Colchester United boss Matt Bloomfield bringing new identity

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, so the old adage goes.

He might be embarking on his first managerial role but Matt Bloomfield clearly acknowledges the importance of enforcing good habits on the training ground, as he takes his embryonic coaching steps as a fledgling boss.

As the Gazette's Colchester United writer, I was fortunate enough to be invited along to the club's Florence Park training ground in Tiptree this week, to watch the squad prepare for their home clash with Doncaster Rovers.

I realised I was in a very privileged position.

The training ground in the modern game is a private sanctuary for professional clubs, its doors rarely thrown open for the public eye to see.

The so-called 'Spygate' row - when Leeds United were found to be ‘spying’ on a Derby County training session in the lead up to the two sides’ fixtures in January 2019 - shows just how sensitive clubs can be about what happens on their training pitches and rightly so.

So when Bloomfield invited me into his office prior to the day's training session, it was already a revealing insight into a world rarely seen by those situated outside of the football bubble.

"You picked a good day for it!" he exclaims, as the U's boss embraces me with an enthusiastic handshake, his upbeat mood in stark contrast to the weather outside as the rain and wind lashes around the walls of his office.

The U's head coach's boundless enthusiasm in everything he does comes across more than ever; he is in his element, diligently planning the session to come, pointing out a tactics board and demonstrating in detailed fashion what they have planned for the Doncaster game.

Bloomfield's assistant, Richard Thomas, hands me a sheet, outlining what they have planned for this pre-Doncaster session.

Underneath the handwritten intricate tactical information mapped out, there reads a simple sentence: 'Develop An Individual We Can Make The Team Win'.

Bloomfield points up to a whiteboard on the wall, detailing the forthcoming fixtures for the club's teams.

It has been a frantic schedule for the U's boss, since his appointment at the end of September but one that he is clearly embracing.

After explaining what is in store for his players in this session, Bloomfield and his coaching team head out onto the far training pitch at Florence Park; I follow suit led by the club's Head of Media, David Gregory.

The squad embark on a warm up, before getting down to work.

As goalkeeper coach Lee Harrison works busily with his goalkeepers Sam Hornby, Kieran O'Hara and Ted Collins, the rest of the squad get down to business with Bloomfield and Thomas in the persistent rain, their work filmed by one of the club's analysts.

Rotations and combinations are worked on diligently; information is given to the players, with a firm eye on this weekend's game.

The high attention to detail is apparent from the off.

As the session unfolds, Bloomfield is quick to encourage his players: 'I like that Chils,' he exclaims, after Noah Chilvers demonstrates a nice piece of skill.

It's very competitive; while not totally at the same 100 mile an hour pace of a League Two game, the 11v11 session is nevertheless played out at a fast tempo.

Combative youngster Marley Marshall Miranda goes in a little high on experienced forward Frank Nouble when challenging for a loose ball; Nouble looks ruefully at his chest to see if the young midfielder's studs have caught him.

The pair are all smiles. These things happen, in training.

Nevertheless, this is a serious business.

There is a professional feel throughout, U's players and coaches clearly focused on the job in hand.

They know that what goes on at Florence Park has a big influence on how they perform on a matchday.

With the U's currently bottom of League Two, the importance of players receiving the right pre-match preparation is more vital than ever.

After the main session, Bloomfield and Thomas have the players in a huddle, as he goes over some detailed tactical information.

Senior players chip in to the conversation; after Bloomfield has finished talking, club captain Tommy Smith takes young full-backs Junior Tchamadeu and Al-Amin Kazeem to one side and passes on some of his experience before the squad splits up into two groups.

Defenders work diligently on set-pieces with Bloomfield, while Thomas oversees a finishing session at the other end of the pitch.

Their enthusiasm remains at the same high level, despite the rain becoming heavier.

Session over, the players march off towards the warmth of the main building, ready for their post-training lunch.

With diet and nutrition now such an important factor in the modern game, what the players consume after their session is almost as vital as what they do on the pitch.

For Bloomfield, there's no time for lunch just yet.

First are his usual pre-match media duties; along with myself, BBC Essex's Victoria Polley and ITV News Anglia's sports reporter Donovan Blake are also in attendance to get the lowdown prior to the Doncaster game.

It's barely lunchtime but it's already been a hectic morning for Bloomfield and his staff.

But it is clear he is already stamping his own identity on things at Florence Park.

"I've been really fortunate in how open minded the chairman (Robbie Cowling) and the board have been and how open minded they've been to my, Tommo (Richard Thomas) and Harry (Lee Harrison) ideas of how we want to do things," he said.

"We see the game in a certain way in terms of culture, style of play, identity of our football club and we're trying to implement that as quickly as we can here.

"These aren't things that you can do overnight - I know the world is full of football managers trying to plead for time and I'm not doing that.

"All I'm trying to explain is that culture and identity and style do take time.

"We have a certain way which we want the club to be renowned for and have a reputation and identity of how we want the players to be, the supporters to be in terms of interaction with the football club, the way we want to act as ourselves as staff, how we want to welcome media into the building.

"We want it to be a welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable to see us.

"Those things do take time but the more time we get on the training ground, we really do believe we can implement those things quicker.

"One of the things we've had since we've been here is the amount of games we've had, in a short space of time.

"That's made it harder to implement those things, because it's been a case of recovery-play, recovery-play.

"We're really energised and enthusiastic about what we can do at this football club.

"We're really thankful of the support of the board and the chairman and the application of the players.

"These things may take time to the naked eye but I can assure you they're there."

Media duties complete, Bloomfield may now get time for a spot of lunch before getting back to work.

The day's training session may be over but there's still plenty more tactical and analytical work to be done, with the Doncaster game little more than 48 hours away.

Football management is relentless and unforgiving but the U's boss would not want it any other way.