Speaking to the London News Online, Karl Robinson discussed his plans for the Addicks’ preseason. The Charlton gaffer unveiled that the Red Army will be in Portmarnock, Ireland for intense and military preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Karl Robinson was at the managerial helm of Milton Keynes’ Dons between 2010 to 2016, a total of six years. In that time the gaffer established a level of tradition and continuity at the club, which Charlton has not seen a slither of since Roland Duchatelet took ownership.
Robinson has been at the red Southeast London outfit since November last year and is still establishing his staff, implementing day to day operations and club practices which he believes are required to rebuild Charlton into a successful club.
In the half decade that Robinson spent at the midlands outfit, the manager would have developed a range of practices that he became comfortable with and he believed were adamant for on-pitch success. Therefore, it’s natural that he has taken some of the traditions he established at MK Dons and is planning to implement those at The Valley.
In particular, he has made clear that Charlton will conduct their intense and military preseason in Portmarnock, north of Dublin in Ireland this summer. A common and regular environment for the MK Dons players under Robinson in recent years.
Speaking to the London News Online, Robinson discussed the importance of preseason and his plans for an intense and controlling preparation for the 2017/18 League One campaign.
“Pre-season is one of the most important factors. I know exactly what I want to do and how long it is going to be. Anybody who played for me while I was at Milton Keynes said it was the hardest they had ever done.
“I’d like to have nine or 10 games in pre-season. That prep work has got to be detailed. Coming into this season the club had no sports science or sports medicine, they have learned from that. If you look now it has improved and moved forward. We’ve had meetings and have got a great group of staff working together.
“We’ll go out there almost straight away from meeting back up in the UK.
“Everything should be controlled by the football club – when they sleep and how much they sleep. It might be a bit old-school, a bit military but it is about making sure they get the right amount of rest and recovery so that we can maximise the amount of work they can do on the training ground.
“There are short-term, mid-term and long-term goals. I want us to finish the season in a very positive frame of mind.
“I believe Chris Powell did it five years ago here. He had a big changeover in the summer – got his pre-season right and his staff right. It is something I look to a little bit. Hopefully, it will have the same result.”
