[Exclusive] Inside England's training base
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EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE ENGLAND'S TRAINING BASE
Climb every mountain, stuff every team
PLUSH: The top hotel where England will stay
THE wind picks up, stopping people in their tracks whenever the ice-cool, mountain air tumbles down the valley.
This is familiar territory for England manager Fabio Capello, instantly recognisable after bringing Roma here in 2000 and Real Madrid in 2006.
Both teams went on to win the league title, breathing in the air at altitude, then blowing teams away when it counted.
England's players will make the same trip, getting giddy when the team coach takes on the endless switchbacks as they climb through the clouds.
Then they hope to take the nation to dizzying heights, reaping the benefits of a week-long stay at their pre-World Cup retreat.
The players cannot fail to be impressed, from the snow-capped peaks surrounding the hotel to the goat-herders taking on the even steeper climbs towards the top.
It is a world away from Wembley - a stunning setting for a team preparing to play tournament football at the very highest level.
They intend to play a game out here, a practice match before they return to their sold-out national stadium for a World Cup farewell match.Capello has yet to decide on the standard of opposition in Austria, but the local part-timers have been primed for action. Real Madrid beat them 10-2 in July 2006, in front of more than 2,000 starry-eyed locals.
Then it will be on to the real action, with England's players travelling to South Africa six days before their first game.
Their Austrian stay will help the players adjust to the altitude in South Africa, with some stadiums as high as 5,749ft.
GYM: Where the players will work outCapello's squad will stay at the magnificent Hotel Schloss Pichlarn, sucking in mountain air from their spot more than 2,300ft above sea level. What a choice. No flag-wavers, no fans and not a WAG in sight.
The only supporters will be the townsfolk of this sparsely populated Austrian village, a hidden gem tucked in between the foreboding sight of the Alps.
England are taking up two floors of this grand, five-star hotel, following in the famous footsteps of Francesco Totti and Zinedine Zidane.
The hard work will be done in the foothills, down in the village where the England team will train twice a day at the local stadium.
After meeting for breakfast in the Spiegelsaal ('the room full of mirrors'), the 23-man squad will board the bus for the five-minute drive to the stadium.
It is here that 500 supporters watch the local team Irdning, an amateur side playing in Austria's fourth division.
More than twice that number will turn up to watch England's double-sessions, downing tools for the day to watch them train.
The president of Irdning is already preparing for England's stay, proudly showing off an enormous Three Lions badge in a reception area that will welcome the team each day.
Josef Manschefszki breaks off from polishing the recent arrival, admitting the prospect of England's players pitching up in Irdning is special.
He said: "The whole town is very proud to be associated with the English national team.
"They will be made to feel very special and very welcome here. It is a quiet village, very peaceful and very tranquil. These are idyllic surroundings."
Everybody in the town is looking forward to England's stay, although the locals will maintain a respectful distance.
Next May will be work-time for England's squad, training hard as they prepare for a potential four-week stay in South Africa. Some 40 staff will be on hand to assist them during their stay in Irdning.
TRANQUIL: The idylic surroundingsThey will eat three meals a day, with chef Roger Narbett staying at the hotel to prepare platefuls of pasta. In the corridors, "Snack Stations" will be set up, with a steady supply of nuts and fresh fruit on hand.
The Grimming Room, named after one of the nearby mountains, will be divided into three areas, with designated zones providing internet, table tennis and pool.
There is also a separate meeting room for Capello to run through videos of past matches and potential opponents. Whenever Capello loses his rag - which we hope will not be often - he can head for the basement and the House of Harmony.
There, he can enrol in a pampering programme, spiritual exercises in holistic surroundings.
It's a chill-out zone for England's manager, the perfect place for him to gather his thoughts ahead of the group phase.
Breathe in, breathe out... then blow those negative thoughts away.
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nice hotel sia. I wonder stay there for one night costs how much
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how lucky can hookers get?
let superstar status footballer fcuk, can visit posh hotel, can recieve a good sum of money in the morning.
like better than having a U cert working 8-5 uh?
