Last time on Training S.O.S...
I met the boys from Greystones United, who were enduring the season from hell.
After seeing them win their first game of the campaign,
I got the lads over to Liverpool for a bit of team building.
There is still plenty of work to do if the lads are gonna beat the drop,
but we're gonna do all we can.
This is Training S.O.S.
The best was still to come on the boys' trip to Liverpool.
The next day I arranged for them to go to Melwood to see how the pros do it,
and for the training session of a lifetime.
Andy!
Present for you off Virgil van Dijk, mate.
He's signed them as well?
He's signed them for you, mate, yeah.
That's a real touch of class from the big man.
Absolutely unbelievable. Dreams... Can't even make that up, like.
The lads who are going to look after you are excellent coaches in their own right.
Take whatever you can from it and listen to the lads.
Get the team bonding going today and then we'll get you halfway up the table, eh?
Hit!
Brilliant.
Good save.
Jürgen's coming over, so don't start missing the target and smashing the windows
whatever you do, lads, all right?
Hi, Jürgen, you OK? Good to see you.
They look really good.
Yeah.
There's a lad there who had no boots.
He's a size 12, so Virgil has given him a signed pair of boots.
He's a size 12?!
ALDO LAUGHS
I think I have the same size.
Two! Two boots in the one day!
This, what is it? "UK 12".
Have a go.
You did not do too well at the beginning of the season,
now step by step you...?
- Doing better. - Yeah?
We've got a chance.
You have a chance to?
Stay in the division.
Sorry!
Bad organisation, or what, training's s***?
Here you can speak openly, huh?
Worked under Steve Bruce down the bottom of the league,
and at Hull we maybe had less chances to get forward,
so there was only maybe two or three chances,
but that's when you need to take it, because if you've been under the cosh,
defending, defending, then sometimes they need you to produce something,
and that's when your quality has to come in and you need to pick somebody out,
because if you don't, the strikers get frustrated. I'm sure you get that all the time.
If it's high, you can still do this quick,
but if you're like this, by the time the ball is on the floor,
that goes twice as quick, you can't get there.
They've got all the good basics, but there's always a few little tips we can help them with.
Their goalkeepers look really good, especially on the line.
Reaction speed is really good.
So who's the one who holds and who's the one who goes deep?
Normally I drop deep and he stays up, he's the legs.
Any Evertonians here?
A few Man United fans.
Man United?
Sorry.
All good.
Can I have a picture with all of them together?
Come on, let's go in there.
♫ We are Liverpool... ♫
Yeah, you can sing it here, it's allowed.
Thanks.
Unreal.
They don't come back, they don't come back!
Obviously I've been following the games and the results closely since we were last here.
Improvement.
Big style. It is confidence, it definitely is.
Is that what you put it down to?
Yeah, 100 per cent, the lads are buzzing off each other.
After that trip, you should have seen us.
When I first came here, you were that little bit of magic.
I did have an eye on thinking it was a difficult time for you.
Do you feel it's getting better for you?
Yeah, I think probably
the big thing is confidence
and the feel-good factor
coming back amongst the group.
Obviously goal-scoring, that's picked up, the goals for, how many have you scored?
Eight.
You've got eight now?
You're on fire!
Strike!
I'm a massive believer that team spirit can add something,
and playing for Ireland for all the years that I did,
we were never blessed with world-class players, we had a sprinkling,
but what we had is this unbelievable team spirit.
Do you think that can carry you over the line till the end of the season?
Yeah, we're only looking upwards,
that's our attitude,
there's a few teams behind us now, we're fourth-last,
so we're out of the relegation zone, which is huge.
Big one tomorrow.
We're looking up, these guys are ahead of us,
so we want to take three points off them.
It's a six-point match for us, basically.
If we avoid relegation this season, you've got to wear a Liverpool shirt.
Will we do that deal?
I'll do it. Yeah, I'll do it.
100 per cent.
Hard work, hard work.
Don't give them a chance to settle, we're at home.
We want to dominate this game, we need to get the ball and keep it.
There's nothing wrong with a little five-yard pass.
Everything else - work rate, goals -
it's all there now,
let's try and keep the ball.
Lads, all I'm gonna say...
I came here a couple of months ago, you've rose to the challenge
over the last two months, you've showed what you're capable of doing.
The hard work starts now, you've got seven cup finals -
I know it's a cliché, but you have, you've got seven games,
cos you've done nothing.
All of that before, the last two months, counts for nothing unless we win today.
Stick together, battle for each other and go win the game.
Yes, yes, switch it!
The switch is on! The switch is on!
Not that switch, the f****** left-back!
Good ball...
HE LAUGHS
Switch, switch!
That's not the ball, the left-back's the ball!
Greystones are causing their own problems by giving the ball away,
bad decision-making... Little bit nervous, to be fair.
You're all causing your own problems by making bad decisions,
because you're getting it, looking up and thinking,
"Oh, no, I'm gonna change my mind",
and by that time it's like everything's gone.
Start getting on the ball and dictating the play.
Was that an own goal?
Argh, you're making your own f****** problems!
ALL: Yes!
JASON: Great ball.
Great bit of play, great nutmeg here, gets away,
lovely weighted pass, and first-time decision-making at its best.
HALF-TIME WHISTLE BLOWS
Right, lads, let's be honest.
We're our own worst enemy. We can't pass the ball two yards, lads.
There's just all the bodies in here and no-one's playing the f****** thing.
90 per cent of our problems we'll fix if we can keep the thing.
This team's good enough to dictate this game.
At the back, in midfield, and then when it goes up to the centre-forwards,
that's when you give them the support.
But you've got to dictate the play, dictate the pace of the game.
Lads, the good news is you got a f****** great goal.
We can play so much better than that.
JASON: Good ball, great ball in.
My God.
Well worked, well worked.
Ohh...
Good response.
Dictating the game, good pace to them, good decision-making.
I don't want to say too much, but I feel like it's coming.
Touch, just drive...
YES!
Jordo, Jordo! Settle them down now.
Great bit of play.
Davie on the ball again, this side, that's where we're dangerous.
OPPOSITION PLAYERS: Handball!
F****** hell...
Argh!
FULL-TIME WHISTLE
YES!
Woo!
Well, that was some day.
There's still work to be done if we're gonna stay up,
but 14 points in the last seven games
have seen Greystones climb to ninth
and finally out of the relegation zone.
Ah, yes!
ALL: Wooo!
Our involvement is just a small piece of this journey.
But you've got another six cup finals to go.
This in here now, this atmosphere, that's what we do it for,
that feeling, that camaraderie, that team spirit, that bonding,
it'll all be worth it at the end of the season when you've stayed in the division.
Now let's get p*****.
CHEERING
To be honest, when I was first told about the Greystones story
and the mess they were in,
I just didn't know how they were going to turn their fortunes around.
Yes, we've given them some decent mentors over the last few weeks,
but the real stars are the lads themselves,
and it's their hard work, dedication, character and a new-found team spirit
that will ensure they retain their league status.
Anything is possible from here.
Lads, it's been a pleasure.
♫ We are Liverpool... ♫
Yeah, you can sing it here, it's allowed.