with Jonny Hayes
We now say goodbye to the Dons for some six weeks, our next currently scheduled fixture here at Pittodrie not coming until the opening day of March and the visit from St Johnstone.
By the time we reconvene here in 40 odd days, we will know much more about just how this season is going to pan out after SPFL trips to Motherwell, St Mirren and Partick Thistle, plus those two massive cup ties against St Johnstone and Celtic. For some teams, that would be a daunting programme, but Jonny Hayes reckons that the current crop of Dons are relishing their opportunity.
“People talk about pressure going into games but pressure is when you are bottom of the league and you need to win games to avoid being relegated. That is pressure. This is a lot more enjoyable than last year!
“This time, we have match winners. Peter has been outstanding this season. Niall can change a game in a second, Scott Vernon can score goals, Josh can come on and change things. Then there’s Willo who showed something special last Friday – we did not think he could kick the ball that far!
“That makes the difference. Look at the recent Kilmarnock and Hibs games, we have not played our best but we have won where last year, we wouldn’t. Think about how many 0-0 draws we had last season. If you turn these into 1-0 wins as we have been doing, it will make a big difference to your season.
“Saying that, even now, our finishing has maybe been our downfall. We need to add more goals. Defensively we have been superb and I am not just saying that because I am a defender now! There are one or two teams who have gotten away with only losing one or two nil. It should have been more.
“The manager continues to give us belief and points out it is the same three points whether we score in the 93rd minute or we win 6-0, but we know it is something we need to work on. We go through a lot of video analysis as a team and we know the areas we need to work on individually and as a team. Hopefully we will keep on improving. There certainly will not be any resting on our laurels with the manager. Nothing is won in January. There is a still a lot of work and progress to come from this team”.
That is a mouthwatering prospect given that we come into this afternoon’s fixture on the back of a run of eight wins in nine for the Dons, a terrific run as Jonny is quick to point out.
“It’s especially good when you look at the fixtures. We had Inverness CT away, Dundee United away, Ross County who were a bit of a bogey team for us. All tough games, but the boys stuck to our task really well – it should really have been nine out of nine as well. We have had a lot of games but it was probably not until the last few minutes of the Hibs game when I started to feel a bit tired.
“Having Graham Kirk on board has helped us a lot. He looks after us very well every day. Some days he knows from the heart rate monitors, testing, the feedback scores if you are not feeling great. He will then relay that information to the manager and so we might go for a swim or go for a cycle session instead of working on the pitch.
“He has put food on the bus so we can be as healthy as we can. He has worked with the chefs at the club to change the menus. Every little thing helps to put is on the right road to where we want to go. I know some mangers are not really open to that side of the game yet but the gaffer is very aware of its importance. When Sir Alex Ferguson comes out and says that it has been the biggest revolution in the last 20 years, you have to take notice.
“My argument is that when people compare the likes of Best and Cryuff with Ronaldo and Messi, footballers in the past could not live in today’s game because you have to be an athlete to play football now. You cannot just have raw talent then turn up on a Saturday and expect to play. You have to be switched on for 90 minutes, you have to be part of a team. Any team is only as strong as its weakest link
“If one person is not fit and not living their life right, they are not just letting themselves down, they will let the whole team down, the fans, the city, everybody. The boys therefore take a responsibility within themselves to police the situation to make sure everyone is right and everyone is training right. You can get found out in training because there is nowhere to hide these days. Especially with the banter we have in the dressing room! The slightest bad day and everyone is on your case.
“You just can’t get away with it any more. We are probably ahead of a lot of dressing rooms in the country with that mentality. The professionalism here is second to none. That can only hold us in good stead for the future.
“During the season from week to week, Saturday to Saturday, we train very hard and do a couple of double sessions. Over the Christmas period though you don’t really have any time to train. When you do get onto the training pitch you are just working on the teams shape and set pieces.
“All you are doing is playing a game, recovering and then playing again. At the same time, you don’t want to be sitting around too long or you stiffen up, so there is a balance and Graham is able to find that balance so that we are always at peak fitness.
“All of that wouldn’t mean anything though if we didn’t have such a good bunch of professionals here. When I first came here I was surprised just how many players used the gym before training and after training. The skipper leads by example, his professionalism is second to none. He is in the gym every single day, doing his own work. The young boys see that and follow his example.
“Barry, Chris, Andy and Russell all use the gym a lot and that creates a good impression for the likes of Cammy and Peter. I wish I’d had those types of players around to show me when I was young so I’d have spent more time in the gym instead of lying around the changing room!
“The boys here are brilliant. You have to get in early now just to get a spot in the gym! It’s not as if everyone is hammering weights, they are doing lots of little things they have been told to do to work on their ankle strength or knee strength or shoulders, whatever you need, it is there for you
“At other clubs, players come in a minute before the time they are supposed to in the morning. Here, most people are in an hour before. Barry Robson comes in about six o’clock in the morning! I have never been in before Barry and I start early to get myself ready for training.
“The fact is that the game has changed. When I was younger, there weren’t so many really good pros. It took me a few years before I woke up to the fact I needed to look after myself. It is not just about getting yourself ready for a match on a Saturday, you have to get yourself ready for training every day – making sure you are hydrated etc. The intensity of training is high and you need to go into it fully prepared. Before, I would just treat it as another day at work and just get through it, but now I really look forward to each session. You can see from the competitiveness in training that everyone trains their best to try and get in the team for Saturday.
“Preparation is so important. I went to see a nutritionist called Scott Baptie last year after Gavin Rae mentioned him in a programme interview last year. Gav had the best physique I have ever seen for a 35 year old.
“Scott explained the impact that alcohol has on your body and problems from bad eating habits. I used to think I could have chicken and pasta for two or three days before a game and I would get away with that. Not at all. As soon as a game finishes, you need to be getting the right food into your body and maintain that throughout the week leading up to the game.
“I talked with him about the types of food I like, and when I like to eat. He made out a food plan and we went through it together. I get fresh fish delivered to me from a friend on a Monday and a Tuesday. I will then have my own version of bolognese without a sauce. I cook turkey and pasta with sweet potatoes. There is even room for a Nandos in there, which me and Niall take advantage of! You can still eat nice food. The key is to have a balanced diet and to cook everything fresh. That way, you know you are not getting any of the sugars, salts or preservatives going into it that you would if you bought a ready meal from the shops.
“I am not saying that has made a big difference to my footballing ability but it does have an effect on the way I finish games. I know in previous seasons I have faded in and out of games and it will still happen from time to time, but at least I know if I do, it is not down to fitness. I know now that I have the engine and that if in the 92nd minute I need to make an 80 yard run, I am not going to have any problem doing it.
“Everyone in the dressing room discusses what they eat and take recovery shakes after training. It is all about being more professional. Every little thing, your recovery and your nutrition, cutting out the alcohol is so important. You can’t live like a monk, you still need to have the odd night out with teammates when you go for a meal and a few drinks, but you can’t go out drinking regularly or it will catch up on you”.
Physical fitness plays a big part in your mental sharpness too – if you’re physically struggling, then your concentration tends to be the first thing to go. That Jonny is in the peak of condition has been ever more critical lately since he has had to move into the less familiar left-back slot following injury to Clark Robertson and Andrew Considine. It’s been a case of back to the future for Jonny.
“As I mentioned in my programme interview last year, I was a left-back when I was younger, so the position is not completely alien to me. It was my dad who got me to play further forward and that is how I got a move to England and got into all the Ireland Youth squads. I then gradually evolved into a winger, but I’m now older and have more experience which means I can slot into different positions.
“Leading up to the Motherwell game I was having lunch with Niall and Josh and we were talking about things and they called it right by saying I would be the person filling in at left-back, so I had already started to think about it. When the manager asked if I could do it, I said, “No bother”. Having Mark Reynolds next to me, talking me through the game obviously makes a big difference, and Russell as well. I am starting to doubt Mark’s nationality given the fact he cannot get in the Scotland squad. No disrespect to any other Scottish defenders, but it does surprise me he is not in there. I don’t want to give him a big head because he is the first to tell me if he has had a good game! But seriously, he is a top lad, a very good player who can play at left-back and centre-half. He will probably tell you he can play left wing and up front too! People say he is quick but I don’t actually think they realise just how quick he is. In all the speed tests, he is right up there with Peter and Josh. No striker is going to run past him. I have experienced it a few times when the ball has gone over my head and there is a race, Mark is always first to the ball. Having him there is so important for the side. He is a massive player.
“I know I never am going to be the best defender but I feel I have done a job there. I know the management team still view me as a winger but I know it helps the team. The hardest thing about being a defender is keeping your concentration, because at times it can feel quite easy! Defenders will probably give me grief for saying that. Although I do recognise the fact it is easier being a defender for our side than it might be for a team that was losing heavily each week. But I do think it is easier stopping goals than it is creating and scoring them at the other end. I have felt a freedom in the last few games because there is not the same pressure on me to create or go and score a goal. My job is to help keep a clean sheet.
“Keeping your concentration can be hard when you are winning and on top during a game. One lapse in concentration can completely turn a game around. How often do we see it? The slightest mistake can have a major bearing on the outcome of the game, even the season. I kicked the ground in the game last Friday night at the end of the first half which presented the ball to their striker, but thankfully Hibs weren’t able to take advantage.
“I have also learned you have to have great discipline. I remember in the last game when we were 1-0 up, I wanted to run forward and go on Niall’s outside. But I was told to sit in and hold my horses! That is why we have so many clean sheets because we have guys like Russell, Mark, Andy and now Alan who have that discipline.
“I feel I can do a job at left-back because of my pace. Even if I get beaten, I know I can get back in. I know there are not many wingers that are going to out run me and certainly not last the 90 minutes better than me. When you go into a game thinking you are fitter, quicker and stronger than the player you are playing against, that is half the battle.
“It is not like when you are a winger and you are getting the ball from a standing start and you have to beat your opponent. At full-back, you are running onto the ball and when you have pace, you don’t really need to beat anyone, you just have to touch the ball and keep going. It is nice to get a bit more of the ball and when I have someone like Niall or Peter ahead of me, I can just give them the ball and let them do their own thing, that is how good they are. I still enjoy being part of the attack from time to time, so I don’t feel too left out when we score goals! It’s all about the team, that’s all any of us care about”.
