Latest impact on football Zoom-ing in on daily life VIDEO APP HELPS DYCHE
CLUBS GOT TESTS ‘TO PROTECT NHS’
SEAN DYCHE is Zoom-ing through the enforced coronavirus lockdown – thanks to son Max.
The Burnley boss is adjusting to a new way of life as he tries to plot their future from his family home near Northampton, 170 miles from his desk at the club’s training ground.
He admits it’s “surreal” waking up with the world gripped by a pandemic.
But an upside has been returning to a simpler way of life, cooking, reconnecting with the family – and jet-washing everything in sight!
His son is also teaching him how to stay connected with his Burnley backroom staff through live video messaging app, Zoom.
Dyche, 48, said: “We’re in serious times. We all know that, and it’s the over-riding thing on your mind when you wake in the morning but I’ve still got a job to do.
“One thing I’ve quickly learned are ways of staying in touch beyond the obvious, like text messages, WhatsApp and emails.
“I’ve learned about Zoom and I’m using it to talk to staff. It allows you to speak to more than one person and have them all on screen so you can interact.
“My lad, Max, mentioned it to me because he uses it for his college course.
“So he’s helped get everything linked up at home. Now I’m able to talk with the staff
BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche is trusting his stars to stay in shape – and be ready for action when the call comes. And he expects them to treat this enforced lay-off like their summer off-season and stay professional – unlike in the old days.
“The players don’t need to be speaking to me every day and nor would they want to,” said Dyche.
“In the summer I wouldn’t speak to them every day. So we’re treating this period as similar to what goes on in the summer, although of course it’s a completely different outside world. “In past eras those summers were days when players used to go out drinking for a month and came back a stone overweight. about ideas on recruitment and how our players are getting on.
“On Zoom I’ve had meetings with the sports science teams and seeing what’s happening behind the scenes. I’ve also been looking at games and players and dealing with some contract situations.
“Once we have some sort of restart date we’ll have a strategy and structure to work towards. Until then, the hardest thing for me as a manager is this unknown, that every day we’re just floating. It’s surreal.
“Obviously the main priority is the health and wellbeing of everyone, starting with our families.
“I’ve elderly parents so it’s a case of, ‘Are they okay?’ Then it’s about trying to keep everything simple.”
One positive for Dyche has been spending more time with his family.
“We’re going out on bikes, family walks and maintaining our fitness,” he said. “You suddenly realise that being busy with football you miss out on many of the simple things.
“There are things I miss, of course, like a curry, a pint at the pub, a meal with my family in a restaurant. But I’ve
“That doesn’t happen any more, they are used to this kind of training break. They are much more in tune with the game’s demands. “The only difference is they are not away in the sunshine in some foreign land and neither are they socialising. “They are with their families but they still have a training regime to at least keep that base level of fitness waiting for the day when we can start ramping it up.”
For Dyche, that day can’t come a moment too soon. done lots of home cooking. Before I was a manager I used to cook a lot.
“And all those bottles of plonk you get given for a special day – well, those special days come around more often at the moment! “If I can have a go myself I’ll do it and I’m jet-washing everything I can find. “That’s my new rule – anything I see outside the house gets jet-washed!
“If there is a positive that comes from this it’s that we re-evaluate things we take for granted. “When it’s over we should press restart and not always look for the material things. “Let’s remind ourselves what is really important in life.”
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs bought their own coronavirus tests – over fears their players would be forced to play behind closed doors.
Kits to detect Covid-19 have been hard to come by for the country’s frontline NHS medical workers.
But top-flight clubs have had no such problems.
Brighton supremo Paul Barber said his club – who have had two players test positive – acted when there was talk football may continue during a lockdown.
The Seagulls chief executive (above) said: “We bought them to protect the NHS as we don’t want to burden them with elite footballers being tested. And we don’t
NON-LEAGUE clubs have warned that axing this season could leave them open to reimbursing all fans who have watched games since August. In a hard-hitting legal letter sent to the FA, representatives of all clubs below the National League – who have had their 2019-20 campaign expunged want to use NHS resources if we do have someone sick who needs testing.
“The reason we took the decision to have a small number for our own use was because, at any one time over the last few weeks, we’ve been on standby to potentially play games behind closed doors.
“Now, as the crisis has worsened, that’s clearly become not only impossible but also not a priority.”
Pressed if there could be a valuable stockpile of test kits with the clubs, Barber added: “No. I can only speak for our club but we’ve got a very small quantity.
“We’ve used them very sparingly.”
– urged the governing body not to endorse the decision.
It says clubs are “fearful” that cancelling their season, denying a number of sides promotion, entitles all fans to a refund for any games they’ve seen – which would effectively bankrupt many clubs. JOHN RICHARDSON