I SEE some of the Rovers players have been back at Brockhall even before pre-season starts. That would not have happened in my day – and certainly not with me!

We used to get six to eight weeks and you used to have it off completely.

The lads would try to look after themselves the best they could but let’s just say I wasn’t the best at that!

I used to think, ‘I’ve worked hard all season, now it’s my time’.

But because of the way the game is nowadays, you’ve got to keep yourself fit all-year around.

Also a modern-day player has a better chance of doing that because they get so well looked after.

They are sent away with programmes, knowing what they can and can’t do, and how they need to keep fit.

Back in our day we didn’t get anything like that. We were just told what day we had to be back in on and if we put on too much weight we’d get fined. 

It was always tough going back, particularly for me. It used to kill me!

We used to go on long run after long run and after two days you could hardly walk, my thighs and legs used to be that stiff.

After those two first two days of pre-season you got back into it but, unlike nowadays, you’d have to wait a while to get the football out.

You’d be desperate to see it and then get the pre-season games under way.

I know managers will always say those games are all about getting match fit but winning games breeds confidence.

So here’s hoping we can do that and then start the season well.

There are no easy games in the Championship and you only have to look at the fixture list to see it is going to be difficult again.

But we’ve got a home game first and if we can beat Wolves it should set us up nicely for what is a pretty decent start.

And I think it’s important we start well. We’ve finished the last two seasons strongly and it does make you think what might have happened if we’d picked up more points early on.

Hopefully by the Wolves game we’ll have some new players in but I can understand why it’s been quiet so far.

As I’ve said previously, I don’t think there needs to be too many changes and, because of the embargo, Gary Bowyer is going to have to be picky and choosy.

If he can get a couple in, then great, but the most important thing is keeping together most of the squad that starts pre-season.