Turning the tables: Anthony Wordsworth on first-team training ground visit in the press
Turning the tables: Anthony Wordsworth on first-team training ground visit in the press: Anthony Wordsworth, a journalist who previously covered the team when he was a player, dropped by our training ground to show some reporters around before our first game.
Anthony is finishing his degree in sports writing and broadcasting from Staffordshire University, but he has time to drop by the New Malden training base for a quick chat with our keepers Nik Tzanev and Will Nightingale.
Will told Anthony (pictured with our Sports Scientist, Chris McConnell) he was pretty good. A little mixed and things could be better, but for the season to start, it’s been three clean sheets on the cards. There’s still things to work on and improve this season, but overall it has been a steady start so far.
Anthony watched our first game of the season – the 2-0 victory at home to Gillingham – and he asked our two veteran players about Johnnie Jackson’s style of play as he looks to implement a more attacking formation.
During the preseason, the manager wants his team to play in that style. Playing out from the back while taking advantage of opportunities creates a balance that allows Spurs to often outweigh risks.
The change of players was different than when Anthony was with the team, Will said. He mentioned that teams will watch videos and attempt to press him high. Anthony had to learn to decide when to do it and when not to; however, the manager wanted the team to play a certain way, so it would raise the standard. The group has to follow the manager’s wishes and improve without fail, just as he would like for them.
Last year, new players became aware of our metaphor—that we’re like a small dog that has been chasing a car for years and finally caught up to it. We’ve been doing well, as groups, to progress from nothing to the teams we are at now due to our patience and determination.
The boys reflected on one of the many lessons they’d learned from the game of football. The boys praised Will because he had found the confidence to step out of his comfort zone and wear a leather jacket, even during the 2018-2019 season when achieving success in football was tough.
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