Friday Freebie: The Matchday Buzz
An insight into how preparation comes from the physio room
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This evening, we have a contribution from guest writer and non-league physio Gavin Blackwell as he lets us in on preparation and support in that lead up time to kick off and how different the role now looks:
On match day my role is that of support in the build up to the kick-off and during the game. You are there to facilitate what the players are trying to do and to make the task easier in any way you can.
The work on the training ground is done, tactics and plans are laid, Injuries of the running repair variety are as good as they are going are going to be for this game… match day is here and it’s the most important hour and a half of the week. I would miss the dressing room banter, the amusing stories in the medical room and the emotional highs and lows of match-day.
I like to be at the ground some two hours before kick-off because I like to make sure all the necessary equipment is there and in good working order. It also means I’m in situ if a player wakes up with a problem like a stiff neck or a sore throat so I can get him in early for treatment.
The nuts and bolts of preparation by the backroom staff is done at the same level of care and attention for all matches and players. There are some different demands and problems produced by playing away but these are dealt with as far as possible by the staff and not allowed to intrude into the players awareness which could affect him from the job in hand that he must do and only he can do.
Even though I’m not a player I still get really nervous before kick-off it’s a combination of classical conditioning, a la Pavlov, the importance of the result of every league game, and the possibility of having to run on the pitch in any of the fixtures in front of the spectators. I am sure you all agree that match day has a special ‘buzz’ about it, and this is tangible from the reception area to the kit room.
At this time, I am getting involved with the hands-on preparation of the dressing room, the medical kit and any other supplies that may be needed. The was a time when everything that was needed, kit for playing, and all the medical gear was in one bag and players helped themselves from that as they arrived in the dressing room.
Now it’s common place for backroom staff and the kit which now consists of several bags to be at the ground some two hours before the team to set it out, so that on arrival the players have everything they need and waiting.
The sort of people who do this job are by nature ‘belt and brace’s’ types whose motto is ‘just in case’ many things are taken to a match but never used. One professional club used to change the studs and laces in the boots for every game and we carry black arm bands in a sealed pack! Over the top may be but the principal is a good one a lot of the time those “just in case” plans are never needed, players and indeed managers will never know that such back up was there.
As a result, everything is carried to cover any eventuality, back up training gear variety of sizes and in the medical we cover all likely possibilities.
In the routine equipment such as the ubiquitous strappings it is wise to take more the enough. And in the unlikely areas such as cervical collar, adjustable knee splint, ankle supports and a pair of collapsible crutches.
Things may have changed as I said earlier and today almost as much time is spent preparing the dressing room before the game as actually playing it. Players all have different ways of getting through this time before they walk down the tunnel. Some need more props than others, and it is for staff to accommodate that and help without intrusion into the players mental preparation. One hour to go, it starts to get serious - team meeting, start to get changed, music on etc.
As the kick off approaches the mood becomes more serious and focussed. There’s a lot of activity with players having supportive strappings applied, massage to battle scared areas, there may be padding to cuts and blisters to protect them. Players undertake warm up exercises, stretch limbs, do foam roller exercises and work out with agility bands each to the own individual routine.
Players will want anything and everything from massage to their hamstrings to a special match-day strapping that they never bother about all week at training. Some want attention early, others leave it to the last minute.
Somehow as the physio you must fit all this in without being under pressure or hurrying individuals. Then 15 minutes to go everyone back in the dressing room - for the final briefing from the gaffer. The superstitions are the same from the Premier League to non-league.
Lucky socks, special shin pad tape, must go out last, must go out fifth, must put left boot on first, one player insisted I had to throw not pass the smelling salts just before we go on the pitch. There would be a last minute opportunity for one of the players to tell me they thought the felt something and picked up an injury in the warmup.
It happens every game merely pre- kick off tension, and a quick word of encouragement from me would settle the nerves. Next, it’s the handshakes, pats on back, high fives and words of encouragement. The buzzer will sound and out we go. as you head down the tunnel. Side by side with the opposition who at every level of the game always look bigger. And then the roar. You must always have time for the most trivial of requests and find something as if by magic.
None of this is a criticism of players. They are all performers who are about to go on stage be they actors, pop singers, ballet dancers’ athletes and tennis players and it is a common thread running through each of them. We don’t have to face such tests so we must understand and support them at this time. Very few people in life are subject to reassessment every few days, having the standards laid down by the professional managers and please the vagaries of an often-fickle audience.
All problems are relative, be they some minor or a domestic issue, and they will assume greater or lesser influence as the game gets nearer, and even then, it will depend on the importance of the game.
Take for example giving a player a slap and tickle massage on his legs because they feel a bit stiff. Now a player will hardly ever ask for this throughout a hard training week but before a game will want it, but if that game is a friendly, he won’t bother.
Ankle strappings can be another illogical prop amongst others, and the reason behind such illogicality is the game is for real with competition and physical intimidation plus public appearance and the fear of having a bad game. If a massage is useful, you should do it every time you train not only when you play.
But players are people, and the situation is not that black and white or cool under abnormal conditions. Certainly, the last time to discuss these fine academic points with players is at twenty to three on a Saturday or half 7.30pm on a Tuesday matchday evening, and if a player wants a strapping on his right ankle, but only if there is a Y in the month, then I think you do exactly that if it helps a player into the right frame of mind to do his job. Not to do so would be to fail in the broader application of my job.
On match-days though I share the same emotions with the manager and players. Having been in the game now for nearly 40 seasons I think I understand it. But as a physio you watch the game from a different angle, I’ll have the manager and coach next to me and they’ll be really uptight for 90 minutes.
Obviously, I want the team to do well but I will see the game differently from a more detached point of view. I will have one eye on a player who is passing the ball and the other eye on the player receiving it. If you get embroiled too much in the game, you can lose your focus, so it’s important you remain focused throughout the ninety minutes.
Then as a physio when you run on the pitch you have 30-40 seconds to make an assessment on a player because the regulations stop you treating him there. It may be a good thing to stop deliberate time wasting but it doesn’t help me do my job effectively.
The best bit however is the match if you don’t enjoy walking out on match-day then you shouldn’t be in football that’s what you do it for it’s not the bulk of your life. The working life is Tuesday and Thursday that most of the fans don’t see. However, match- day is what it’s all about.