FC St. Pauli

A total of 27 players plus the entire coaching and backroom staff formed part of the St. Pauli delegation that left Hamburg for Austria on Sunday. The weather forecast for the next ten days – warm and humid and the likelihood of storms early in the week – could be better, but that's no problem for Olaf Janssen: "The lads have to learn how to prevail in adverse circumstances, which include the weather. If it's wet, the players will have to pull closer together."

Philipp Ziereis (rehab after a muscle-tendon injury), Ryo Miyaichi (rehab after cruciate ligament surgery) and Joel Keller (training deficit after nasal surgery) have not made the trip to Maria Alm. "Joel is working in his recovery and is still behind in basic stamina terms, so he'll continue his programme in Hamburg with the Under-23s and then we'll see how far he's come," said Janssen before departure. In attacking wide man Sirlord Conteh and striker Seung-Won Lee, two members of the Under-23 squad have made the trip. Both players featured in the 1-0 friendly win over Sportfreunde Lotte and made a good impression on Janssen.

While the focus over the opening weeks of pre-season, which began on 19 June, has been on fitness, Janssen intends to work in all areas in Maria Alm. "The timing of the training camp didn't come about by accident," he said. "We don't want to waste time on running work, as we've already done all that. We want to work on various playing systems and the options associated with them." There will be two training sessions each day plus three warm-up matches, all of which still have to be finalised, however.

The Boys in Brown will again be put through a range of team-building exercises this year. "We'll be creative, that's all I can say," said Janssen with a broad grin on his face, recalling some of the activities at the last winter training camp in Sotogrande. "Nico Empen's slalom run was unparalleled, you can't recreate that again," the 50-year-old said. The players were asked to complete a course blindfolded, guided only by the instructions of a teammate. Empen wasn't the only player to have problems completing the course, which served to improve the mood in the squad no end.

Maria Alm was also the venue for last season's summer training camp. "They've invested quite a lot to make our stay even better this time," said a visibly pleased Janssen, describing the charm and character of the lodge complex as "perfect for football teams". The training conditions also came in for high praise. "No one was allowed on the pitch for six weeks," he explained. "I've seen pictures of the turf, it looks superb."

The St. Pauli boss will invest a lot of time in his squad off the pitch as well as on it. "I aim to speak to every player individually," said Janssen, who also intends to name his captain while in Austria. "I want to talk to them about the last three weeks and give them a perspective for the next few weeks."

Photos: Witters