Although the squad haven't been preparing for a game this week, Dougie has still taken the time to write his weekly column for the Croydon Advertiser, within which, he has spoken some more on the fatigue that built up within the squad prior to the break, as well as his hopes for when we get going again next week:
"I'm pleased with the progress we are making this season but I think it is fair to say this international break has come at a good time for us. We've looked a bit tired in our last few games and I didn't think we had much left in the tank during the last 20 minutes at Cardiff. Our continued involvement in the Carling Cup has meant we have played a lot of games already this season, and it is difficult to give our younger players the right amount of rest when they are playing every Saturday and Tuesday.
We had a few injuries too at the start of the season which meant I didn't have the chance to rotate as much as I would have liked and I think that is catching up with us now. We've lacked a bit of spark going forward in our last few games and this is a chance for us to freshen things up again.
It is fair to say that the demands placed upon all of our players so far this season, not just the younger members, have been pretty strenuous given our involvement in the League Cup. It will obviously begin to have an effect on the freshness of the players involved when their recovery time is so small between each game, and quite rightly, Freedman has felt the need to address the questions about the lack of attacking threat shown in our last three fixtures by reminding everyone of this.The break has allowed us to have a few light sessions in training this week while the players will be able to enjoy some time off this weekend. It's not just the physical demands of playing week-in week-out that start to take their toll but also the mental side of things. This league is very demanding but while having so many games is entertaining and exciting I don't necessarily think such a congested fixture list helps sides to produce their best football."
The mantra he regularly preaches is one of patient growth, allowing the young prospects we currently have on our books to be given the time necessary to mature into well rounded professionals with the help of the coaching staff and senior squad members. One thing that is paramount to that approach working, is for the youngsters in question to have the correct amount of time in between games to allow their bodies to recover, thereby reducing the risk of injury or burn out in the latter months of the season. Without this imposed break, there was a good chance that the fitness, both mentally and physically would have lowered dramatically, and for this reason, we should count it as a positive rather than a negative in many ways.
Yesterday also saw Peter Ramage speak about his desire to secure himself a starting place in our defence before his loan finishes in two months' time, although he admits it's going to be tough:
It's great to see players like Peter demonstrate a genuine desire to cement themselves in our side regardless of the fact that they aren't at the club on a permanent basis. As he makes reference to, the partnership Paddy and Anthony have got in the middle of our back four really has been working well of late, and with Clyne having returned from injury, first team chances have obviously been tougher to come by for Peter."The fact I can play in a number of positions has been a hindrance in my career. I want to try and push for a centre-half spot but Paddy McCarthy and Anthony Gardner have been brilliant so far. We had that long run without conceding and they were two of the mainstays of that. So I've just got to keep working hard and hopefully impress. You'd never wish an injury on anybody but I'm just hoping to get a chance and then try and keep the shirt."
With all that being said, the performances he put in during the early stages of the season were very solid. Admittedly, no one would have expected him to keep his starting place at right back once Nathaniel returned to match fitness, given that Clyne was voted the club's player of the year last season, but the important thing to consider when you analyse Peter's performances, is that we didn't ever look unbalanced in defence with him in the side, a big compliment when he was stepping into a role that was so important to our survival last season.
With his contract at QPR set to expire this summer, I would like to see the club offer him the chance to stay with us on a permanent basis by the time this season has reached its conclusion. Although he says that his ability to play in numerous defensive positions has been a hindrance to him during his career, I can only see it as a good thing for us long-term. With Dougie so intent on making sure that we have decent cover for every position in the squad, it is impossible to argue that Ramage offers the sort of versatility needed to have a successful Championship defence. I'd also like to think that his time with us has shown him what a good club we are to play for, something which, judging by his tweets to date, he fully appreciates.
That's about it for this morning, hopefully England can shock us all by putting up some sort of a fight against Spain at Wembley later this afternoon, not that I hold out a great deal of hope. I'll be back on Tuesday with all that's been going on between now and then.
Adios.
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