Robins' experience can help us to get pre-season training right

STOKE City are heading back to Austria for a training camp with the vision that conjures of making players run up some mountains.

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Mark Robins can call on his experience as a manager and by this stage of his career he will know the proper way to go about a pre-season.

A lot of it is common sense but you have to move with the times as well and take note of latest trends.

But innovations should be to make the end product better rather than just for the sake of doing something new or trying something because it's what someone else is doing. You need to have a proper understanding of why you have set up your programme in the way you're running it, utilise the knowledge of experts and stick to your guns when needed.

So it's off to the Alps and let's hope that, whatever they do there, it's the start of a season where we can compete and last the pace.

Robins will need the right staff around him and it will be interesting to see the dynamics with new assistant manager Max Porter, new technical director Stuart Harvey and new head of fitness Damian Roden.