Ross County manager Malky Mackay aims to bring the best out in his players to ensure they have the maximum length of time as professionals.
With the Premiership season just started, the former Watford, Cardiff and Wigan Athletic boss has chatted to his squad about doing the right things daily, amid the challenges, to give themselves the best chance of spanning out a career lasting many years.
He said: “Mental toughness is there with professional footballers every day. I spoke to them and the best players are out in all weathers to train to the best of their ability nine months of the year for 15 years.
“You can talk technically and tactically about the best players making the correct decisions most of the time. The better the player, the more times out of 10 that they make that decision.
“As far as the mental strength goes, actually having the discipline to get up in the morning when you are sore, tired and hurting from bruises and the weather isn’t good, and you go and apply yourself and do that for 15 years, they are the mentally tough ones. The guys who do that well last the longest at the top.
“I have said to them they have a tough season ahead of them. It is about the process and making sure you have good habits daily and that will eventually see you through.
“It’s about making sure we have a resilient bunch here who will train to a high standard, who will do all their little extras because they want to do it, not because I’m forcing them to do it.
“There will be various things on here they can choose to do as well as our generic sessions. Eventually you see that rubbing off on them. It’s about good habits and the younger ones looking at the more experienced players and seeing the success they’ve had by doing it that way.
“I’m fortunate in that my two coaches have had good careers and good experience and that, along with my own experience, will help and they take that on board. If they do that, the culture can grow within a football club.
“That’s when you see the best practices all over the club and you see the players physically looking different and being mentally stronger. That’s when you start to see that on the pitch, being a tough and resilient team to beat. We’ll get there.”
‘Menu’ of options for players
Mackay wants the players to select what they feel is the right top-up mix for them at work throughout the week to bring out the best in them.
He added: “We will end up with extra sprint coaching. There will be some hydrotherapy work, where they go to the pool for a session.
“There will be gym work going on and a point where an osteopath/chiropractor comes in and we will also have yoga. These areas are added and it becomes like a menu of options.
“These are things our players can do to help their bodies – that robustness, because the body has to last over a 15-year career. What do they do with it, in terms of nutrition and sports science and liaising with the physio.
“These days, the players are very well up on what to eat and drink. You are pushing an open door with that one.
“There are lots of things that mean people don’t leave before 4pm each day, such as recovery, strategies and ice baths. There are various ways that we can ensure that all week the players are improving themselves physically.”
County, meanwhile, have been linked to a loan move for frozen out Aberdeen winger Matty Kennedy.
The 26-year-old Northern Irishman, who moved from St Johnstone on a three-and-a-half year deal in January 2020, has yet to play under new Dons boss Steven Glass this season and is wanted by two Premiership clubs, according to reports.
St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin is a long-time admirer of the wide man, who was signed by former Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes.
However, Mackay is thought to be keen to add that extra creative spark to his Highlanders and is said to be firmly in contention for the player desperate for game time.
