Interesting post and I am surprised that it has brought no response, despite the number of times it has been viewed. 

The benefits reaped from the strong back room team are there for all to see.  Anyone who has seen more than a couple of games can’t have failed to have seen the significant improvement in the stamina of the team.  How long is it since we have watched a side consistently performing for the full 90 minutes?

Jamie Turner who is 24/25 was I believe a regular in Gravesend’s Ryman sides of 2001 and 2002 prior to playing at Tonbridge so he has had experience at this level before.  He has, however, certainly developed since joining us and this has to be down to the coaching.  He has 7 clean sheets in the League this season and only Matthews at Weymouth has a better record in terms of goals against.

I would suggest that with his backroom staff and Phil Handford as his Assistant, Ade does have an advantage over his predecessors.  I would venture to suggest that he persuaded the brothers that he needed this level of support if he was to have any chance of reaching their goal of a return to the National Conference on the limited budget available and that this was a worthwhile diversion of part of the player’s budget that was to be made available to him.  If this scenario is correct then you have to ask why other managers didn’t seek the same or failed to convince the brothers that this was what was needed.  Pure supposition of course but it does seem to fit what we have seen.

As far as injuries go I know that this is of concern to all at PVR, not the least the brothers.  There are, of course, issues like the gamble involved in signing of ex pros who have had to quit the full time game and experienced players who failed to reach that level through recurring injuries.  However, we have also experienced injuries to younger players like Daniel Moore and Keds.  Is it a case of players suffering injury by overreaching themselves in their efforts, as was the case with a certain Mr Gascoigne?  Is it the case that being semi pro the demands of their ‘day job’ prejudice the required amount of resting up?

There are a few facts about the length of time injuries take to heal such as age, residual damage from previous injuries, prolonged inflammation, poor blood flow and failing to rest up properly which results in the inflammation starting up again.  Some of these, particularly a combination of residual damage and failing to rest up properly have brought a premature end to the careers of many non league footballers and the drop to non league football of players from the professional game.

I never did really know much about interferential machines so I asked around and for anyone else out there who doesn’t know what it is all about I gather they apply some sort of current through the skin and into the injured tissue.  They are used for pain relief and muscle stimulation which in turn promotes an increased blood flow and/or a reduction in any swelling/inflammation.  Of themselves these machines do not heal but they do stimulate the bodies repair mechanisms thereby speeding up the healing process.  (Textbook stuff obtained from a student on some sort of sports science degree.  Hope they got it right!)