On the final day of last season, after a 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Gtech Community Stadium, Thomas Frank walked onto the pitch with a microphone in his hand. Addressing his club’s supporters, Brentford’s head coach delivered a celebratory speech that ended with a simple question: “Who is the best f——g team in West London?!”
In the stands that day, a few weeks after his eight-month gambling ban, was Ivan Toney. Toney was wearing black pants, a black top and a black cap and was not dressed for a party. While the rest of the club enjoyed their remarkable ninth-place finish in the Premier League, Toney was clearly in a different – and darker – place.
We now know that it was around that time that Toney felt like he was “falling out of love with football.” In the early days of his banishment from the sport, he quit the sport. “I punished myself a bit by not watching games,” he told Sky Sports earlier this month.
Toney may have lost love, at least for a little while, but he didn’t lose hunger. Since the start of his suspension in May, and over the past eight months, the England striker has worked relentlessly to get himself into better shape than ever.
‘Ivan Toney version 2.0’
Such has been Toney’s focus on his strength and fitness that an argument could be made that he will be the fittest and most physically trained athlete in the Premier League this weekend, when he is expected to make his long-awaited comeback. He returns to the field completely fresh, without the problems, bruises and strains that every professional player suffers at this time of year.
He will captain the Brentford team upon his return and has already spoken about his desire, even if it is away from his current club. He wants to fight for titles and has left the door open for a move, perhaps in the next two weeks.
“Everyone wants to play for a top club that competes for titles. Whether January is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?” he said. “But my main focus is to do what I do on the field and let the background work take care of itself.”
For Brentford and Toney, this weekend represents the culmination of eight months of planning, grinding and traveling around the world in search of different perspectives and ideas. Brentford’s coaches did not simply want Toney to return as the same player he was before the suspension. They wanted him to be better, stronger, rounder and deadlier. “Ivan Toney version 2.0”, as Frank described it.
For the first four months of his suspension, Toney was not even allowed to train at Brentford. This brought a number of challenges, for both the player and his club, and his exclusion from the group did not sit well with Frank. “What good is that?” Frank asked in May. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, was also critical of the decision.
When the ruling was made, the initial assumption was that Brentford’s training ground would therefore be completely off limits to Toney. However, that turned out not to be the case, as Toney was allowed into the building to receive treatment for a hamstring injury he suffered shortly before his suspension. This exclusively involved one-on-one rehabilitation work and mainly took place out of season.
Outside of those sessions, and in addition to a few summer vacations, Toney spent much of those first few months with Jim Burnside, a strength and conditioning specialist. This was largely football-specific strength work, but it also consisted of psychological training and attention to mindset.
“Al, let’s go again.”
In an interview last year, Toney described himself as being in ‘football prison’, banned from training with his teammates. He said he was counting down the days until September 18 when he could finally take part in the group sessions in Brentford.
When that day finally arrived, Toney reverted to a detailed 16-week plan drawn up for him by Frank and the first-team coaching staff. But he was not expected to be at the club every day for the past four months and was actively encouraged to take some time off from the Premier League bubble.
As part of that, Toney made two trips to Nashville, Tennessee, where he was given a series of striker-specific exercises by Allan Russell, the former England coach. Russell is a striker coach and he has worked with Toney to further master the art of finishing. They also focused on improvements in his movement, one-on-ones, weight transfer and balance. This was no vacation: Toney traveled alone and did three sessions a day.
“He flew 5,000 miles to train for five days, so not a second was wasted. He pushed himself especially the first time and it’s about finding the technique based on the fitness and volume needed mentally,” Russell said to Telegraph Sport.
Toney was up early due to the time difference with England and did an early morning session in the gym before working tirelessly with Russell on repetition exercises.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best strikers in the world and when it comes to Ivan, he never wanted it to be the last set,” said Russell. “He never wanted to stop. “Al, let’s go again.” He wanted to get better, even if there were 160 reps… ‘let’s go again, I don’t like it’.
“Every minute of every day he impressed me and he knows it. He has a quiet power about him. Top players are not concerned with ‘trust’. With players with confidence you see the comings and goings, the top players have the reassurance in their thoughts, minds and actions. They are insured and if it’s not right, they will make it right. A lot of players are confident, with big guns they are confident.”
‘If you want the rainbow, you have to endure the rain’
Whether he was in love with the game or not, he was determined to be at his best upon his return.
“It’s not so much about technique, but top players are always learning and the reason they are there is because they are constantly challenging themselves,” Russell said. “You can teach and challenge people, some have to do with the content and intensity, others are more balanced or react faster because they are the first to reach the ball in the penalty area. All this is incorporated into the work. Some learn more based on where they are in their career.
“He is of a high level. He is a very focused young man and wants to learn and there are points that we have discussed and trained. Every top athlete will say that he still has something to learn. You can challenge the intensity, the technique or the positioning.’
Back at Brentford there were extra individual sessions and a handful of games behind closed doors. In October he scored in a friendly match against Como. Earlier this month he scored a hat-trick past Southampton’s under-23s. The third of those goals, a towering set-piece header, was startling in its ferocity.
It is rare for a player to be absent for so long without some form of long-term injury. Will Toney need a few games to build up his competitive sharpness? Maybe, but it’s not like he’s been on the treatment table for the past eight months. He has been moving, working and building towards this moment.
For Brentford, the timing of his return could hardly be better. Frank’s side desperately needs a boost, and also Toney’s goals. With Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade injured, Brentford have lost their five league games. No wonder they’re so excited to have Toney back, and no wonder they have no interest in selling him this month.
Over the summer, shortly after his ban was announced, Toney posted a few words on social media. “If you want the rainbow,” he wrote, “you must endure the rain.” Well, the clouds have finally cleared. Now it’s Toney’s time to shine.