Sheridan tells Fleetwood players to copy Coyle to finish with a flourish

John Sheridan said his Fleetwood players are not good enough to train at 70 per cent and urged them to follow the lead of Mr 100 per cent Lewie Coyle to end their season on a high.
Lewie CoyleLewie Coyle
Lewie Coyle

Don’t miss the latest football news and gossip from leagues in England, Scotland and Europe with footballwire.co.ukJohn Sheridan said his Fleetwood players are not good enough to train at 70 per cent and urged them to follow the lead of Mr 100 per cent Lewie Coyle to end their season on a high.

Sheridan has almost certainly steered Town to League One safety, which will be confirmed if they pick up a point at Peterborough tomorrow or other results go their way.

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But Sheridan delivered home truths to a number of Town players yesterday, stressing they have to train to their optimum levels, like loanee Coyle (above), to get something from the final two games.

The 22-year-old will return to Championship club Leeds this summer and Sheridan says the defender’s attitude will stand him in good stead at Elland Road.

Sheridan too will leave when the season ends and he hopes the players take his advice on board in order to better themselves under his successor Joey Barton.

He said: “I told a few players you cannot train at 70 per cent, not at a club like Fleetwood and not in this division. You are not a good enough player. You have to come in and be 95 per cent all the time, then it stands you in stead for the weekend.

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“I tell you who I use as a good example: Coyley, how he trains, how he plays. He is only on loan but some of the players can learn off him.

“To give himself the best chance, he does not half train well and he does not half play well.

“He is not the best player in the world, not the best right-back, but he does not half give himself the best chance just because of the way he goes about things.

“A lot of players can learn off that and I told them.

“They can’t come in and think it is a nice sunny day and we are just having a five-a-side.

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“Everything Lewie does he wants to do properly. He wants quality all the time.

“He is just one example. There are some others, but at this level you have to work very hard because you are not good enough to be doing it at 75 per cent. You have to be on your game all the time.

“If they think that is good advice they will take it on board. Some might not but good players do.”

As Town bid to bounce back from the 4-0 defeat by promoted Wigan, Sheridan added: “Probably one or two are switching off because they think we are safe. After the Oxford game I felt we were safe but I never told the players that.

“One or two have taken their foot off the pedal. You try to keep them focused and tell the players it is important we don’t switch off.

“We’ve been in every game, probably other than last week.”