John Acres' Austrian tour diary

By John Acres
BBC Radio Stoke in Austria

BBC Radio Stoke's John Acres (right) with Potters midfielder Liam Lawrence

You lose track of what day it is out here in the Austrian Alps.

Much like you do when you are on holiday, or around Christmas time.

The fact that everyone seems a little tired today though tells you it must be a Sunday.

For the first time during this morning's training session at the ground in Irdning, players looked like they might well be feeling the effects of four days of consecutive running.

There are some exceptions of course. Richard Cresswell and Liam Lawrence, especially, seem super-human in their stamina.

There are many superb athletes in this Stoke squad, but these two are something else. They are like Ever Ready bunnies, they just never seem to stop.

Everyone in the squad seems to get on really well, there are no bad apples, no serious arguments, you can almost feel the spirit and togetherness amongst the group that earned them a win over Arsenal and held Liverpool twice last season.

Of course there are different groups that tend to hang out together.

The French speaking players tend to sit together at meal times, the two Fayes, Sonks and Salif.

A few of the players and management team have been keeping a close eye on the Open on the big screen TV in the computer room, but the most frequently asked question in the dining room is 'What's the score in the cricket?'

BBC Radio Stoke's John Acres

Liam Lawrence and James Beattie are sharing a room, and certainly share the same sense of humour.

Beattie is like watching a teenager who is obsessed with Monty Python. You will suddenly hear a loud 'Baaaa' or 'Snort' or 'Squeek' that breaks the silence while we are eating.

When he is not sat down, it is like watching John Cleese perform his ministry of silly walks.

'Beatts' is constantly performing, and is very popular amongst everyone. He is always smiling.

During five-a-side it is a different story. Beattie wants to win, scores spectacular goals, and is a magnificent striker of the ball. When he hits it, it stays hit.

Richard Cresswell is another player who really stands out during these games. He has got good feet and has looked good in front of goal in his more natural centre forward position, a role he has rarely fulfilled for he Potters.

Ben Marshall, the 18-year-old who arrived with Matty Lund from Crewe, scored a great goal in training yesterday.

He seems a really nice lad and he and Lund have been as fit as anyone else in the squad so far this week.

They will be keen to get a season on loan somewhere this season in the lower leagues I am sure.

Steve Simonsen has also pulled of some quite unbelievable saves.

The picturesque surroundings in which Stoke are training in Austria

He whinges quite a lot, does not like the running at all, and does not necessarily look like a footballer, but his reactions and shot-stopping are incredible.

The sun has come out again over here but there are still large pools of water on the golf course that surrounds the castle in which we are staying.

It seems I am destined not to get a knock while I am out here.

I skipped breakfast this morning. Tony Pulis has banned bread from the buffet. It is too fattening apparently.

I have had to resort to sneaking the stuff out of the other buffet set aside for hotel guests on Friday.

A typical lunch and evening buffet looks something like this: tomatoes with mozzarella, vegetable broth with semolina dumpling, salads, grilled paprika chicken, perch with garlic oil, linguine with garlic oil and Napoli sauce, plate of fruits, fresh fruit salad, dried fruits, yoghurt, and nuts.

Very healthy, but only if you are burning it all off with three training sessions a day. I, however, am not and generally throw a couple of glasses of beer or red wine on the top.

I must visit the gym, or pool, but just watching the players run around out here is tiring.

From Austria,
John