Making the best out of a bad job
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date published: 06 December 2010
PAUL Butler was forced to improvise as the big freeze hit Athletic’s plans at the weekend.
Snow and ice-covered outdoor surfaces at Chapel Road and Little Wembley forced the squad indoors and into modified training sessions.
With training held at various indoor venues, Athletic’s head of sports science had to think of new ways to give the players a valuable workout — including giving some a taste of aqua aerobics alongside a public session.
Butler will hope to return to normality soon with a forecast for milder temperatures towards the end of this week, ahead of the home match against Swindon Town.
“It is difficult for everyone, though I am a person who likes to make the best out of every situation,” Butler said
“It is a case of making do with what we can, getting facilities where we can get them.
“We all know it is only temporary, so we just get on with it.
“We try to minimise the alterations as much as possible, because we believe that what we are doing is the best.
“As far as training is concerned, the facilities we have are compromised by the weather.
“We have done a couple of sessions indoors and last Monday we did a session down at the gym.
“So it has changed a little bit, but the manager tried to keep the times the same and the length the same, to keep everything as consistent as we can.”
At this point last season, Athletic were in the midst of a crisis both of form and injuries.
Without a host of crocked players including Pawel Abbott, Andy Holdsworth, Reuben Hazell, Chris Taylor, Jon Worthington and Rob Purdie, a 2-0 defeat at Norwich City was a sixth loss in seven matches in all competitions.
This term, Athletic are in good form — one defeat has arrived in 10 npower League One matches — and in a far healthier state, Butler himself excepted.
“I tore my hamstring training in London before our game at Dagenham,” Butler added.
“A week before that, a physio friend of mine signed me up to a course on hamstring injuries.
“Someone somewhere has given me a reason to be at the talk. It is a bit of a shame but I would rather it was me than one of the players.”
