By Mark Heys
July 27 2007

Bolton player/coach Gary Speed has revealed that the secret of his longevity in the game is all down to taking yoga classes since moving to the Reebok Stadium from Newcastle United three summers ago.

The 2007-2008 season will be Speed's nineteenth as a professional and his fifteenth consecutive campaign in the Premiership and he says that the fitness levels are higher than they where when the new league began back in 1992.

"The changes since the Premier League began are breathtaking, The game of football is the same but everything else has moved on. The biggest difference is the level of fitness and athleticism." said the former Welsh international to Sky Magazine.

Speed says that the secret to success lies with yoga even though it wasn't a method which would have been considered the normal thing to do in years gone by.

“Take injury prevention. I have been having yoga classes twice a week for the last three years. Once upon a time everybody would have laughed at that but it has stopped me having back problems that trouble older players.”

Money is also something which Speed feels has moved the game on with the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard of Chelsea being able to command wages in excess of £100,000 per week.

“I would be a hypocrite if I did not mention the money. t has attracted the best players, affecting not just contracts but transfer fees and every other aspect of the sport.

Stadiums too have also developed with the Wanderers joining the likes of Middlesbrough, Derby County, Arsenal, Sunderland, Manchester City and Wigan Athletic in moving from their traditional grounds.

“The stadiums are another big change. When you see footage of old games it reminds you how much the builders have done. Grounds that seemed huge now look tiny in comparison.” added the ex-Leeds and Everton man

Speed has been handed his first full time coaching job by Bolton manager Sammy Lee after previously working on a freelance basis with the Wrexham FC Academy teams.