Newcastle boss Shearer getting tough in training

Apr 11 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

ALAN Shearer has revamped Newcastle United’s training schedule after admitting that his players have often struggled to compete over a full 90 minutes this season.

United’s caretaker boss has extended training by 15 minutes and upped the intensity of sessions as part of a raft of changes aimed at fostering the unity and team spirit required to haul the club out of relegation trouble.

In a clear break from the training practices of predecessors Chris Hughton and Joe Kinnear, he has asked the first-team players to become more competitive during sessions.

Along with altering training, Shearer has encouraged the team to become a tighter knit group by having them eat together.

Assistant boss Iain Dowie has put the changes into practice – and they have been met with the approval of the players. Goalkeeper Steve Harper has paid tribute to the “lift” that the arrival of Shearer and Dowie has given the squad.

“You have to look at the reasons as to why Newcastle – or we – have not managed to last 90 minutes in games,” said Shearer.

“There are a million excuses that everyone can give you. Is it concentration? Is it that they’re not fit enough? Not sharp enough? Has the training been as intense as it perhaps should be?

“There’s a fine line, because when you’re carrying the injuries that we have done all season then do you push the players harder to get them fit, or do you ease off because you can’t afford any more injuries? It’s a fine balance. What we’ve tried to do with the training is make it quick and played at a high tempo and the response from the players is that they’ve really enjoyed it.

“It’s very difficult to do much about the fitness levels in such a short space of time. What you can do is up the tempo in training and we’ve done that.

“The players’ response to that has been fantastic. They’ve shown a real attitude to say that this is the way they want to go.