Pars back in training

24/06/10: Manager and Picture

PICTURES FROM DAY ONE

Jim McIntyre was delighted to welcome back his players for pre season training on Thursday 24th June.  In an exclusive interview for the official website he said:-

"It's great to be back. The boys are all ready to get back into their work again, they have come back with a smile on their face but pre season is always the time when you get nervousness in your tummy because you know what's coming.

"The pre season programme has been well thought out.  We have had two good pre season's so far and so we have not changed much in terms of the lengths of the runs or the times.  It worked because our fitness levels were excellent last season; we came back in a lot of games.  The training and the pre season has been proved."

The Manager was pleased with the great progress being made by striker Graham Bayne as he battles back from surgery on his foot:-

"He completed the first session with the rest of the boys.  He made all the times but obviously he has been out a long time; he can can feel it in his heart and lungs but he has had no reaction to his operation within his rehab.  It is early days; it is only day one of ten hard days."

The first ten days will be primarily double sessions.  The players will be broken in with just one session on Day Two before Sports Scientist, Rab Kielty tests all their fitness levels on Saturday. Testing will be repeated six weeks on, then at three monthly intervals. All the results are logged so that monitoring can be done from start to season finish.

"It is the right way to do things although you can tell with your eye."

Macca had no news of any more players coming in but feels the two new players, Alex Keddie and Kyle Allison have settled in well:-

"Big Jasper - that's Keddie - knows a lot of the guys already and has settled in no problem."

Goalkeeper Greg Paterson is doing really well in his fight back to fitness following his leg break at the end of last season:-

"He is squatting and leg pressing up to 50 kilograms but we need to be careful that we are not pushing him too early. In Gerry Docherty he is in the best possible hands. Again it is early days but the surgeons are happy with him and confident that he will make a full recovery. He has been in the gym through the summer and you can see the difference in his shoulders.  As a goalkeeper you need that strength up top so he is using the time very wisely and deserves great credit for that."

Commenting on the opening league fixture on Saturday 7th August at the Falkirk Stadium, Jim McIntyre said:-

"I think it is an absolutely fantastic first fixture - going to your rivals.  There will be a fabulous crowd, a great atmosphere and I am really looking forward to it. If you are a player you are delighted and as a manager I am delighted, it doesn't hold any fears for us. Every opponent will be given the respect they deserve but this is a match that's great to be involved in.

"Our aim is to win the league, we will need a lot of luck on the injury front because of the squad size but so will every other team in the league - it is not just us.  That's not a negative, every other team will need the same luck.  The days are gone of carrying squads of 23 or 24 players. We want to finish better than last season; we want to be champions - that's our goal."