US Tour: Diary (Updated Day Five)

[Mark (Blue Army)]

By Micah Richard's

Hi everyone. It is always exciting coming back for pre-season and this year is especially so because the club has signalled its intentions with some great buys.

I spent the early part of the summer in Los Angeles so one way or another I will have seen a lot of America before the season starts. I has a glimpse of a bit of Newfoundland too on the way here because we had to refuel there.

From what I have seen so far Portland is a pretty cool place although we have not had time to have a really good look around yet. Those people we have met have given us a really friendly welcome and made us feel at home.

Sleep has been the key after such a long flight but it didn’t stop me from watching the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon.

Some of the lads watched it in the hotel and others went to the Fanzone to sample the atmosphere with the locals on a jumbotron (big screen) as they call it over here.

It wasn’t the best of games but that is to be expected in such a big event. I felt really sorry for Nigel (de Jong). I thought he was going to bring back a winner’s medal but it wasn’t to be.

In true football tradition he will be welcomed back with no sympathy whatsoever and will no doubt get loads of stick. We are looking forward to meeting David Silva too who of course will have that winner’s medal with him.

The England lads are back with us later in the week along with Kolo and Yaya Toure by which time we should be aching because I feel there is plenty of running to be done in the coming days.

I will let you know how it is going in tomorrow’s diary!

[ross.mcfc]

I would love to read a real diary written by Micah Richards.

[ant london]

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Am ... tour-day-1

Day one of training looks like it was a proper workout...some of them look to be blowing out of their arses on this video!!

Also....I like the maroon training tops. Looking promising maybe for some old skool city colours featuring somewhere on the new home or away kit I think???

Also, Nike/Umbro have pimped up the training camp City style good and proper!!

[Nickyboy]

do you think the O/S would include a tour diary from a player destined for twitchy at spurs... I think not!

[kinkylola]

do you think the O/S would include a tour diary from a player destined for twitchy at spurs... I think not!

but the papers ..... they wouldn't lie ...

[lets all have a disco]

Ha ha ha Bridge is foooooooooooooooooooooookkkkeeeed.


Lay off the tabs big man.

[Mase]

I would love to read a real diary written by Micah Richards.

"Training is going good. More importantly there's baaare birds over here!"

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Micah Richards' diary day two

Jet lag is still a bit of a problem (up at 4am) but it was down to work with a bang on day two.

We did running in the first session in the morning. Split into groups some players did 400metre and 800metre runs and repetitions and others did shorter stuff.

I was in a group with Craig Bellamy and Manu Adebayor so it was pretty intense.

Those two just love running. Bellers carries precious little in the way of body weight and Manu just loves it. He never stops smiling even when the rest of us can hardly catch our breath.

Nedum Onuoha was in our group too, just in case you thought it was me and the oldies!!

We did lots of twisting and turning work and sprints too and once that was over it was back in the coach to the hotel a lunch of fish, chicken or pasta and then a quick sleep before the second session.

In the evening the training was more ball work with David Platt and Fausto, we did some team play and shape and technical stuff and finished with a game.

The gaffer joins in mainly with the tactical stuff; he gets onto the pitch and gets his message across. That’s what he is really good at and the lads really enjoy the fact that he gets involved.

We didn’t get back to the hotel until around 8pm after leaving at 4.45pm so it was more chicken, pasta and Salmon before bed – the food is spot on.

Then it was off to bed but not before the lads got together to organise our own version of the X-Factor which will take place later in the week.

All the new lads on tour – which essentially means the young lads who have come up through the Youth team and Adam Johnson who has not been on tour before – have to sing a song in front of the judges (backroom staff) and the lads.

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Micah Richards' diary day five

Another day of hard work on day five with two sessions split between the gym and the Ronaldo field that is becoming a home from home.

The gym work was pretty standard again not so much strength work as such but concentrating on areas of the body that have been injured in the past.

In the afternoon, after the sleep of course, we came back for an open training session which was attended by Nike employees and some of our fans who live in the area.

I was told that the people who work here have a social meeting every month as ‘get to know you’ thing. It is a good idea; they all seemed pretty relaxed and interested in what we were doing and it was a good session.

People have been asking me about the gear we wear while training it is some kind of GPS device which tracks speed, movement and response and was trialled by staff members earlier in the year.

We also have to put on heart monitors for the sessions and we do that as a matter of course pretty much all season.

Something else that we did yesterday was to have blood and urine samples taken to make sure we are hydrated and that bodies are in balance. That is another regular occurrence that you get used to though a couple of the lads are a bit shy when it comes to needles.

It was nice to welcome back Joe Hart today for his first session since he left the World Cup and returned to City from being at Birmingham.

See you all tomorrow!