Sam Ricketts: It will be a different Shrewsbury life
Sam Ricketts says footballers will need to adjust to ‘different’ experiences when lockdown is lifted and the sport resumes.
EFL plans are for football to return when safe to do so, though the governing body has accepted that this will almost certainly take place behind closed doors.
Shrewsbury boss Ricketts admits some footballers may ‘like’ playing without pressure from supporters, but the majority will miss inspiration provided from the stands.
“The players will still try to prepare the same way but it is very different,” Ricketts warned. “People who are now working from home rather than in work will say it’s very different. They will say they just can’t get the work done the same way. You’re not in the same environment, with the same inspiration around you, colleagues bouncing ideas off you in normal life.
“Football is the same, there will be some footballers who like it and the vast majority will miss the supporters, the backing and the atmosphere.”
Ricketts, chief executive Brian Caldwell and the club’s supporters parliament chiefs have spoken against playing fixtures behind closed doors.
Clubs will still face the costs involved in hosting league matches while going without the vital income streams through gate receipts. Reports claim fans may not be allowed inside stadiums until January 2021 at the earliest.
“Any footballer walking out into a packed stadium with the atmosphere – it adds to you,” Ricketts added.
“It adds to the adrenaline, the performance, environment and everything. Take the supporters away and you lose that home advantage; intimidation.
“Supporters play such a big part. When we say how important they are, we really mean it.”
