From today we’ll be bringing you a fortnightly ‘Inside View’, with reports and gossip from Kessel, penned by Eric Van Meir.

The first get together on 9th July was very nice. Many familiar faces but also a number of newcomers. It was immediately noticeable that the group has grown in height. Newcomers Nikolic, Dreesen and Tshiala are lads of about 1.90 m or more… add to them De Witte, Janssens, Peeters and Frans and you can imagine that our “aerial power” this season can cause some damage.
The results of the physical tests which the players have undergone last Monday and Tuesday, are significantly better than those of last July. This would certainly be due to the running schedule that they’ve followed since 25th May. The newcomers also had to undergo medical tests, and so Dr Vervoort was able to devise an individual programme for them. Also Sherif El Bialy, Youssef Fawaz (coming in August) and triallist Mahmoud Barakot (coming once his visa is ok) have undergone a similar test in Egypt. In this way everyone will have a good basic condition to go into the battle to try and win a starting place.
The training sessions in pre-season are always a bit different than during the season. A lot more running (especially in the mornings) than normal, but in the afternoons there is still the pitch training in Bevel. We also don’t play any matches in the first 14 days in order to avoid injuries, but especially to be able to train continuously. The intensity of the trainings will be turned up in the first three weeks. In the 4th week we’ll primarily play matches (Dender, turnhout, Getafe) to get the real feel of match football back. These matches are not results orientated, but are important in respect of tactics, positional play and competition rhythm. On 13th August the main work starts with matches which count. Hamme away, a cup match (hopefully two) and Antwerp away, mean our start is far from easy. But you have to play against every team, ad so the timing is not of the utmost importance. We just have to ensure that we’re ready.

After the first weeks training I shall give a few comments over our newcomers:
Timothy Dreesen - I surely don’t have to introduce him. Timo still has his natural leadership and charisma, but has had a couple of annoying injuries last season. Hopefully he’ll now stay fit.
Julien Tshiala - Played a long season (play-offs with Namen), but has a healthy ambition to not play relegation duels, but against the top teams. He can play on the right flank or centrally.
Stefan Nikolic - Was on trial last season in Moeskroen, a match in which Neel De Ceulaer and Maged Samy were present. This target man is enormously strong and eager for his young age (18). If he can learn to divide his time, and to make the right decisions in the game, this lad can be very important for us.
Garry De Graef - Has a lot of experience, but is by and large unknown to the wider public. After a number of teams in Holland (1st and 2nd division) this proud local lad has come to Lierse via Paderborn (German 2nd division). Garry is an eager left back who will ultimately earn the recognition in his own country which he certainly deserves.
Nderim Nedzipi - was the playmaker of Rabotnicki (league champions and cup winners in Macedonia). This “No. 10″ both scores and makes goals for others. He has a good overview of a game and can infiltrate at the right time.
Sheriff El Bialy - was expected to arrive last January, but visa and army duties kept him in Egypt. Sheriff played for a long time in the USA and therefore has enough experience to be of vital worth. His technical skills, and especially his power of pace will be a thorn in the side for many opponents.
Youssef Fawaz, Agblexo Wisdom and Theeratap Winothai, it’s wait and see. But they’ll certainly be competition for the current squad players. Hopefully the striker that we need to add to the competition in our squad, can help us to compete with the other title candidates in the new EXQI League. It looks a lot rosier than last season in July!

Finally we want to thank everybody that has assured that OUR LIERSE still exists…
I’m not just talking about Maged Samy, Leo Theyskens, Neel De Ceulaer etc, but also to the best supporters in the country. No other team in the world has had to endure as much as K.Lierse S.K. Let’s therefore work on the comeback together….

THE SEVEN MEAGRE YEARS HAVE PASSED!
FORZA LIERSE
TOGETHER CHAMPIONS

Eric Van Meir