As Rovers consider their next move given the prospect of a return to action next month, Tony Mowbray has questioned the practicalities of how a contact sport can observe social distancing.

Rovers gave their players a three week break, which ended on Monday, as the squad returned to the individual training programmes produced by head of athletic performance Chris Rush.

The players will continue to undergo their work at home, with the club’s Brockhall trianing base having remained closed since March 13.
The EFL outlined to clubs they shouldn’t resume trianing until at least May 16, with the season suspended indefinitely, but under current Government restrictions, Mowbray says clubs are in a difficult position.

While the EFL is keen to resume the 2019/20 season to uphold its integrity, no firm re-start date, or plan, has been put in place, with chief executive Steve Waggott having described a June 8 resumption, as reported last month, as ‘rather optimistic’.

Rovers have considered the prospect of players training together at the senior training centre in small groups, and without the need to use the indoor facilities, but even that isn’t without its dangers, according to the Rovers boss.

“For me, the first step is to get back on the training ground at some stage, with social distancing, so you can record their running against each other and their competitive edge again,” he explained.

“And yet, you can’t have a competitive edge, even in small-sided games, because you can’t have social distancing in football. It’s a contact sport.

“It’s a really difficult one, that while the rest of the world is social distancing and worrying about their relatives, that football you could even think about people tackling and challenging and going up for corners or hugging each other after a goal or naturally shaking each other’s hands. It’s really difficult.”

Rovers have used technology to try and replicate training as closely as possible, using video calls to maintain face-to-face interaction, and Apps to track the players fitness.

Mowbray has stayed in touch with the players and his staff throughout the lockdown period, with the scheduled dates for all Rovers’ remaining nine games having now passed.

The club are working to a five-week pre-season plan, having finished their three week ‘off season’, with the EFL set to provide another update this week.

“We’ll be back working, doing yoga in the morning, doing stretches, talking together, having a bit of social, and then sending them off around 11 o’clock time to go and do their work,” Mowbray added.

“Hopefully they can find pitches around where they live. If they can’t, they’ll do road running. The App will show how far they’ve done and how fast they’ve done.

“That’s all we can do really. If we do get back to work in the middle of May, it should give us a three-week period before the players start playing again, to give them a chance to get up to match fitness.

“So we’re trying to do a two-week build into a three-week build into the games.

“So five weeks, which is about what you would do for a pre-season.”

Meanwhile, Danny Graham has praised the way Rovers struck their wage deferral agreement which was announced last week.

The playing squad, management staff and club executives agreed to defer between 33 and 50 per cent of their wages for the three months through to June 30.

It comes as Rovers continue to battle against the economic impact of coronavirus which has suspended the football season indefinitely.

Captain Elliott Bennett was heavily involved in the discussions on behalf of the players, along with Charlie Mulgrew, Darragh Lenihan, Derrick Williams and Richie Smallwood.

And stirker Graham, who has been at the club since January 2016, believes it sends out a positive message.

“I think it was done very well, there was a lot of communication between the manager, the players, directors, eveyrone at the club. I think it went smoothly,” he told the BBC.

“We’re an honest bunch of lads and we want what’s best for the football club, as well as everyone else.

“We have to come this agreement, everyone is happy with it, and hopefully it helps the club and moving forward it will help with the bond with us, the fans and everyone around the place.”