MIND THE GAP
Getting mental edge is key for Bradley
STEPHEN BRADLEY believes Shamrock Rovers have breached the ‘next frontier’ in their record breaking quest.
Last summer, the Hoops boss revealed how his players were working with a sports psychologist, Mary Larkin, to gain an extra edge on and off the pitch.
The idea originated 12 months ago when Bradley told his former goalkeeper Alan Mannus in pre-season that he was visiting Larkin, for his own private sessions.
Mannus, now retired, said he wished he had had access to a sports psychologist during his career, so Bradley felt it was a smart move to introduce Larkin to the ticket.
And the Rovers boss insists her input was invaluable to their recordequalling four-in-a-row success – and will be again as they chase a record-breaking fifth crown.
Yesterday, Bradley said: “I feel – and I’ve been told by managers who are in the game a long time – that it’s definitely the next frontier, in terms of the mind.
“Physically we’re not getting better than Ronaldo, in terms of the specimen, or how technical players are now like (Kevin) De Bruyne, (Phil) Foden, (Martin) Odegaard.
“They are top, top level, and obviously the Messi’s of this world, so the next one is the mind and really buying into it, learning it and understanding it. I really like that side of things for me as an individual, but the players as well.”
And on the eve of the new season, Bradley hailed his squad for embracing the sessions with Larkin, who was on hand at yesterday’s training session before Friday’s league opener.
Bradley knows the concept could have flopped last season but insists it went in the complete opposite direction, with unanimous buy-in.“you’re asking a group of 24 men - young men - to really buy into something that’s new and alien to young men in Ireland,” he explained.
“To really get the benefit you have to be vulnerable in that space and the players have shown real bravery to be vulnerable in that group. They understand it.
“Particularly this group, because they are elite, when you get to a level they are at, they are looking for the next percent, the next step that makes them better. They understand this makes them better.”
And Bradley added: “There are things within the group that happen, on and off the pitch, that we would notice because we’re working on them.
“You wouldn’t notice from the outside and when you see that and when it’s happening it’s powerful, so they have been brilliant at buying into it.”
Ahead of the new season, Bradley feels his players are also benefiting from a seven-week close-season break, as opposed to the three weeks they got last year.
“We made a mistake the year before getting them back too early. They got three weeks off after playing 54 games in a short season,” he added.
“I felt they just walked out the door and they were back. They were fine, they worked hard, but you could see midway through the season we really slumped mentally.
“They were making silly mistakes and silly decisions. The decision was to give them seven weeks off.
“It’s going to be really important over the season that the mental fatigue is gone.”