Practice Imperfect

Being paid to play football all day might sound like a great job to most of us, but for many players training sessions are seen as an unbearable chore.

- Mark Sanderson

One of the few things that kept me going through school was that small window of the week which constituted double games, when I could play football. It gave me the opportunity to express myself far better than I was able to in the classroom. This wasn’t just teenage romance either; I carried this giddy excitement for training right through my local football career, ducking out of work a few minutes early to ensure I was at whatever recreation ground or leisure centre my team used in plenty of time.

Not everyone feels the same about training though, particularly some of those who play for a living. Mick Channon’s career, which is mainly associated with Southampton, spanned the 1960s to the 1980s. He had clear views on training, which earlier this year he described as the most boring thing he ever did in his life. This coming from a man who now earns his living in horse racing.