Chris Davies Hired As Rodgers Assistant

18 league games left and, should we get to the Scottish cup final?, how many cup games? 4 or 5?

Still plenty of games but only half the amount we've played so far. Mental.

 

CHRIS Davies says Celtic’s mid-season training camp in Dubai will allow the champions to build on their superb start to the season.

The Hoops ended 2016 with a deserved 2-1 derby victory over Rangers at Ibrox which meant they had gone through the first half of the domestic campaign without defeat.

Having won their 15th consecutive league match away with the win over their city rivals, Brendan Rodgers’ side also hold a commanding 19-point lead at the top of the table.

The Bhoys also lifted the first silverware of the season in November when they beat Aberdeen 3-0 in the League Cup final, while progression to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League was also achieved for the first time in three years.

Given this incredible consistency and success, the squad were given a few days to rest and recuperate following the turn of the year as the Scottish Premiership started its winter shutdown.

But once they arrive in Dubai, Celtic’s assistant manager revealed that the players will resume work in earnest, looking to enhance their fitness and tactical acumen in the warm sunshine.

Speaking to the media before the champions jetted off to Dubai, Davies said: “We are hoping to improve our base of fitness. We have had a very good first six months at Celtic and we are really happy with how that’s gone and the winter break has come at a very good time for us really.

“We played 44 games in a really intense period of time and we got through that and obviously finished it on Hogmanay with a fantastic performance and result.

“The players had a week’s rest to recover physically and mentally as they have done really well and now we are looking to go away and it’s twofold – first we want to top up that base of fitness but, secondly, it’s a good opportunity for us to work on the coaching time elements we don’t always get a chance to do when there are so many games.

“Coaching time can be a little limited so this will be a very good environment to work in and we will have lots of sessions out there.

“The manager has tactical ideas of how we want to keep developing and improving and it’s gone really well to start with, but it’s so important that we never stand still and we are always looking to drive and improve, so that’s what we will be looking to do when we go away.”

Davies also confirmed that Kieran Tierney would be part of the travelling party to Dubai as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury, which has sidelined him for just over two months.

“Efe Ambrose isn’t going as there is an immigration issue there but injury-wise, Kieran Tierney is coming out and we will be progressing his rehab and slowly integrating him back into the training group which is really good,” he said. “Hopefully he will be building towards full training in the next few weeks.

“He has done great and it’s a credit to all the science and medical support staff because with 44 games, nine games in a month, there is a lot going on and the intensity was really high, so they have done excellently to get a near enough fully-fit squad for this break to prepare for next phase.”

 

CD on team news: "The group who have been training for a while are there & we have a few boys coming back into light training."


CD "A few boys (Griffiths, Dembele, Armstrong, Rogic) were in light training and they will be assessed where they are at."

CD: "We don’t talk about records, the motivation to be at a club like this is to win, play and perform - what we focus on."

CD: "We have never sat and spoke about the record, just try & work hard every day, be best we can be can be, perform to highest level."


CD: "The only thing you can control is how you prepare each day and that’s the message we send out."

CD: “The motivation is fine, no issue with that in terms of complacency."



CD: "We have a really strong mentality, have some good experienced professionals & young hungry players - a great mix."

CD on Dedryck Boyata: "Numerous examples in Brendan’s managerial career where players have done what Dedryck has done."


CD: "Stay professional, work hard, retain that inner belief even if you're not playing, take on the advice the manager is delivering."

CD: "Exactly what Dedryck has done. He's trained, listened, he's been training every day and developing."

CD: "Delighted for him personally because he has been really professional throughout and taken his chance. Door is never shut."

CD on @St_Johnstone_FC "Tommy maximises the resources they have - have a great spirit, a bit of quality & can be difficult to play."

 

Chris Davies is a class act.

He's the perfect assistant to Rodgers.

 

Hilarious hearing him talking about Ciftci

 

Diplomatic as *.

Send him to the Gaza Strip, he'll sort the Israelis oot.

 

CHRIS Davies insists complacency will never be a concern for Celtic despite their dominant domestic form and the huge lead they hold at the top of the table.

The Bhoys have 28 matches without defeat in the league and cup since the start of the season which saw them recently eclipse the Lisbon Lions’ 26-game unbeaten landmark set in the historic 1966/67 season.

Brendan Rodgers’ side also enjoy a 25-point advantage over second-placed Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and have won 18 league matches in a row.

But although they are well out of sight of their rivals, Celtic’s assistant manager was adamant that motivation would never be an issue for a hungry and driven Hoops squad.

“We don’t talk about the record,” he said. “The motivation to be at a club like this to win and perform is what we focus on. We have never sat and spoke about the record. We just try and work hard every day, be the best we can be can be in training every day, prepare as well as we can, and the players will look to perform to highest level they can.

"The manager always says to the players that the consequence of that is success and breaking records and all the great things that come with it. All you can control is how you prepare each day, and that’s the message we send out at the training ground every day and on a matchday. We just focus on the now.”

“For us, we can only control our own performances. Every game is difficult and you always have to savour the wins – they don’t come out of nothing. It’s really important to recognise that every single point you get and every single win you get is important.

“We are going away to a really difficult place at the weekend and the idea for us is to win the game, but there are some really difficult games, and we have won a couple of games where we have used a set-piece to get the crucial goal. We just focus on each game and if we can get the result then it’s all good.

“The motivation and everything is fine, there is no issue with that in terms of complacency. We have a really strong mentality, and that is what you need. We have some good experienced professionals in there which really help the group and we have young hungry players in there as well, so there is a great mix.

“The standards we demand every day in training and in every match are set in place so that means that the complacency can’t creep in.”

The champions’ next challenge will come at McDiarmid Park tomorrow when they face St Johnstone in Sunday’s early kick-off.

A goal from Dedryck Boyata gave the Bhoys a narrow 1-0 win over the Perth side last week in Paradise, and Davies expects another tough test from Tommy Wright’s side.

“Tommy has maximised the resources he has," said Davies. "They have a great spirit and a bit of quality in there and they can be a difficult team to play against.

"We have beaten them at Celtic Park recently by a goal and when we went there earlier in the season, we went up early in the game and they fought back, and that’s what they’ve got - they have a real spirit and a mentality about them which is an enormous part of being a good team, and they also have a couple of players with quality.

"We will prepare for them as normal, We will analyse the game we played against them previously and we will get some ideas from that in how we want to set up the game-plan. We are expecting a difficult game."

 

CHRIS Davies insists he wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see Celtic score such a stunning team goal to crown off Sunday’s 5-2 victory away to St Johnstone last Sunday.

Every member of the Hoops team, including goalkeeper Craig Gordon, touched the ball before Mikael Lustig and Callum McGregor showed sublime skills in the box to supply Moussa Dembele, who calmly swept into the corner to seal his treble.

Footage of the goal has gone viral on social media, with the silky Celts earning praise from across the world.

And while the Englishman felt that it fully merited such plaudits, he told the official Celtic website that this example of 'total football' is par of the course for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

“I have obviously seen the response that it’s got and I think it’s probably a testament to the way we play that, at the time, it wasn’t that outstanding in the sense of passes,” said Celtic's assistant manager.

“We are always a team that dominates, everybody is involved. A lot of the stuff has been about how every team player including the goalkeeper was involved in the build-up to the goal, but that is how we play and create chances normally.

“But it was an extra-special finish in the way it built up to the box, with Mika playing a few one-twos, and there being a bit of skill, creativity and invention in the box – when you are in and around the box like that you have to bring that invention and creativity as that is what can be decisive.

“So while it was a brilliant team goal, it wasn’t a surprise to me as that’s how we play and train. The manager has the goalkeepers always involved in possession drills, so we always expect them to have the ability to play the ball with their feet.

“Defenders are important players in starting the attack for us as well, looking to dominate the ball and create chances in that way. It was an amazing goal and rightly deserves credit, but on the other hand,it wasn’t such a surprise to me to see us score a goal like that.”

 

Chris Davies on training routine

Assistant manager Chris Davies has talked us through the schedule
9.00am

“Training is set to start at 10.30am on the dot but the players will usually come in an hour an a half before that, at least an hour, that’s an actual condition.

“There’s preparation to do. That’s one of the biggest aspects for young players to think about.

“There’s a huge amount of importance about the preparation and recovery – not just what goes into the session. A massive part is eating the right foods.

“Then we look at prehab. Rehab is when they are recovering from injury. Prehab is about preventing injury. They do stretches and exercises in the gym before training, some will have massages.”

10.30am

“Training is 60-90 minutes at high intensity. It’s crucial when you are out there you don’t stop.

“There’s no standing around talking. Information comes across short and sharp then it’s back to work. They need to work really hard.

“You look at work with and without the ball. If it’s an exercise relating to press then we expect the players to work at a maximum physical capacity.

“We dictate the space. It can be a big area with lots of running or a smaller space when it’s 100 per cent intensity.

“The key is to make it game-like – they need to train the way they play. The pace of the running, the ball speed, everything you expect to see at the weekend.”

Noon

“Some might have specific work to do with me or John Kennedy. That might be receiving, dribbling. After that it’s all about recovery and preparation for the games.

“Recovery is a massive part of professionalism. The manager has spoken about having that professional attitude. It’s about the gym, it’s about eating properly and it’s also about rest.”

 

He's very impressive. Love listening to him. Can see why Rodgers rates him so highly.

 

wonder if * be a in the running for the celtic job when rodgers goes.i know a good assistant doesnt nescerily mean a good manager but the guys only 31 and he has an impressive cv.hes being coaching since he was a teenager.

Years Team
2004 Reading (Academy)
2005–2007 Leicester City (Academy)
2007–2009 Hawke's Bay United (Academy)
2010–2012 Swansea City (Assistant Coach)
2012–2015 Liverpool (Assistant Coach)
2016 Reading (First Team Coach)
2016– Celtic (Assistant Manager)

 

Celtic assistant manager, Chris Davies, met Harry Brady of Celtic Underground, PaulT from ByTheMinute Celtic and myself in dressing room at Lennoxtown on Monday. Harry recorded the interview for podcasting, which you can access here.

The overreaching observation from the conversation is that Chris Davies is not an assistant manager who is there just to put the cones out, or be some kind of go-between, sorting out frictions between manager and players. His primary responsibility is to get tactical aspects of the team plan right.

You don’t stroll into a dressing room and expect your subject to tell you he has learned from Professor Steve Peters, author of The Chimp Paradox, but Chris explained this is where he, and his mentor, Brendan Rodgers, have been in their quest to put players on the field in the best possible condition, physically and mentally.

He talks about building a player and about the team collective, “11 players, one brain”. How this approach gives the coaching staff a structure to rehabilitate a player who is out of form, something we have seen markedly with Dedryck Boyata and Craig Gordon.

Player feedback is also an important aspect of management at Lennoxtown. Every training session is videoed and the coaches are in before 7am to get the day’s preparation underway. In the afternoons they discuss each player, his metrics and what they should speak to him about. Players are expected to “be their best every single day in training”.

I got the feeling that the Shankly adage that players need their brains to be in their feet doesn’t apply to this Celtic team. A big part of what players are asked to do is improve their decision-making.

There are lots of gems in the inverview, “The (5-1) game against Rangers was a statement game; we blew them away”.

One of the critical parts of the season was the second half away to Hapoel Be’re Shiva. Celtic were 2-0 down on the night, playing poorly and a single goal away from elimination from the Champions League qualfiers.

Chris talked about the pressure of that occasion, how the players and he fed off Brendan Rodgers’ experience and got the job done.

http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/ch...tm_campaign=Feed:+co/IRuC+(Celtic+Quick+News)

 

From the sounds of it he seems quite happy to always be Rodgers right hand man.

Love how about 20 minutes into it after talking about the pressures of the CL, the embarrassment in Gibraltar, trying to deal with a hectic pre season etc. All very calmly. When he starts talking about the 5-1 game he starts banging his fist on the table like "this wasn't a football match. That was a statement. We are here. We're the power"

 

Unbelievable, and then for Armstrong to execute it after probably being about to cross it..

Class all round..

 

Could watch that all day..

So clever. 2 guy's pinpointing everything..