Posted by john howes - 30/04/2009

Q. hi richard wat size you in boots i was wondering how tight you do them up and wonderd if you wear a size smaller and do any footy players cheers

I wear size 9.5 or size 10.  I do wear them very tight, in fact when I get a new pair of boots I wear them in the bath first so that they stretch to the dimensions of my feet.  I find this helps with comfort and performance.

  I see a lot of kids who wear boots to big for them, usually it's a case of parents insisting they'll grow into them but this really can affect performance.  I once played with boots that were too big, because of it my toe caught the floor and I twisted my ankle.  Don't be afraid to try on a lot of boots before you find the pair that are right for you :)

Posted by Ben Linkston - 30/04/2009

Q. Do you believe that Swine Flu will afftect yours or Loaches performance on the pitch? Perhaps we could see a change in team soon?

Posted by Ben Daniels - 29/04/2009

Q. Hi Richard. I was just wondering what do goalkeeping scouts look for in a keeper? As i have a league cup final at Valley Parade in May and have been told that there may be scouts there and iam hoping that i may be able to get a trial for a pro club (fingers crossed). Thanks Ben.

Good stuff.  Scouts will look at a variety of things, technique, kicking, spring, how loud you are etc.  I big thing that they'll notice without maybe realising is your body language, look to play the game with a swagger, be loud and commanding. 

 Try to do your various techniques to the best of your ability and play with a smile.  If you get scouted then great but if not don't lose heart and if you believe you could be good enough to play for a pro club then let people know.  You'll enjoy Valley Parade :) .. Good luck!!

Posted by Ivan - 26/04/2009

Q. Hi Richard, very good website. I was hoping you could tell me what your pre match routine for warming up is? Thanks, Ivan

A pre match warm up is something that is very individual.  I personally like to do a lot of things but low repetitions of each ensuring that I still feel fresh for the game.  So I would do the following.....

Warm up - Jog and good stretch followed by passing progressing onto clipping across the box.

Handling - 2 x 6 volleys to chest , 2 x 6 half volleys to chest , 1 x 3 low pick up , 1 x 3 dipping volley , 2 x 6 strikes from the edge of the box , 1 x 3 low dives each side from close range , 1 x 3 mid dives each side (Throw serve)

Crossing - 1 x 3 high take each side (Preparing for crossing) , 6 crosses each side 

Kicking - 4 goal kicks , 4 half volleys, 4 side volleys , 4 back passes (Right and left foot)

Hope that makes sense :)

Posted by Kaz - 24/04/2009

Q. What iz a typical footballers routine e.g, training, before home matches, away matches and after matches?

It all depends upon when games are, if we have midweek games then we won't have many days off, we'll generally train most days.  Training is usually between 60 - 90 minutes on the training pitch, followed by optional gym work (weights etc)

  We don't train on a match days, just report for the match 3 hours before kick off for a pre match meal, which will consist of carbs and protein (Usually chicken, pasta, potatoes, beans etc) 

  After matches we are left to look after ourselves, it's important to eat within an hour of exercise otherwise it can have a detrimental effect on the body in replacing energy used, this can be difficult but is important, especially when you have so many games.  Hydration is also vital, so plenty of water prior to a game and post game.

Posted by Gaz Williams - 22/04/2009

Q. Richard, i was wondering like yourself i'm not the biggest keeper around (i'm about 5'10) but i'm currently playing at a decent standard, so i was wondering if you do any special plyometrics in the gym or out on the training pitch to improve your spring? Thanks Gaz

Yeh plyo's in the gym have been great 4 me.  I was told a formula a few years back - Strength x flexibility = Power.  So basically if you can build up your leg strength (Squats being a great exercise) and combine it with some plyo's then you'll see great results.  I often so the following session for spring -

Squats x 8 using heavy weight - fast feet for 10 seconds - 8 drop jumps.

I would repeat this series 4 times follwed by stretching (V important).  By the way a drop jump is having two benches next to each other and dropping from one and rebounding, having minimal time on the ground and landing on the opposite box. 

There are many drills you can do to help spring and to be honest I devised most of mine from basketball programs i found on the internet!  So use your imagination, see what drills you find and set up a program for yourself, test yourself now on how high you can spring, perform a program for a month and test yourself again.  I was buzzin when I did this and saw a big increase. 

Good luck :)

Posted by kev - 22/04/2009

Q. hi richard,hows things going. i am just wanting a bit advice on pre-season training.what does your pre-season consist of and have you any tips for what i should be doing.i am 19 and any advice would be great thanks m8.

Regarding a goalkeepers pre-season, Well my personal opinion is that a goalkeeper doesn't need to be able to run 5 miles, that isn't part of our game, we need to be fit but in a different way.  We are required to be powerful, explosive etc.

  So my advice would be to do goalkeeping drills but at a higher intensity than normal in order to get a level of fitness, combine that with gym work, strength training and plyometrics will be far more beneficial that running for hours on end.

  I also do yoga from time to time, I know Brad Freidel swears by this, it's great for flexibilty and also for calming the mind, I would recommend.

  My advice in general would be, if you enjoy it then open yourself up to soaking up all the info you can, watch top keepers perform, study their techniques and create your own unique personality in goal, enjoy improving and see where it takes you :)

Posted by SS - 21/04/2009

Q. Hi Richard, I was wondering if there was any news on your contract and whether you see yourself staying at Watford next season? While I understand your main priority must be playing regularly, I for one hope you stay as you are a great keeper, you've always given everything for the club on and off the field, and you seem like a top bloke.

Thanks for your nice words, nothing definately sorted yet but I am hopeful it will get sorted soon.  It is a tough situation because there's so many great things about the club and I really want to stay and it's a shame it's taken this long to sort out.

  It's literally a case of wanting a 2 yr contract and only being offered a one year, which at my age I feel I need a little more security, and I also feel that having played 60 games since my last contract I deserve 2 yrs but that's my own belief.  But as I said I hope something will be agreed soon.  I have always been loyal to the club and the club's been good to me, I am extremely happy here so hopefully there'll be news soon.

Posted by jamie - 20/04/2009

Q. hi i have been invited to 2 assesments games at Fulham academy in February and again in April this year - i played well but dont get any feedback - would you contact the club or just assume they are monitoring me thanks

That's great that you've been involved in assessment games but sounds frustrating regarding feedback.  I personally would contact the club but I'd be prepared for whatever feedback they give.

  The thing about feedback is that it isn't usually positive, which I found tough to deal with when I was younger but if you can detach yourself from the feedback and realise it isn't anything personal then I'd call them and ask for all the feedabck possible and use their feedback to drive me to another level.

  It's not often that you get all that far when you sit back and wait for things to happen, go out there and make them happen.  If you are good enough make sure they know about you!  Good luck!

Posted by Andrew Smith - 16/04/2009

Q. Hi Richard, I'm a goalkeeper and have been now for 4 year, I’m 16 now but back to the point, I was wondering when was it that you realised that you wanted to become a goalkeeper. I was also wondering what do you do to kill the time on the team bus when going to away games? Cheers, Andrew

This may sound a bit odd but my situation happened a little bit by accident, I used to play outfield then went in goal at the age of 8 when we had no keeper and haven't looked back.  I joined watford at 10 but it was probably when I was 12 that I actually thought about the idea seriously.  I'd always wanted to be a footballer but at this age I really progressed and signed schoolboy form with the club and i could see the dream becoming reality.

  I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to coach journeys.  Most of the lads like to watch their dvd's or a few of the lads (Jobi, Aidy, Will, Lloyd) play on the pro evo on the playstation at the back of the coach.  My table on the other hand like to play games.  My table consists of Jay, Tommy and Mike.  last journey we played Balderdash (Great game), we've also played chess, card games and a dice game called mousefarkle which is a personal favourite too.  We also read mags and books etc, just depends how long the trip is!!