It's All In The Mind
DANNY Lennon has enlisted the help of a psychologist in order to help his Buddies to stop leaking late goals. Saturday’s 3-2 SPL defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle was the second week in a row – and the eighth time this season – that St Mirren have lost a goal in the latter stages of a game.
Lennon is convinced his side’s problem as they negotiate the latter stages of games is a mental one. But he hopes that one-to-one sessions with a Lothians-based psychologist will help his Buddies overcome their fear factor.
Lennon spoke openly about his side’s current frailties and his determination to fix the problem. He said: “The manner in which we’ve been losing late goals is very frustrating and it’s a mentality issue. But we are working ever so hard to put it right. We have been doing a bit of match analysis and we have a psychologist looking at certain areas. He explained things to me and told me if you have a fear factor, then it can slow your reactions down – and your thinking process too. Any time we have conceded late on, we seem to be second to everything. We start games brightly, do all the right things, defend well and go on the front foot. But when we come into that last eight to 10 minutes of the game our reactions are slowing down. We sometimes seem to be gripped with fear.”
Lennon plans to change that mindset as Saints negotiate the remaining nine games of their league campaign. He said: “We know it’s not a fitness thing, because we have all the data to back that up. It’s just a mental thing that we have to address. We have to re-programme them.”
Lennon has never been one to shy away from using unorthodox methods in an attempt to improve his Buddies. During pre-season training he even took them to Ralston Community Centre to take part in some Zumba fitness sessions. And he hopes this latest out-of-the-box approach can reap dividends.
Lennon said: “I’m open-minded and if someone can come in and give me that magic formula – then it’s brilliant. The psychologist has been working one-to- one with the players and, to be fair, the squad is buying into it. They will have a joke and some craic about it but in a one-to-one situation you do open up. I can certainly see benefits. He is not just working with the players, but with myself and my staff.”
(This article featured in the Paisley Daily Express newspaper on 22nd March 2011)
Lennon has never been one to shy away from using unorthodox methods in an attempt to improve his Buddies. During pre-season training he even took them to Ralston Community Centre to take part in some Zumba fitness sessions. And he hopes this latest out-of-the-box approach can reap dividends.
Lennon said: “I’m open-minded and if someone can come in and give me that magic formula – then it’s brilliant. The psychologist has been working one-to- one with the players and, to be fair, the squad is buying into it. They will have a joke and some craic about it but in a one-to-one situation you do open up. I can certainly see benefits. He is not just working with the players, but with myself and my staff.”
(This article featured in the Paisley Daily Express newspaper on 22nd March 2011)