“they’re all ju st headphones!” chris waddle’s rant was not a lonely one. today’s footballers are aided by an army of player liaison officers, sports scientists and psychologists, with tech on tap. do they have the stomach for a scrap? it’s a sweltering day in late july and a squad of teenage footballers runs wearily through the lake district, each member carrying a log above their head. at the end of a muddied trail, the group dives into a river and swims downstream.