Oxford United’s players will work hard this week as they prepare for the Boxing Day game at home to AFC Wimbledon but will not have to report to the Training Ground on Christmas Day itself.
“No, that’s something we try to avoid” Karl Robinson confirmed to us today. “I have been in on Christmas Day and seen players report early, not train particularly hard, then race off at 10.15 to get home, and I have seen players train at 7pm so they get the day at home, but you play at three o’clock the next day so that’s not ideal either.
“Each club does it differently but with no game last weekend the players had a couple of days off, some time with their families, and then were in today and will work hard this week. We don't have a midweek game for once so we should be nice and fresh for Boxing Day and the game after that.
“They will train at home on Christmas Day itself. I always go for a run early on Christmas morning and post a video wishing them a Merry Christmas, then they have to get out and follow the programme we have set, which has a run included. They post a video of that run for the group and I enjoy watching those as they all wish each other a Merry Christmas.
“They are professional, we know they will eat and drink the right things anyway, so these days it is very much a matter of trust, knowing we don’t need to see them and that when we all meet up at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday we are all 100 percent ready for what we know will be a difficult game.”
See the full interview in iFollow