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Leeds United: No need to flog Leeds United squad insists Glynn Snodin
It was back to business for Leeds United's squad today – and assistant boss Glynn Snodin insists the club's management don't expect to be cracking the whip.
Players, including the club's sole summer recruit so far – full-back Jason Crowe – along with Enoch Showunmi, who missed the second-half of last season due to a life-threatening illness, and Neil Kilkenny, fit again following an ankle problem, gathered at Thorp Arch for the start of pre-season training.
Several clubs, including Yorkshire rivals Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday, have interrupted their close seasons by briefly bringing players back in last month for mid-break fitness checks.
But Leeds elected to trust players to their own devices, confident they will have followed close-season fitness programmes to the letter as ship-shape United prepare for an assault on the League One title – and third time lucky in their quest for promotion.
United number two Snodin said: "The management staff went in Monday and the three of us – me, the gaffer and Dusty (coach Ian Miller) planned everything for the first three weeks. There will be ball work and obviously bits of running.
"But it will be nothing major. The lads have schedules to follow and will be fit enough now and know there's a big prize at the end of it at this club and that if they look after themselves, they can go a long way and earn a lot of money.
"We've just got to make sure we're geared up for that first game against Exeter, and we will be."
Sizzling
He added: "It's all change now in terms of pre-season. In my day, you ran until you were sick and there were no sports science stuff or drinks.
"It's amazing how things went; there was no water available or anything like that. It seems crazy when you look back!"
Despite last season's heart-breaking play-off loss to Millwall, United aren't dwelling on matters and are instead focusing on maintaining the sizzling momentum which saw them lose just once from mid February until the end of the regular season in early May.
Snodin added: "What we've got to do is carry on what we've been doing for the past six months. As such, the expectation level is that we want to continue how we finished, taking away the disappointment of the last game.
"If we continue the run we had – one loss in 15 games – and make Elland Road a fortress, we should have a good season. Although 23 other clubs will be saying the same and everyone is on level points and will be wanting to be given a go."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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