The Sports Psychology Blog
This Sports Psychology blog comes as Norwich City suffer their first home defeat in ten games against Blackpool.
Football: Norwich City - The Break
'Too many of our players had an off day. Since I've been here we've generally been quick starters but, for some unknown reason, we were extremely slow to start'. The words of Glenn Roeder after the 2-1 defeat to Blackpool. Roeder's words make for interesting reading. For in the week leading up to the game with the Seasiders, the Norwich manager had taken his team away on a sunshine break to Spain.
Curiously, Charlton Athletic suffered defeat at Blackpool's hands the previous week, after taking a sunshine break to prepare for their Championship game. Whilst the late-season sunshine break may seem like a good idea at the time, it can be a high-risk strategy. Timing is everything.
Take the break too close to the end of the season, and players can sub-consciously think that their summer holidays have started. They return to action off the pace. As Glenn Roeder's remarks testify.
Also the sunshine break must either be a reward for achievements to date or for reaching a team-goal. The purpose of the break must be totally clear. Then a new team performance goal and reward must be set.
Either way, it must be clear to the players that this is not the end of the season. But the beginning of the next phase of the operation. Failure to do that, will cause the players to think that their work is done.
For, after all, most professional footballers associate a break in Spain with the June holidays. And that is not a mindset conducive to battling for hard-fought Championship points.
