wrong. “I’ve got strong opinions, strong views. I know how I like to work, but there’s a lot of knowledge in that group of players, within the staff and along the way I’m sure we’ll come to a happy medium. “I want the players to enjoy coming to work, that’s what I’ve said to them, but to understand that it is work. “Sometimes maybe fans, the general public think that it’s just a jolly-up being a professional footballer, but I can assure you it’s not but at the same time we all want to go to work with a smile on our face and look forward to coming in. That’s the environment that we want to try and create.” The 43-year-old says it’s a clean slate for everyone and that he has been liaising with the likes of Bryan Klug, who was caretaker-manager for the final weeks of last season. “We’ve had a good chat with Bryan,” he confirmed. “I spoke with Gerard [Nash] and Hoggy [Chris Hogg] about some of the younger players and that will continue. “But overall it is a clean slate because I think some of the young players who made their debuts [last season], that certainly doesn’t mean they’re first-team players just yet. “And then there are the lads that were injured for a while, so it is a fresh start for everyone. All I would say, unfortunately, the ones that are starting out on the grass today have got an advantage over the ones that can’t start training yet. “Every day you can train in pre-season is important, to build the base, as much as at times it might seem a little easier staying inside and having a little massage and a day off from it. Every day that you can put in will serve you well for the season.” Following six days’ work at Playford Road, the squad are off to the Pinatar Arena Football Center, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia in Spain for the first week of July. “Last season I enjoyed a really successful trip away, my first as manager abroad [to Portugal with Shrewsbury]," he recalled. "The climate there, although I guess we could be in Spain today and with the forecast for this week, you know what you’re going to get. “The place we’re going to has got excellent facilities, it’s a change of scenery. I know we’re only just back in but we’ll spend a helluva lot of time here and I think it’s great in terms of bonding, building relationships, it’s perfect. “A lot of those lads obviously know each other but they don’t know us as staff yet and I that will be really key to it as well. “We’ll be doing triple sessions while we’re over there, so it’s certainly not just taking the suntan lotion and the sunglasses. “I said to them, there were some smiles on the their faces when I confirmed that we would be going there, but I did say they might not be thinking that when we get back. We’ll wait and see.” Did owner Marcus Evans need much persuading to fork out on the trip with the annual visit to the Carton House Hotel in Ireland, previous manager Mick McCarthy’s preferred summer destination, already booked? “I think we’ll leave it as I’m very grateful that he allowed us to go! "At the end of the day I fully understand there’s a cost to everything. That’s something I try to live my life by. “Some people say I’m tight. I think careful is a better word and not too extravagant, so I fully understand it but, as I say, I’m very grateful. “I think it’s good for the players. I’m sure Ireland would have been fine and we could have got on with that but I think for the players it’s a change. “There’s a lot of talk about me coming in and a new start, a new change, a new era and I think had we gone to Ireland I think that would have just almost been like slipping back into, ‘Well, that’s what we do’. ”We’re trying to change things. Again, not change everything, but that gives us a good start with the players, but as I said earlier, they might regret wanting to go there, we’ll see.” He says he’s been in contact with Bartosz Bialkowski and Jonas Knudsen, who are at the World Cup with Poland and Denmark respectively. “I’ve had some texts with them,” he said. “I did speak to Bart the other day. Unfortunately for him it looks like they’ll be returning sooner than he would have hoped. That’s kind of good news for me in a way, from a selfish point of view, but not for him. “Jonas, it looks like they’ve got a good chance of progressing, so we’ll keep an eye on that situation in terms of when we can get them back and be part of the group.” Regarding England’s progress at the finals, he says he’s not getting too carried away: “Not as excited as some people get when we beat Panama! But I’m delighted for the players and I think the set-plays have been extremely good to watch. “There are some tougher challenges ahead. But I think Gareth Southgate has said he’s not put a ceiling on what can be achieved and a certain target, it’s just try and win the next game. “I think we’ve all enjoyed it so far but we know it can change very quickly, but slightly optimistic that we can go deep into the competition and that gives everyone across the country and at various clubs a lift going into the new season.”
Photo: TWTD Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 295 bloggersIpswich Town Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
