‘It will be extremely difficult to roll into the new season’: Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy insists the current campaign CANNOT be abandoned – no matter when it is played
- John Ruddy accepts that games may have to be played behind closed doors
- He says that rolling on into next season would be an organisational nightmare
- Ruddy is currently training at home using his son, 12, as a coach to stay sharp
- Players have been left in limbo over the resumption of the Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper John Ruddy believes that the current season must be completed, even if that means playing behind closed doors.
The 33-year-old says rolling over into next season would be a logistical nightmare as there are too many possibilities and permutations to navigate.
The Premier League are currently working towards a tentative resumption date of the week beginning June 8 but, with no sign of the UK lockdown ending anytime soon, the time window in which to play the remaining fixtures is narrowing.
Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy believes that the current season must be completed
‘I think the season has to finish,’ he said. ‘There are too many permutations that will make it extremely difficult to try and roll into the new season.
‘I think the only way you can have a smooth transition into the new season is by finishing this one. That has to happen as soon as possible, but also as safely as possible.
‘We’re all well aware that if and when the season does restart, it’s going to be behind closed doors. The start of next season may even be behind closed doors, but these are [aspects] that in actual fact make a huge difference to being able to get back to some sort of normality, making sure football with fans is as safe an environment as can be when we get back to normal.’
With the coronavirus pandemic halting football across the globe, clubs have been providing players with home-based training plans but Ruddy reveals he is struggling to maintain his match fitness with training sessions also suspended.
Ruddy has resorted to using his 12-year-old son as his coach in an attempt to stay sharp during the nationwide lockdown.
Ruddy has resorted to using his 12-year-old son as his coach to stay sharp during the lockdown
He said: ‘My son’s 12 and he wants to be a goalkeeper, so I’m knocking about in the garden with him a little bit, getting him to serve me some balls, but he’s got a bad knee, so he’s out for a couple of weeks.
‘Keeping fit in one aspect is fairly straightforward but to keep yourself fit in terms of being ready to go back and train and play is very different. There’s only so much running and spinning you can do. I’m fortunate enough that I’ve got a spin bike and treadmill, and a few weights that I can chuck about at home.’
Premier League players have however been instructed to scale back their schedules ahead of a potential return to full training by the end of May.
Ruddy said: ‘I’m doing something every day, whether that be a strength programme that the club has sent me or a fitness programme. It’s trying to find that right balance between not overloading yourself, so when we do go back, we’re not going back tired, but we’re going back ready to peak and top ourselves up.’