Paging Brian Clough - AVB to Take Team on a Mallorca Working Vacation
by DPeezy on Jan 19, 2012 8:35 AM GMT
in Chelsea FC: News
Email
Print
EXCLUSIVE breaking news in this morning's Daily Mail claim that Andre Villas-Boas has gotten permission from the club to take the players on a mid-season/post-holiday-period (working) vacation to the island of Mallorca.
Supposedly leaving after the away tie at Norwich City, the squad will be on a strict 11pm curfew as they look to train and bond for five days in the sun. The legendary Brian Clough made this sort of thing fashionable back in the 70s but the last time I recall any team doing anything similar was back in 2009, when Martin O'Neill took his Aston Villa side to Dubai. At the time, Villa had been winless in six and had seen their once promising season (up to 3rd at one point) unravel in rather spectacular fashion. Of course, they did not fare much better after the vacation, going winless for six more...
In any case, with no official word from the club just yet, this very well be just more fanciful speculation from the Daily Mail...but that should not stop us form speculating on just what effect such a working vacation may have on the squad:
POSITIVES:
- Cannot put a price on team bonding / building team morale, especially with a stretch of 5 away ties in 6 coming up (and facing Manchester United in the only home match). Plus, plenty of opportunities to haze the new guy - watch out, Gary!
- Winter in London vs. winter in the Mediterranean? Yeah, that's not even close.
- Takes team out of the English media spotlight, at least temporarily. Possibly reduces amount of negative stories ahead of the tricky QPR tie in the FA Cup...or at least prevents the players and the team from being constantly accosted in the lead-up to the match.
NEGATIVES:
- Unless someone messes up, not much negative can come from just the fact that they trained there. But any mistake - by which I mean things like staying out past curfew, getting too rowdy, too drunk, and/or too familiar with the local flavor / "talent" - you can bet your bottom dollar on large point headlines blaring at you from the sports pages with unrestrained glee.
- Could be read as AVB admitting that there are problems / divisions within the squad.
- Would not reflect too well if subsequent match performances are listless and/or too relaxed.
86 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Hm
Er, why do they have to go there and train? I mean, if its about relaxation, them maybe I can understand….but midseason?! :O Well, lets hope (if its true) it turns out well for everybody.
by winningisourgame on Jan 19, 2012 8:52 AM GMT reply actions
pointless nonsense
I’m about 30000000% certaqin there are nothing anything like the Cobham facilities on Mallorca. Going there does little but get the players out of London/Surrey weather for a few days and even then it’s wet and windy on Mallorca at this time of year anyway-why not Tenerife for warm weather relaxing training?
This “team building” for a football team is also bollox. If you can’t bond when playing , often with a man down, crowd and ref against you against prem opposition what will an island minibreak do? These players are cosseted enough as it is and this smacks of AVB having no ideas left. Looks to me, also, like we won’t be signing anyone else this window and with Josh gone we’re one Mata injury away from actually having no flair at the club. Great-and now Sturridge wants to leave-hopefully a few days in the slightly warmer rain of the Med will get him happy to play RW and sign another contract. Saying that, though, if they pay Cahill 90,000 a week Danny deserves over 200,000. We’re messing up all over.
Training facilities in Mallorca
I don’t know exactly what you mean with “Cobham alike facilities”; but at this time of the year there are enough (golf) hotels with lots of green spaces and ground for training; since it’s relatively empty on the island now they have enough capacities to host a whole Chelsea team.
And regarding the weather … the wet and windy part. Average day temperature is 15°C, average 6 days of rain and average 5 hours of sun per day. Not so bad for January
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Eh there's a difference between bonding on the field vs being stuck together for a holiday.
…While I don’t put a giant stock in it — it couldn’t hurt. Instead of just training and everyone going there separate ways after training. They have no choice to but to hang out together, and I think that might help just wee bit. Something needs to be done to get their heads on straight, and this might just be what the doctor ordered. I don’t see any real down side to this.
Follow me on twitter@PrixFixeOnline
Staff writer for Managing Madrid & Sounder At Heart
by Timm Higgins on Jan 19, 2012 5:20 PM GMT up reply actions
There could definitely be something to this
A lot of retired players have said that there used to be a lot more getting together and heading to the pubs after training or a game (obviously there is change in that, being that alcohol is not really perceived as a performance enhancer). They claimed that helped their locker room atmosphere and getting to know other players.
I think that having some more empathy for your fellow players and even just learning more about them on a personal level can teach you a lot that you dont get in regular training. I know I experience this with a number of my coworkers when I hang out with them as opposed to just working with them, even in tough times while a man down (like today… I am actually out sick- blasted food poisoning or some crap, and another on my team is out, and that leaves only 2 guys to do the work… those two are NOT bonding right now, for certain).
Another thing Brian Clough did actually
He used to give his players Scotch before an important game to settle their nerves.
Missing biggest positive and worst negative
Biggest positive… Kalou and Bosingwa will miss the returning flight back to London and will be stuck in La Liga for the rest of the year. Hip hip hooray!
Bad negative… Ashley Cole accidentally shoots a Spanish citizen leading to his arrest and holding for year. Boo!
Worst negative… John Terry sleeps with Juan Mata’s girlfriend, angering Mata and demanding transfer to Man City. If this happens I’m done with football I swear.
by Kman23 on Jan 19, 2012 10:10 AM GMT reply actions 2 recs
If that happens
we need a jungle camp Chelsea edition
(anyone not knowing what a jungle camp is – just google what ex-Bundesliga-superstar Ailton is doing now. You get the idea!)
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Mata's sister lives in London
I’ve been scared ever since he signed
by Al Benson on Jan 19, 2012 11:33 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
I wonder if that is even worse than
a wife or girlfriend?
Ouch
I don’t think she’s that bad.. has a bit of a nose and could maybe take the eyebrows down a notch, but i think she’s cute (besides, Cole will sleep with about anything)
As a person of Spanish Jewish extraction, let me just say...
[Not that they’re Jewish, but they are Spanish.]
Author and Official Fernando Torres Apologist for We Ain't Got No History!
by Kevin Kostka on Jan 20, 2012 4:21 AM GMT up reply actions
TBH there's no evidence that he did sleep with Bridges wife
I’m not too worried about that. Mata seems pretty laid back anyway. Must be that mid-day nap.
Bridge doesn't have a wife...
There’s no evidence that Terry slept with Bridge’s ex-girlfriend (yeah, they weren’t even together anymore when the ‘affair’ supposedly took place).
Cescity Cesc Cesc in a wig!
Since we’re talking about footballers’ sisters.
by Sabrina Dessipe on Jan 20, 2012 10:00 PM GMT up reply actions
Ah, just what every Chelsea blog needs
A day from the life of an Arsenal Barcelona player. Now, we are complete.
We were talking about a footballers sister
it’s semi-relevant. I swear if I just wanted to bring up Arsenal Barcelona I’d just do it.
by Sabrina Dessipe on Jan 20, 2012 10:17 PM GMT up reply actions
She recently moved to London to live with Juan
when he finally bought a place.
There is also telecommuting
no idea what her job is, but that may be possible. It was in that Chelsea TV short, but they just mentioned she was living with him in London. No idea what the arrangement is, really…
Wow
It used to take me 45 minutes to cross from Cambridge to Boston by the T (this was about a 2 mile journey, at most). I telecommute sometimes and I live 1 mile from my office! Guess some of us have different ideas of what makes a pain-in-the-butt commute :)
(PS- my job just allows for telecommuting… I generally walk to work each day… not that lazy).
Its a great Idea
Rather than show up at training then go home. they have to hang out together. Also they’ll have to be nice to torres so he’ll tell them (Terry and Cole) how to say roasting in spanish ;-)
P.S. its ‘asado’
Great Idea!
Can I come too? I’d love to have a few days off in the sun.
Not a bad move at all
The club will avoid the bulk of the English media in the days leading up to the transfer window this way. Should have at least some positive effect.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 19, 2012 2:05 PM GMT reply actions
I think they should have arranged for all the fans to go aswell
I’m sure Roman could’ve afforded it…
Paging Chelsea PR - that's a great idea!
They could’ve held a competition or a drawing – join Chelsea for 5 days on Mallorca. DREAM COME TRUE for a fan, etc, etc, etc.
Although I suppose that’s better done in the offseason / summer?
I'd like to be in Mallorca right now
This weather is ludicrous
by Graham MacAree on Jan 19, 2012 5:57 PM GMT up reply actions
I have 1/2" ice on top of a foot of snow right now
by Graham MacAree on Jan 19, 2012 6:22 PM GMT up reply actions
Better than when New Englanders freak out about it
When I was in elementary school we got 3 foot blizzards like they were going out of style. Now? A few inches and people start stabbing each other at grocery stores and forget how to drive. And schools have snowdays once 2 inches or so hits the ground. Crazy.
At least it is less common over there, so this sort of reaction is not surprising: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/seattle_snow
Ha!
I am like the old bearded man. Too funny.
Three days off in a row at UW.
This is great.
by Cablinasian on Jan 20, 2012 10:10 AM GMT up reply actions
Next month would be even better
with the almond trees blossoming – damn I need to go to the Iberian half-isle more often! It’s pretty damn long ago I saw what an almond tree roughly looks like … :(
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Funny enough
I heard recently that Mallorca is THE vacation spot for Germans.. is it true?
Öh yes that's so blatantly true ...
It’s also deridingly called “Teutonengrill” (the English translation is roughly the same word). That says practically everything. Me personally don’t fancy that isle as much as my compatriots … but I love the almond flowers and nowhere else are they that beautiful
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Don't see much of a downside
if things go as planned. I suppose they could come back and pull a muscle in the cold, or something, after getting used to a warmer climate?
Positive for me? I hope they take pictures ;)
After all
Worrying about what the press will say has worked out so well for the Democratic Party, for instance.
Fuck politics.
Just as Requiem for a Dream convinced me to never do drugs, The Ides of March has reinforced my desire to never have anything to do with politics.
agree on Requiem
that movie scarred me for life. especially the last scenes. oh god.
by CardinaLnGold on Jan 19, 2012 6:23 PM GMT up reply actions
You guys too?
Yeah- that movie also made me terrified of parties where I might be 1 of 2 females! Yikes! All sorts of life lessons from that one…
There are some movie scenes you cannot un-see
that is one of them. And it hurts my girlparts to think about. Another movie like that is “Monster”. Terrifying!
Requiem
Is brilliant. Now I don’t do drugs – just weed.
by Blue for life on Jan 19, 2012 7:34 PM GMT up reply actions
The rule with drugs is
“If it grows in the ground, it’s sound” (Shrooms, Cannabis) “If it’s made in a lab, it’s bad”. The rule with politics is it’s a load of rubbish. ANARCHY!!!
My post wasn't REALLY about politics...
…..it was about letting the press dictate what you want to do, and how unlikely that is to make you more competitive.
Not sure it would actually work. Still, no harm in trying, although it would be embarrasing
if it failed (results-wise).
Spain is an interesting choice
is it because of out 50 mil Spaniard? Signs of a shift in power?
Speculating aside it seems like a good oportunity for bond the team has seemed really disjointed. Which is weird because Chelsea never seemed like a broken team. Think about it, over all the time that people have come and gone at all our rival clubs our team has stayed pretty much the same.
by The Rumor Hound on Jan 19, 2012 8:43 PM GMT reply actions
Chelsea's Spanish contingent demand short holiday trip to Spain
so before Sabrina comes in I humbly add: CRISIS
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Ha!
It would be Ibiza if that were the case. ALLLL the Spanish footballers go there.
Doubt it would have to do with Torres
But, it could be an interesting way to pull the English boys out of their element of comfort, since they may need to rely on their Spanish teammates to help them out with the language. But, that would still leave the Francophones and Portuguese speakers. The latter would probably have an easy enough time dealing with the language…
I imagine it is probably more just a spot that AVB and team felt met the needs they were going for. They do have a football team, too (unlike some other lovely islands), so if a training ground is needed, they might be able to arrange it.
Have you ever been to Mallorca?
Because that sentence
since they may need to rely on their Spanish teammates to help them out with the languagesounds quite weird to me
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
I've not.. travelling to that extent would mean I earn a lot of money
I was just assuming it’s in Spain, so…
Unless you mean that 1) They speak primarily Catalan or 2) They speak a lot of English there. If it is the first, then they have Romeu, and the population there is sure to speak Spanish as well.
Damnit...
this was meant as a response to Maiev’s comment above.
Ah so, so you can't know ;)
It’s no problem to get well along in Mallorca when you don’t speak Spanish at all … I don’t speak a word of Spanish and had not encountered problems … nearly everyone in Mallorca speaks Spanish or German as if they adopted it as second official languages, that’s why that comment sounded sweetly odd to me ;)
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Right...
I did read that the tourist community there has learned German as a nearly native language. But English is only really partly known by some of the young Mallorcans, from what I gather. Not nearly as prevalent as German. So… unless the English lads know a little of their German roots, they’d still be out of their comfort zone, somewhat.
Mallorca has as much English visitors as it has English ones
not sure of recently though – as I mentioned, I haven’t been to Mallorca for a while, and I’ve read complaints by their hotel collective they had complains about English tourists not visiting Mallorca since 2008 – but I can’t say that had made the local inhabitants forget their English. Sure, there are some German and English quarters – Arenal is more German, Palmanova is English – but on the whole of the isle, the prevalent language is English and not German
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Interesting..
my friend just visited, which is where I got the info about the German prevalence, and he mentioned using his Spanish chops there (since he knows the language well). I suppose assuming based on his experience as well as checking the ever mis-informed Wikipedia serves me right. Didn’t realize English was quite that popular there.
It could well be he visited a "German" part of Mallorca
I would not wonder if few spoke English at all around Arenal. True, Mallorca is often portrayed as a German colony, but till 2008, it had somewhat half German and half English tourists, split around in their “corners”. The first time I visited Mallorca I was actually surprised the isle is so popular among English tourists as well … during the “colder months” – it even has more English tourists than German ones, so you could even see English tourists in Arenal (I bet that’s not possible in mid summer!)
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
It's strange...
The English seem to have moved on from Spain now and tend to go to Greece instead; or at least, the younger folk do.
There weren't so many young ones in Mallorca either
earlier – most young ones were … taken there by their parents
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Oh I just realized what nonsense I typed above
sorry for adding confusion …
I wanted to say nearly everyone – inhabitants of the isle, I mean – speak English and German, not Spanish. Of course they speak Spanish … or so I think. I’m not really able to judge
Sorry for the mess. It’s too late for me :D
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Official word from the club is in:
According to the Telegraph after a press conference- Villas-Boas said: ‘’Warm weather is always important. We’ll find good conditions in Mallorca to train.’’
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on We Ain't Got No History
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
