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The Legends enjoyed their first training session under the watchful eyes of Sir Bobby Robson. Should the celebs be worried yet?
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There were plenty of laughs on the training pitches this morning as The Legends made their first appearances in preparation for the Match on Sunday.
Ian Rush, Des Walker, John Barnes, Matt Le Tissier and Peter Beardsley and others met coach Sir Bobby Robson who made sure they knew what was expected of them and how much the Celebs wanted to win.
“The Match is a sell out and a lot of people there are going to want the Celebs to win so we’d better make sure that they don’t,” he said before training began.
But after a slow jog around the pitch the players found all the balls were soft. Sabotaged already?
“I’m sure the celebs have had plenty of balls,” moaned Sir Bobby, “I bet they won’t have been short of balls,” Did he suspect foul play?
The legends soon got into their stride though and some intensive practice began. Some players may be well into their forties or beyond, but anyone who saw Nigel Winterburn send John Barnes flying could tell there was going to be no holding back.
Fitness levels have dropped - Peter Reid looked to be pleased for the chance of a rest at the end of the session - but the close passing and shooting practice made up for the loss of a bit of pace.
Sir Bobby declared himself pleased with what he’d seen and said his Legends fitness levels were ‘decent’ adding that was one of the reasons for getting the players in a few days earlier than he did last year.
“We don’t want to lose to anyone,” he stressed, “These guys are pros, there’s a desire from the boys to give a performance.
“It will be a close game. I couldn’t predict a score but it’ll depend on how long we can run. They’re all great players, that’s why they are legends. They were great players 20 years ago but mid-40s is a different matter. You don’t lose your skill, but you lose your fitness.”
Soft balls or not, the Celebs have a real match on their hands.
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