With golf course, training grounds designed purely to host sporting teams and a luxurious hotel, Gordon Strachan has spent the last five days relaxing in between sessions at the Carton House complex which Newcastle United have attended in each of the last two summers.
It was the break in Ireland 12 months ago which Newcastle's players identified as the turning point after the Magpies' were left to lick their wounds after relegation to the Championship. The rest for Chris Hughton's side is history as they kicked on to promotion as Championship champions last season.
It will be Strachan's private hope that Middlesbrough's six-day break in the manor of Maynooth delivers a similar outcome next May, with the setting a perfect starting point for a new-look squad to gel.
They players were given yesterday afternoon off following the morning warm down session which came after Monday night's 1-1 draw with Athlone Town, it was time to relax for the group.
Some played a round of golf at Carton, while some disappeared with David Wheater and a few others to go fishing. Team captain Gary O'Neil, however, and a few others, including Kris Boyd, opted for a short drive to the K-Club to test out the greens of the former Ryder Cup venue.
O'Neil, who shot 69 around Rockliffe Hall, has longer term aspirations of qualifying for the Open, and a quick 18 holes around the K-Club is not a bad place to start.
THE afternoon off followed a short work-out in lovely weather and Gordon Strachan was in jovial mood.
Watching Strachan and his backroom team put the players through their paces was interesting, with Kris Boyd, Scott McDonald, Lee Miller and Leroy Lita asked to finish off drills by scoring from crosses from the wingers.
And in between singing Sam Cooke's Twistin' the Night Away with a beaming grin across his face, Strachan took great pleasure in mocking Lita's outlandish purple boots.
£300 he said. It's safe to assume I can't print the rest.
HAD Jose Mourinho not taken over at Real Madrid last month, Middlesbrough might have found it difficult to stay at Carton this week.
Up until Mourinho's appointment, weeks of negotiations had taken place that would have seen Real take on Athlone Town on Saturday at the Lissywoollen ground where Boro played on Monday.
But Mourinho took over and insisted on a trip to the United States instead. The Special One is not so special in the middle of Ireland right now.
It was all set up, said Athlone chairman Tony Knight. We'd been talking for weeks and having Ronaldo, Kaka and the like would have made us bloody thousands and set this club up for the next 12 months.
Shame Athlone, like the rest of the Irish league, are struggling financially through the global economic crisis.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo