‘War horse’
Stuart Kettlewell has paid tribute to his “old war horse”, who is still performing like a thoroughbred.
The Ross County boss reckons Michael Gardyne is in the best condition of his career.
He is only four months away from his 35th birthday, but the former Dundee United and Kilmarnock striker has taken steps to keep the ageing process at bay.
Kettlewell said: “We had a laugh with him after he read somewhere he was ‘an old war horse’.
“He has great finesse, and I think he probably has been a bit reinvigorated. His energy levels are phenomenal.
“The distances he’s covering and
the intensity of his work, along with the quality he’s bringing to the team, has been brilliant.
“It’s important to say that during lockdown, Michael has probably turned over a slightly new leaf in terms of his diet, and getting up and doing yoga in the morning.
“He’s probably realised he’s at that stage of his career where he needs to be an athlete 24/7.
“He had lost a bit of weight when he came back, and all those factors allow him to perform in the fashion he is now.
“I know from having been his teammate that he’s probably in the best condition he has been during his career.
“It’s a great example to some of the young guys we have in the group at the minute about how they conduct themselves, and live their life.
“Taking care of yourself is massive, and that’s away from the ground as much as when you’re in for training.”
Kettlewell revealed that several of his more mature players have also adopted a new approach to coping with the demands of top-flight football after passing the age of 30.
He went on: “Thirtysomething guys have an option to go back out in the afternoon, or work in the gym.
“By and large, we get plenty of these guys out for the second session.
“It used to be that when you were over 30, you cut out half the runs and did half the work.
“I read something recently that to be an older player in a team, you still have the same impact you did as a 25-yearold, and the same desire to improve.
“If you don’t, there’s no point being that older player in the squad.
“That’s a message we’ve tried to get across in our group.
“Michael is probably right at the forefront of that. Iain Vigurs, Keith Watson, Billy Mckay and Ross Draper are all good variations of that.
“Gone are the days when people would come back for pre-season two or threestone overweight, and there was the joke about being in ‘ The Fat Club’.
“I think guys realise the game has changed. The pace of it has changed.”
Ross County host Aberdeen today and the Dingwall boss says fitness is a vital part of coping with high-profile games.
He went on: “The smaller clubs have to able to do that to compete with the Aberdeens, Rangers and Celtics of this world.
“You need to find a leveller when you’re dealing with international players, and guys that have come to clubs for millions of pounds.
“Playing with a high-energy level for 90 minutes gives you that opportunity to compete.”