Quote Richie="Richie"Our season lasts around eight months, with the internationals often having a nine month season. It isn't possible to "peak" for that long. Teams always used to target games. In the days of relegation, coaches would occasionally even be open about investing their gameplanning and prep time for the relegation rivals, and almost writing off the games against the top teams.
I don't have any doubt that our strength, fitness and training intensity has been cycled to peak at particular points in the season, and that's been happening for more than the last two years. It's just perhaps gone further lately.'"
You are quite right Richie but targeting to peak in key games is a normal positive plan and never included a deliberate negative element of regularly not trying or competing in other games, as is being suggested, which is a whole lot different. If indeed the coaches had such a negative plan we would have seen much more of the squad rotation that these same 'theorists' have been calling for.
eg: Teams would play the whole 'A' team in the match prior to the Wembley Cup Final in an attempt to have the first team freash for Wembley.
If all those lost games had been planned as expendable then why risk all your first choice players in games of no consequence. So to accuse the coach of
both deliberately not competing
and not resting/rotating the squad is somewhat illogical in my view.
