You obviously think it has a transformative benign effect so welcome to my world



Seriously though, it might be worth cutting out the personal insults. Only because they signify to the whole world that you're wrong and it's just a case of finding out in what way.

Is everything in your world view so black and white?

The injured players can do all the training they want, I promise they'll suffer in their first game back. Match fitness is no myth.

But I suppose as long as the world divides neatly into "agree with Gotcha" and "thick as fook" it will be a simple place.

4th it is then.

5th is still possible.

Phew!

So 4th and a trip to hudds then? I guess everyone got what they wanted.

Injured players? So now your talking about long term out and not full training? And I get accused of fog knitting

.

The point was/is, does missing a match in a planned manner (rotation) effect the stamina of players? Just stick to that, that is what I responded to, that is what is stupid to believe it does. It's not difficult.

Err, you brought up the injured players, citing them in an argument about missing matches.

I already agreed that I didn't think rotation of a squad would affect stamina in the way that was described. What I took issue with was your usual presentation of your opinion (which is actually fairly similar to mine on that issue) as "fact" and other opinions as "stupid" when there was some rational basis for the other opinion and a lot of your logic for dismissing it was actually, in my opinion, flawed.

You've also assumed here that "rotation" means "missing a game" which wasn't actually specified in the post you took issue with. It could potentially mean missin more matches than that couldn't it?

So you agree with me then.

I think you jumped in the first place because somehow you were reading it some other way.

Thank you for confirming though you also don't agree that rotation effects stamina. It was a simple statement from Fetlar in the first place, and a simple answer back from me which I stick to. Posters like Richie just get in loved for the sake of doing so, nothing more.

For the avoidance of doubt, let us remind ourselves again as it is on page 2. Fetlar said, squad rotation reduces stamina. I responded don't be stupid their athletes.

I give up.

Squad rotation, inter alia, can affect(*) stamina in both ways, done right it can improve it, done badly it could possibly reduce it.
It's a question of the balance between exercise and rest, just as when training for a running event.

e.g. When a player has been out injured (say with their shoulder or somesuch) but still gets the right kind of exercise, when they come back they will be refreshed but not fully match fit ... a couple of games later they are match fit AND often fresher than their mates.
If they had done no exercise at all for that month or two, their stamina would be way below par.

That the players are athletes is a given, but that fact was unnecessary to the argument and proves nothing either way.

(*) Not effect, different word.

Incorrect, it was very necessary and entirely important to the discussion.

The fact they are athletes, is that they are looked after by professional conditioning teams, which ensures there fitness and stamina at all times.

Compare and contrast to El Diablo comment about his running. He is not an athlete, at least I dont' think so, so he doesn't get access to that professional back up. Therefore not the same scenario.

Both Joel Moon and Mitch Achurch talked about match fitness and needing to get back to it just on Wednesday. They seemed to think they would only get there by playing.

1. I have a coach, paid by my club. I'm not a professional. He is though. But yes, they will get a much higher level of conditioning and coaching. It depends how you define athlete though.

2. Human physiology is what it is. It's fundamentals are not altered by coaching. Like you, and like them, a few weeks off might not overly harm the base fitness, but when you get to the intensity of a competitive environment, we'll all still be blowing out of our a**es first time back. You just can't replicate that in training. It's what match fitness is. Athlete or no athlete.

3. Your point about their coaching doesn't stand if the rest period you're talking about is part of that coaching. All coaches and coaching teams and conditioners are not created equal. And they get it wrong sometimes. Because they're human.


I still agree with you that "resting players reduces stamina" is too simple to be true. However, I certainly think (or know, actually) it's possible to over-rest, so it isn't a stupid idea. I just don't believe that's what Wire have done. And I don't think the simple fact that "they're athletes" has any real bearing on it. Especially when you keep in mind that their competition are also professional athletes, so the base level they're working to is a lot higher than you or I.

I also don't think calling people "fooking stupid" when you don't agree with them is particularly productive and tends to make you look more ignorant than anything else.

Oh, and "having access to professional coaching" is not really the definition of an athlete. I have a friend who has little more coaching access than me, is largely self trained and is reigning women's world 50km champion. She's definitely an athlete.

They are athletes, agreed.
Rotation can be done right or wrong regardless of that.
It is very difficult, probably impossible, to keep players at their peak every single week for an entire season, compromises have to be made.
That's why most squads try to come into the season underdone and use the season to peak at the latter end.


I seem to recall that Senor Diablo does have experience of training for running in long events (as do I, for many years, for anything from 5K up to marathon, although I am now in retirement, much to Mo Farah's relief

).
The scenario is sufficiently similar to understand the effects of the balance between rest and exercise.

I've spent 42 years perfecting my knowledge of half of that.

I look into exercise in the next few years.

Im tired just reading that.

Tell me about it. I can beat her over 5k though. Takes her that long to warm up.

My wife was singing "Holding out for a Hero at the end of the night" whilst tiling our bathroom so does that make her Bonnie Tyler?

It might. Have you ever seen them in the same room?

Only if she's a bonny tiler.

She could be a hard-working Aussie.
In which case she might be a dunny toiler.

Some of the players are tweeting that the squad are all growing beards till their season ends.Reminds me of the dyed hair one game thing or the poor Wigan team growing tache's not keen.They get plenty of stick if they go out early

We in the Beard Liberation Front are obviously in favour of facial topiary in general but, whilst obvious exceptions for charitable purposes can be made, as in the case of Mr Sammut at Bradford, we do strongly advise that a beard is to be considered as a long term companion and it is not a relationship to be entered into lightly. Therefore, the growing of a beard with the full intention of shaving it off again is not something we feel we can endorse and our aspiration is that Mr Jones-Buchanan will counsel and mentor those around him accordingly.