PREPARATIONS for the forthcoming 2010-11 Barclays Premier League campaign continue as the Potters spend eight days in Central Austria on their annual pre-season training camp.

stokecityfc.com are out in Irdning with them so be sure to keep logging on throughout the duration of the stay for all the goings on from within the camp. (please note - we are one hour ahead of UK time here in Austria).

Tuesday (July 13)

23:11pm - Well that's it from me, hope you join us tomorrow for more news from the training camp out here.

23:10pm - Myself and Martin Spinks from the Sentinel enjoyed a 40 minute chat with Fuller. He gave us his views on the World Cup, the Cricket 20/20, and we also told him all of the news from the world of football. He also mentioned that he has spoken to both Steve Simonsen and Andy Griffin to wish them well after departing the Club.

23:08pm - Well I'm glad I decided to venture down for a swift drink of Gosser, as I bumped into Ricardo Fuller, who has only just arrived in camp. The striker has flown in from Kingston, Jamaica, via Heathrow and Munich. It's taken him over 24 hours to complete the journey. It was great to see a new face here, and the manager looked equally as pleased to see him as he embraced him with a huge hug.

21:39pm - All the kits are handed out and that can only mean one thing for Giff... a drink in the bar. He deserves it though. Thinking about it, I think I may join him and see what else is going on down there.

21:09pm - Giff the kitman is walking around the hotel with no top on. Just thought I'd mention that. It must be hard and hot work distributing all of the kits to the players rooms. He is doing a good job though along with Gary.

21:05pm - The majority of players have already departed the dining and table tennis area, whilst the computer room is also empty. Early night's for most of them is my guess.

20:44pm - We are still here and Danny remains champion. Just as I say that Ben wins and is running around the room, with Abdoulaye Faye joining in the celebrations. Scenes of rejoice here. Well done Ben. 'Pughie' storms off to get a water before vowing to retain his number one spot.

20:28pm - There's drama on the table tennis scene as Ben Marshall continues to battle against Danny Pugh, who looks unbeatable at the moment. He has already held off the challenge of at least six fellow professionals. Ben almost pulls off a shock but Danny stands firm, much to the frustration of Ben and the seven or eight lads watching cheering him on.

20:01pm - Another meeting is about to take place. The Gaffer has called all the players together for a little meeting to outline plans for tomorrow, and I'm sure he will be telling them to keep up the good work.

19:42pm - Dinner has now been served. Duck, Pike and pasta were on the menu as was cucumber stew, must be an Austrian thing, as well as a wide range of vegetables. It appeared to have gone down very well. The players were weighed beforehand to check up on their progression.

18:20pm - The lads are now back in their rooms after a little dip in the swimming pool to relax their muscles. Abdoulaye looks delighted the day is over, having put in a lot of hard work over the past few hours.

18:01pm - A little mention for some of the young guns out here in Austria. Louis Moult, Matty Lund and Ben Marshall. They are all looking superb in training, with Louis and Ben especially looking good during shooting practice earlier on. They will be looking to impress if selected against Bursaspor this Thursday afternoon.

17:44pm - It was more of a routine session this afternoon as the players started off with a variation of different runs, before the balls were brought out for a series of one touch passing drills. The two goalkeepers continued to work with goalkeeping coach Andy Quy, and I'm happy to report Carlo Nash was in his own gear after his suitcase arrived from Munich in time for training.

17:43pm - Wow... this heat is blistering. The players were certainly feeling it during that session, but they still managed to put in another monumental effort as they strive to build up their fitness for the new season.

15:03pm - A few of the coaches and physios have been in the gym getting their intake of weight training, before they depart back to their rooms to get ready for the final training session of the day.

14:41pm - Assistant Manager Dave Kemp is hovering around frantically looking for a computer. He manages to find one and now he is trying to navigate his way on to the internet. He will be the first to admit at not being too handy with technology. Fair play though, he is getting there.

14:02pm - Just managed to sit down with new boy Carlo Nash for five minutes to get his thoughts after agreeing to move to the Club for the next twelve months. He says he is delighted to be back here, and feels right at home. Keep an eye out for the interview later on.

13:48pm - I was correct in guessing the flurry of people scattering around meant lunchtime was upon us. It was fish in garlic oil, chicken on skewers and salad, with pasta. Whilst there was the usual helping of fresh fruit and low fat yoghurt for pudding.

13:05pm - There seems to be a little bit of activity around here so I presume lunch is being served. The lads will be eating and then resting for a few more hours before heading off to the training ground for another late afternoon session.

13:01pm - That was a pretty light session in the grand scheme of what they have been doing. The players were split into three groups, with one starting off doing weights in the gym, whilst the other two did some work with the medicine ball in the hotel's 'Press Room'. It was just a light one to warm down their muscles following the bike ride.

11:43am - Remember City play their first training game this coming Thursday against Turkish champions Bursaspor. Log on to stokecityfc.com from 3pm (UK time) for all the action as and when it happens.

11:42am - Off to the gym to see what's next in store for the players.

11:22am - It's a lot quieter around here today. I think they are starting to feel the effects of such a rigorous training programme and are trying to get as much rest as they can. They are all in good spirits though.

11:02am - Most of the players are in their rooms recovering from this morning's session. A few are wandering around taking in the hotel's gymnasium facilities and swimming pool. There is a further gym session being held at 11:45 for everyone.

10:17am - We will be speaking to Carlo later today to get his thoughts on linking up with the Potters, so keep an eye out on the website throughout the day for that. We also have Tony Pulis' thought's on Carlo coming up, as well as a picture gallery of the lads in training.

9:31am - It was also nice to see Carlo Nash in training. He looked in pretty good shape to be fair like the rest of the lads. He is settling in very well, taking in breakfast with Danny Pugh, Danny Higginbotham, Mamady Sidibe and Abdoulaye Faye, who actually went running this morning instead of the bike hike.

9:24am - Another beautiful sunny day here in the Alps as the Potters squad return back from another gruelling morning of training. Like yesterday, the alarm bells were ringing at 6:30am ahead of the usual 7.00am gathering in the reception area. The bikes were out today as the players were put through their paces on a similar route to yesterday. They had to pull themselves through 12 hill climbs on what is a tremendously steep climb. Just to taste the what the players were going through, myself and Martin Spinks from the Sentinel decided to do one run from the bottom to the top and believe me it was unbelievably difficult. Still it was nice to get it done to prove our many doubters in the camp, including the Gaffer, wrong.