By Paul Green
NEIL Harris says he expects Millwall’s squad return to Calmont Road in decent shape later this month for the start of pre-season training.
All of the playing staff were sent away with fitness and nutritional advice at the end of last season to help them stay in shape during the summer.
And the expectation from the manager is it will enable his charges to get on with football preparations from day one rather than just slogging it out doing long running exercises.
Harris explained: “The players are back on 26 June. It is quite a long off period this season with obviously the Euros taking place halfway through it.
“The players have had a recuperation time as I call it, where we ask them to take two to three weeks of staying off their feet by actually enjoying their holiday and family time.
“If they want to go out walking, or get round and about on a bike, then absolutely fine, but we ask them not to go too intense with what they do.
“Then they are given an off-season programme. Within that programme it starts low level and is ramped up over the next four to five weeks.”
The Lions chief added: “That means the plan is now when they come in on 26 June we are not expecting guys to turn up deconditioned having done nothing for an eight week period like they used to do 25/30 years ago.
“Instead it means that those players when they walk back in are conditioned to almost start training immediately.
“That lead up period to the games then becomes not just about getting the players up to speed fitness wise, and just running around fields or in straight lines, it becomes football related drills immediately.
“There is a lot of sport science that goes into it.”