THERE is a day in pre-season at Burnley under Sean Dyche when the Clarets squad know they are going to be worked until they drop.
Fitness work and running is commonplace in pre-season up and down the country, but Dyche has always used physical and mental toughness as an advantage that Burnley can use to their benefit.
Dyche might not have the most expensive squad in the league but at Turf Moor he has often had the fittest, with the squad's physical stats impressive throughout a long season.
The foundations for that are laid in pre-season and part of it is through the now notorious 'gaffer's day', a day in pre-season when the balls tend to go away and the players are pushed to their limits.
Dyche keeps the exact contents of the day under wraps, but it took place at Gawthorpe last week and he was pleased with its effectiveness again and explained that it was part of the reason that Burnley didn't play a pre-season friendly last midweek.
"Everyone probably knows now that there’s a certain day I like to include in pre-season, it’s very difficult to put that day in if you’ve got games," Dyche said of last week's session.
"The stats on that are like playing a game."
It might not be a day to look forward too but Dyche insists his squad feels the benefit once they've been through it.
"The lads enjoy it afterwards and they’ve come to understand it it’s importance, the new lads have brought into it and they understand it as well," the Clarets chief said.
Andre Gray admits it's a day in the calendar that the squad 'dread', but he can see the importance of it and as well the advantage it has in physical terms, he can see benefits in terms of the bond it develops.
"It's always tough, it's not nice doing two hours of running, but it's how it is, part and parcel, and we’re fit enough and mentally strong," the 26-year-old said.
"It's got to be done, it’s one of those days we all dread, but we all get through it and help each other.
"We’re all in teams and it's all teamwork, and we have that on and off the pitch, that helps get us through."
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