Bantams boss sees long-term benefits from trip to Austria

But Graham Alexander says it is too early to reap the benefits from the hard toil the players put in during their time in Obertraun.

The runs early in the morning, dips in the icy lake and bike rides around the training sessions made up an intense schedule in the idyllic Austrian scenery.

It’s a tried and tested method in pre-season for Alexander, who is confident his squad will appreciate what they have gained over the longer term.

“It’s not straight away that you see the benefits of it,” he said. “It’s throughout the season.

“You don’t come back and all of a sudden you’re this different, dynamic team.

“But there are things there, bonds between the players, ground rules to how we train.

“There’s a trust and a belief in the players in how much work they can put in and still be okay. They’re not going to drop down dead.

“We push them to a limit where they think they’ve done everything they can but then they realise they can do more. You can go a bit better, you can go quicker, you can go further.

“It’s not just about those physical tests but also the mental side and stretching that and making it stronger.

“We got to know the players a bit better and, likewise, they got to know us. They also got to know each other better, which is so important.

“Everyone knows I’ve been there a few times with clubs and they generally follow a similar path.

“As the week goes on, the boys get more fatigued and a little bit more irritable. But that’s when you see them challenged and that’s why we have a game right at the end.”

Alexander has been keen to train the minds of the players as much as their bodies – getting them tuned in to pushing on when things start to hurt.

That is a trait he wants instilled to deal with the marathon of the season ahead.

“That is it for me. We do work hard and they are long days.

Vadaine Oliver shows the backdrop in a social media post (Image: Instagram)

“But that’s the same for a lot of people day in, day out all over Britain and in Bradford.

“They are up at first thing out the door and don’t settle back into their own home comforts again until last thing at night.

“It gives a taste of what people are capable of.

“But you look at a season, 10 months, 50 games and sometimes you get a month where you are playing every midweek. You get Easter where it’s two in three days, throw in things like extra-time in cup games and so on.

“There are a lot of fit players about but if your mind is not capable of dealing with all that, then you’re going to let your team down.

“What we want to do is create a group that never wants to let their teammates down. The seeds will have grown in that week.”

There has been a reshuffle in the dug-out as well as on the pitch with Matt Abbott and Tom Eastwood replacing Dayle Avison and Greg Stebbings as City’s chief physio and head of performance.

The manager viewed that time away as a good chance for his new-look staff to get acquainted with the rest.

“In pre-season, you want to do everything reasonably quickly and get the ball rolling and that time away really intensifies three or four weeks work into one,” he added.

“There are so many benefits that I think will pay dividends over the season.

“The lads will definitely have learned something about themselves and each other.

“We were really lucky. It was great to have the support of Ryan (Sparks) and the owner to be able to pay for that.

“It doesn’t come for free and the club obviously has to invest in that. But I’m really grateful that we had that support – and the great support from the fans while we were over there as well.”

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