From the wind and rain of Liverpool to the glorious rays of the Adelaide sun, Darren Burgess reflects on his two and a half year stint as Liverpool FC’s Head of Fitness and Conditioning. Burgess left in the summer of 2012 with fellow Australians and sport science colleagues; Phil Coles (physiotherapist) and Dr Peter Brukner (Head of Medicine), each with their own fond memories.
Burgess, now High Performance Manager at Port Adelaide Football Club, talks Carling Cup final day, Raheem Sterling’s saliva and Luis Suarez.
You left Liverpool in September last year, how much do you miss the city and the club?
“Enormously. In fact much more than I thought I would. The city is a very special place and was a fantastic place to live. Needless to say working for a club like Liverpool is pretty hard to replace and I will never forget it. I find it hard to watch the games sometimes here in Oz just because it’s not the same as sitting in the front row!
What is the fondest memory of your time at Liverpool?
“I think the Carling Cup final. It was a great day and fantastic reward for all the hard work a lot of people put in. To be honest I loved every day at training as well being able to watch the guys play and compete with each other.
There seemed to be an exodus of Australians from Liverpool when Brendan arrived in the summer, with him bringing his own staff from Swansea, how helpful was it having fellow Australians in Dr Peter Brukner and Phil Coles around you, and do you feel that you have left the club in a better position?
“You would like to think you left the club in a better position but I guess other people will be the judge of that. I certainly worked enormously hard to set up a sports science department which did not exist when I got there. The previous regime had left us with nothing, including staff! Often staff working in that environment will look after themselves but I can certainly say that every decision I made had absolutely the players and teams best interests at heart so hopefully that counted for something
Having Peter and Phil there was fantastic, particularly away from the club as we knew no-one else in the city.
Dr Peter Brukner said his best legacy may turn out to be hiring you for Liverpool, while he described you as the ‘world’s best conditioning coach’; how big of part did he play to bring you to England?
“Well I absolutely wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for him so I guess it can’t get any bigger than that! If he said that, I appreciate it enormously. He’s an extremely generous and caring person away from the workplace as well, as most of the Liverpool staff will no doubt remember.
Why should Liverpool fans believe that Brendan Rodgers is the man to take the club forward?
“I worked for Brendan for 4 months so there are probably more qualified people than me to comment on this. He certainly has a clear vision of the type of game he wants to play and the type of players he needs to execute this. All of his sessions were directed toward this game plan as well so there could be no confusion. The players certainly enjoyed his sessions and really responded to him.
Moving to specific players, you have worked with Steven Gerrard, how long can he continue playing in the dynamic manner that he does so regularly? Was there are change made to his training regime to prolong his career?
“I think he can easily go on playing this way for a couple more years yet. Along with Lucas there is probably no more professional, dedicated footballers that I’ve worked with than him so there’s no reason at all why he can’t go on.
Daniel Agger seems to have put his injury problems behind him and has been one of Liverpool’s star performers this season, how difficult is it for players to pull through difficult periods with injury, especially for Daniel?
“It’s extremely frustrating and probably more so for Daniel because he’s such a determined individual. Generally the injured players are in longer than the team, don’t travel and have to put up with poor banter from the Liverpool physios so you have to feel for them!
Luis Suarez is adored by all at Liverpool, what was it like working with him and how highly do players and coaches value him?
“I think Stevie came out recently and said he’s one of, if not the best striker he’s played with so I think that tells you something and there’s not much more I need to add. Probably his competitiveness is something I’ve never seen before in any athlete, even in rondos or cards he has to win and that transfers to the pitch. All the coaches and staff absolutely loved him. I especially loved watching he and Maxi play together.
Under Rodgers, we have seen many youth players put into first team action such as Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom and Suso, how important is it to manage their condition at a young age and in such a strong league as the Premier League? Are there any special procedures that have to be implemented?
“Its more just ongoing monitoring. Whether it be through heart rates, blood, saliva or GPS monitoring you have to monitor these guys more carefully than more experienced pros. You have to try and estimate when they might be feeling the pinch and give them a rest, all the while trying to develop them. It’s certainly a delicate balancing act
Who were the five most disciplined players in terms of fitness and keeping their health in check during your time at Liverpool?
“I have to say they were all very good. Certainly better than most other teams I’ve visited over the years. I worked pretty closely with Lucas and Stevie and as I said before, they were enormously professional. I would say Carra, Agger, Craig Bellamy and Jordan Henderson would be the other guys that are extremely disciplined in their preparation for games and training.
We hear stories of appreciation for your work from members of Liverpool FC after you had left, how much did it mean to you to work at Liverpool and be valued in the way that you were?
“Well hopefully that’s the case because I certainly tried, along with the excellent staff at Liverpool, to have the players in the best possible condition for each game. It’s obviously one of the biggest clubs in the world so to have your work valued there gives me an enormous sense of pride.
