Tony Daley Feature Interview
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Fitness, Performance and Sports Science have engulfed football over the past half decade into what is now viewed as critical functioning areas of a football club.
Clubs now spend hundreds of thousands of pounds if not millions on developing this
area in order to maximize performance, fitness and strength as well as attempting to prevent injuries and aid recovery.
All worthy causes I agree for the modern game but as the apparent downturn in quality/ability becomes more apparent what blame (if any) should be placed on the over emphasis of fitness and strength to developing technique and ability?
I spoke to former England International and now Head of First Team Fitness and Conditioning at Wolves Tony Daley about his unique standpoint as a former player now implementing science into a world that's very different to the one he first joined as a seventeen year old at Aston Villa.
Tony says: "When I was playing we had nothing like this, of course technology has moved on but the mindset was never about diet, recovery or anything else of that ilk".
I was speaking to Tony at the recently constructed Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground, which is fitted with a brand new gym, hot and cold baths plus more scientific equipment than a store room at NASA.
Tony's workload alone gives an insight into the value the club place on him and also an indication on the type of player Wolves and other clubs are trying to produce.
"I work with around 35 players in total doing everything from individual weight programs, dietary requirements, group fitness sessions to game day warm ups and cool downs."
Indeed we were speaking in a room titled 'Sport Science Room' where Tony was recording the heart rates of Academy players during their physical programs they were completing in the gym.
It was hardly the scene from Rocky 4 where Ivan Drago was being put through his paces but this is serious stuff for these young players and Tony fully endorsed their commitment and belief in what they are doing.
"This is tough work we ask the players to do but one of the reasons I love the job is how they have been so receptive to what we're asking them to achieve."
I have to admit that the young players did indeed look extremely fit, physically strong and showed some understanding about why they were doing all this work.
Being a Wolves fan myself I know better than most the horrible time Wolves have had with injuries certainly since I have been watching them.
Indeed Tony's own experience at Wolves only produced 21 appearances over a four-year period for the club.
Is it possible that clubs can be susceptible to injuries? Or is that just ridiculous?
"Yeah it's possible - we had a lot of the same type of injury cropping up last season.
"We had to look at the types of training we were doing, certain volumes of varying sessions to see if we could eliminate the problem.
"That with more preventative work in the gym and specific warm ups for those body areas cleared up the problem.
"We're always trying to be pro-active in this area.
"Looking at what might happen to the players rather than reacting after it has happened.
With Wolves off to a flyer this season much credit has been forwarded towards Tony, credit he is quick to deflect elsewhere.
"The set-up here at Wolves on the medical and fitness side is top class.
"The likes of Steve Kemp (Head of Medical), Alan Peacham (Club Physiotherapist) and Dr Matthew Perry (Club Doctor) have all done incredible jobs.
"The Gaffer also gives us our rope and takes on board what we have to say and the information we provide.
"The most credit must go to the players though - what they did over the pre-season was fantastic and the main reason we've stayed clear of too many injuries this term."
Oh yes, the dreaded pre-season.
Before Tony took up his position at Wolves he had great success in the program he had done at Sheffield United (his previous position).
He enlightened me on what the players at Wolves had done in the off-season and the pre-season.
"It's really important that players come back in some sort of shape and condition.
"Each player had their own personal program and all the work for the preseason was designed on the presumption that the players would complete it.
"If they hadn't done the work they would have been found out straightaway through the tests we do."
As in most clubs the medical and fitness staff set certain targets.
Take for example the body fat percentages of players.
The target for Wolves' players is 9% and to my surprise Tony informed me that powerhouse George Elokobi carries only 6.5% body fat - unbelievable!
"As it turned out when we ran the tests when the players got back from their holidays, they were actually slightly fitter than they were at the end of the season - that was great and the preseason we had is absolutely part of the reason why we have started so well.
"We have talented players who are also built for football."
Indeed - Wolves star players this season have been Michael Kightly and Matthew Jarvis (both wingers).
Tony informed me that they are both getting through around 13 kilometres per game and more amazingly 2 kilometres of that is at high intensity, something which Tony claims he has never seen before.
So surely all of this work is good for the game, good for players and of course good for the clubs?
What about the obvious decline in clubs producing players with technical ability?
Couple that with comments that clubs now only produce athletes rather than gifted players?
There is no doubting that players who are bigger at a younger age are picked up by clubs and many still get released for not being big enough at 14?
Behaviour that has sparked criticism from all over the world - surely the implementation of more and more sports science will only compound this problem?
"There will never be a substitute for quality, technique and skill.
"I have the beauty of having been a player and now doing this from a non-science background.
"With all the work we can do and the technology and science we have to support it we will still only improve players by one or two percent in terms of their overall ability.
"But that can be the difference.
"Here at Wolves we don't shove this stuff down the players throats - outside of being here they eat what they want - but know that if they eat the right things then it will help their performance, we don't have to baby-sit them.
"It's all about trying to enhance the physical attributes of a player to match up to their position - we're trying to build bodies for football."
So what are players and coaches to do - time in the gym or time with the ball?
If its only going to gain us a one or two percentage advantage then surely time with the ball, improving technique, skills and ability is time better spent?
"Time management and periodisation is key - the technical work will always be the most important but you have to plan how you're going to fit the other things in."
I left feeling more knowledgeable about the reasons why so much emphasis is put on sports science at clubs but also concerned that clubs are continuing to look at the potential of a player as an athlete first over their potential as a player.
I can understand why they do this - it's far easier to create a football specific athlete than it is to create a world-class footballer.
However, if the hopes of a nation are to be a reality this mindset will need to change.
