Posted by: Richard Lee 13/07/2008
Postcard From Austria
First week of pre-season under our belts, four more weeks until our first game away at Palace.
It's been a tough week as expected; those who are familiar with the bleep test will understand that's a tough start to any week. There were also many other speed and endurance drills to check the level that we are all at and to make sure we haven't let ourselves go over the summer break.
Everyone has come back in decent shape and the results were, on the whole, very good which as anyone will tell you makes pre-season a lot more bearable.
We've also had a few small-sided games as well as various possession games which means plenty of running but also a lot of touches with a ball, a great way to get fitness back both technically and physically.
The keepers generally don't join in with the possession drills and we'll go off with Alec to perform some handling and agility drills in order to gain the type of fitness needed to be a goalkeeper. Again, they are very understanding at Watford in the belief that different positions require different drills and by goalkeepers doing long runs it doesn't really help our game, whereas short sharp powerful drills can be just as hard and a lot more beneficial.
Unfortunately I've been feeling some pain in my knee the past day or two which is a problem I've had from the end of last season. All being well, a few days rest and I'll be back training at full capacity.
I'm currently writing this from Austria; we're staying at a lovely hotel up in the mountains and training on a pitch only a few minutes away by coach. Once training is finished we then head to the stream which we use as an ice bath to cool the muscles down. With the weather being very hot, for the first couple of days this is actually quite a nice way to finish training.
We've also just been informed that Steve Kabba has joined Blackpool on a six-month loan. Although things haven't been plain sailing since his move to Watford he is a popular figure in the dressing-room so I'm sure we all wish him well. Little else regarding transfers but once again it's still early days.
I guess that wraps things up for this week. I've been doing little more than eating, training and sleeping - although I have managed to watch a couple of good films already, for those who haven't seen 'Transformers' I highly recommend it!
At times the trip may not the most entertaining, it is a great way to get back into shape and ready for what lies ahead. Bye for now.