Training Thursday 7/4

[Douglas Higginbottom]

All the same group out today ( missing Patrick,Boyata,Richards,Boateng) and including MJ/McGivern. Plenty of warm ups running and when that finished Carlos did some more when others moved onto a big keep ball circle with 14 on the outer ring and 3 in the middle.Plenty of fun in this especially as the 3 started to struggle.Massive cheers when Barry managed an overhead kick to keep one passing run going and found a man.Same when SWP misplaced a pass and was picked up by Milner.Mario tried the same with Lescott and found it wasnt so easy.

The keepers were out ( minus the 2 involved tonight) but Joe finished very early .Looked like a minor back problem but I am sure he signalled all was fine to the doc and Mancini when he went in so just a precaution and tomorrow is a day off.Whether he will make the OSC do he is scheduled for tonight I don't know.After the circle session they all went behind fencing for a spell of passing/moving and pressing.Mancini was also looking for them to occasionally switch play long to get the whole group needing to change over very quickly.MJ playing as the free man in this playing for both sides.

Then Mancini took a defensive group away ( 6 of them) for a tough session working on their movement as a line,depending on where he told them the ball was,which involved a lot of stop and start running all over the backline.Looked tiring to me.The rest were working on attacking movements.One group doing a one two and breaking down the wing to put in a cross and from the other side another group doing the same and arriving in the box to convert the cross. Jo was finishing as well as anybody! Maybe it's the new haircut.Different again today, a cornrows I think it's called! And unless I am mistaken he looks as though he has lost weight.

Carlos was back involved in that last session and stayed when they finished off with a 10 a side game.A good contest it was too with goals from the expected players. Late on Micah came out and said he hasnt ruled out the semi yet and then Boyata also came out to join him as they both did a lot of jogging around.

[ant london]

Last time Jo had cornrows he was shit.....oh hang on...

Good stuff Mr H, how did our old friend Mr Johnson look in his two sided role? Off the pace or getting with it now?

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Last time Jo had cornrows he was shit.....oh hang on...

Good stuff Mr H, how did our old friend Mr Johnson look in his two sided role? Off the pace or getting with it now?

Not so clever today.

[13021J]

Will you be going to the game tonight DH? I can't understand why fringe players like Jo don't play in these games?

[Ted Hughes]

Will you be going to the game tonight DH? I can't understand why fringe players like Jo don't play in these games?

I thought it was cornrows he'd had done?

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Will you be going to the game tonight DH? I can't understand why fringe players like Jo don't play in these games?

Can't make it tonight. I don't know when it all changed but squad players havent got games in "reserves" for a long time now apart from cameos when returning from injury.

[sweenyuk]

Will you be going to the game tonight DH? I can't understand why fringe players like Jo don't play in these games?

Can't make it tonight. I don't know when it all changed but squad players havent got games in "reserves" for a long time now apart from cameos when returning from injury.

my understanding is that it is now the "Elite Development Squad" aimed at developing new players not giving established players game time. The coaches this way get to work with the same players rather than having to fit in with Mancini's cast offs