If I put on a couple of kilos, the gaffer will tell me about it!

David Artell / David Artell / 13 September 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Morecambe's star defender David Artell tells us about life as a League Two player

This week is something of a rarity because we don't have a midweek game to play. The games always come thick and fast at the beginning of the season as you're still in all the cup competitions but that's what pre-season is for; to get you fit for a lot of games in a short period of time.

Last Friday's game at my previous club Chester was my fifth game in fourteen days. We can finally have a 'normal' week in training where the gaffer can work on a few things. A normal week consists of :-

Monday- training
Tuesday morning- training. Tuesday afternoon- in the gym
Wednesday- day off
Thursday- training
Friday- training.
Saturday- game
Sunday- day off

We usually have to be in the changing room at 10am and start training at 10.30am and the session length depends entirely on the gaffer and which day it is. Fridays tend to be shorter days than any other day because of the game the following day. Mondays, if there is no midweek game, are likely to be long and intense (especially if you lost the previous Saturday!). Tuesdays and Thursday are the days where the gaffer works on the tactical side of the game; either in readiness for the next game or on something that was highlighted in the previous game that needs work.

One advantage of having so many games is that you can eat whatever you like as its nigh on impossible to put on weight. The club provide food after an away game and so far I have had a sandwich and a milkshake, fish and chips and sweet and sour chicken. The current scientific thinking at the moment seems to be it doesn't really matter what you eat after a game so long as you eat it within an hour.

The rest of the time we are obviously responsible for maintaining our own sensible, healthy eating plans and although we receive very little guidance on our diets, any weight gain noted by the gaffer would result in a quiet word in your ear! The gaffer also insists on fitness tests every six weeks to check our weight and body composition levels as well as our aerobic fitness, agility and speed.

With the transfer window recently closed all players have to knuckle down and get on with their work as there is no way out until January. I am sure there will be speculation even when the window is closed regarding some Premiership players who have let it be known that they are not happy and I expect that one of their advisors will have already made contact with other interested clubs before the window re-opens. Transfers of the top Premiership players seems to be a long drawn out saga but it is very different down the lower leagues. It certainly was in my case.

I first spoke to Sammy McIlroy on a Tuesday and had signed on the following Thursday. Even though one or two other clubs were interested it just felt right at Morecambe and I was happy to sign the contract that was put in front of me. I am sure it's easier for players lower down the leagues to make a quick decision as we don't have to consult our agent, lawyer or image rights consultant who usually all seem to want a slice of the contract you are negotiating.

The draw for the Carling Cup has given us another tough away tie at Sheffield United and is probably why we have drifted out in the market to 310! On a serious note though, I can't see anyone outside of the big four challenging for the cup. It might sound strange but I don't think Manchester United have the firepower to contest trophies on four fronts and I think Alex Ferguson would sacrifice the Carling Cup for success in other competitions. I think there are better bets than Chelsea to win at 5.3 which leaves Liverpool and Arsenal. Liverpool at 8.2 look a good bet but Arsenal at 9.6 look very inviting. In recent years Arsene Wenger has used it to blood some of his younger players but this year I can see him taking it more seriously as I think that along with the FA Cup, its his only real chance of silverware.

Tags: Carling Cup, David Artell, Morecambe Town, Sammy McIlroy