Boot in the barracks
Barton: Jags’ pre-season is a joy after Arbroath army camp hell
ADAM BARTON won’t complain about Partick Thistle’s punishing training regime after enduring the pre-season from hell at an army boot camp in Arbroath.
The Jags ace will happily take whatever lung-bursting duties are asked of him by boss Alan Archibald because he knows the manager is just trying to do what’s best for his players.
Which is more than he can say for Phil Brown, his madcap previous manager at Preston, who took his squad to a rain-soaked army barracks in Angus to train with the squaddies.
He shudders at the memory of three nights sleeping in tents, living on gruel and doing countless runs in heavy army boots.
All of which might sound like fun to the adventurous type – at least until the blisters and sleep deprivation kick in.
But as a professional athlete trying to prepare himself for the challenges of his sport it was a ridiculous exercise that threatened to alienate the squad from a man known for his unconventional approach to management.
Barton said: “We didn’t sleep for three days and players were wondering how this was good for our football.
“We just ran around with the army for three days. One night they said we could have a good long sleep and then at 3am this siren went off and we had to get into wet gear and get up.
“We only had one set of clothes for three days and it was soaking from the rain. We were all thinking, ‘This isn’t football.’ Half of us wanted to quit there and then. We were wearing army gear, the big boots and just one pair of socks even though it was raining.
“We didn’t see a football the whole time and that was the one pre-season I’ve experienced that I felt was pointless.”
It’s not the only time Brown’s management style has put him at odds with his team. After all, this is the guy who once sat his Hull players on the pitch at half-time and gave them a ferocious dressing down in full view of the fans.
While England boss Gareth Southgate took his squad to an army camp before their recent game against Scotland at Hampden, Barton looked at those pictures and realised that was a soft, novelty taster intended to raise morale – what he experienced was very different.
He added: “They were looking for the first person to break. None of us did but I think that’s what he was trying. A lot of the senior players probably wanted to say something to him. As a young player I was hoping someone would say, ‘Gaffer, what are we doing here?’ I couldn’t do it and it was probably hard for them too.
“The manager did take part in some of the exercises but he could drop in and out and also had new clothes every day.
“Mental tests are important in football but this was different. The food was rubbish and we were in tents, lying on grass in the wet. It was horrible. That was my first memory of Scotland and it wasn’t a good first impression.
“The pre-season training depends on the manager’s philosophies – some use a ball with every drill, some don’t at all.
“Thankfully the gaffer’s approach is totally different to Phil Brown’s. There is a lot of football and we do runs that we will make in games too. The whole point is to prepare for matches.
“When we see that, the lads don’t moan. It’s what we have to do. But when we go to army camps, that’s when the moaning starts.”
After getting married during the close season, the honeymoon is over for Barton. The same could be said for Thistle next season when they strive to live up to higher expectations following their top-six finish last time.
Barton added: “It will be hard to top that. I felt we were the better team in some games we drew or lost, so we need to take confidence from that. I can’t wait to get started.
“This summer has been shorter than I’m used to but I don’t mind that. Up here you get the international breaks and the week off in January.
“That was my first winter break and I preferred that. In England you get a long summer break and then nothing off during the season.
“And all this running is easier than making a speech at your wedding! I was so scared I couldn’t even eat the food. People were wondering how I can play in front of thousands yet couldn’t stand up and do a speech.
“But I got through it and people said it was good. It was a big wedding so it was nerve racking.”
● Fresh from his wedding, Barton was posing for more pictures this week modelling Partick Thistle’s new away kit which goes on sale on Friday.
That was my first time in Scotland – and it was a horrible experience ADAM BARTON