Steve Bould and Darren Burgess were at the Adelaide Oval in Australia this week, watching Aussie Rules Football, as the Arsenal staff learn about the fitness facilities in the country.
Burgess explained to local radio that he’d brought some staff from Arsenal to sit in the Port Adelaide FC coaches box on Thursday, to see what they could learn from the Australian Football League where he used to work.
Interestingly, Steve Bould joined the trip, despite the continued speculation surrounding his future at Arsenal. Bould was Arsene Wenger’s assistant manager, so Wenger’s departure meant there was no longer a guaranteed place for him at the club.
That was emphasised even further by reports that Unai Emery would bring Juan Carlos Carcedo and Pablo Villa along with him as his assistants. Rumours suggested there was a strong possibility the appointments could mean Bould was on the way out.
The fact the former Arsenal defender is still heading off around the world for staff tours of sport science facilities suggests he has a part to play next season though.
Hopefully Bould, Burgess and the rest of the team learned a lot, and can bring that new experience back to North London. Nowadays every little detail can make the difference between success and failure on the pitch.