| Pre season friendlies 22:13 - Jul 18 with 5190 views | stanistheman |
I can't help feeling that we have not played enough games to really prepare for the opening game. 5 games against a non league side, one from League 2 and two 3rd tier German sides and wrapping up against Palace will be sufficient.
We need to do better and arrange back to back games using the 1st team squad players and some from the U23s and play about 8 games.
Maybe next season will be better, although I usually say the same every year. | | | |  |
| Pre season friendlies on 06:48 - Jul 19 with 3996 views | Northernr |
We do seem to have an ongoing issue sorting a decent, competitive pre-season programme and announcing it in reasonable time. Last summer was a bit of an exception because the Prem teams couldn't travel abroad and Man Utd and Leicester actually approached us, in part because of the shape and style of play. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 07:12 - Jul 19 with 3955 views | Hunterhoop |
Understand the sentiment, but there is no “correct” pre-season formula. Warnock used to take his teams down to play very much amateur sides in Cornwall.
In pre-season for our promotion winning season we played the following in pre-season!
Tavistock
Bodmin
Torquay
Equipe Romagna
Ravenna Calcio
Crawley
Plymouth
We lost to Crawley and drew with Plymouth.
We then won the opening fixture 4-0 and went, I think, 19 games unbeaten.
They also spent pre-season training at a school (not Harlington), with nothing like the pitches of our new training ground or facilities they had in Germany.
It’s a bit of a cliche, but I think it’s true that pre-season is about the actual training, not the matches. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 07:12 - Jul 19 with 3955 views | nix |
I don't think it's just us. WBA are playing Leyton Orient, Huerta Berlin, Stevenage, Oxford, Northampton and Crewe. It's probably hard to find decent opposition who are also available to play us. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 07:15 - Jul 19 with 3928 views | ozranger |
Strange, we have actually already played four (Uxbridge, Crawley and two German) and then add Wealdstone and Palace which in my maths makes six.
Generally over the seasons, going back a number of decades, six or seven was the norm. On two occasions we had ten and a few times eight, but these involved lengthy tours of places like Scandinavia or a tournament in Europe. Quite a few times we only played five. I personally cannot see any problems with the number or the opposition as we are building up to the season. More often it is not the quality of opposition but the way they play so that the coaches can learn about how our players cope with that. We have seen that throughout. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 07:40 - Jul 19 with 3857 views | Lblock |
I resolved myself years ago to not attend any preseason games.
The exception I would make would be if we were to tour Ireland and more specifically play in Dublin, I’m sure that would stoke up a fair bit of interest.
Always thought tours of Scandinavia were a chance to expand the reach of the club and gather some more fans on the continent | |
| Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal |
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| Pre season friendlies on 08:20 - Jul 19 with 3776 views | TheChef |
Exactly this.
I can't understand people getting their knickers in a twist about pre-season friendlies.
Maybe let's see where we are after the first ten games of the season? | |
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| Pre season friendlies on 08:22 - Jul 19 with 3771 views | Northernr |
I guess one of the other issues with it is you used to be able to guarantee a game against a big Prem team as your last warm up and now they're too busy fannying around on the other side of the world. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 08:40 - Jul 19 with 3710 views | Antti_Heinola |
There's also two other factors: one, this is an abnormally short pre-season and two, it's not like the 80s anymore. Players don't come back overweight and unfit. Their fitness needs tuning more than anything. Players don't just forget how to play matches over a month's break. So I'm not sure friendlies are quite the vital thing they once were to pre-season prep. Likely much more about work on the training ground. | |
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| Pre season friendlies on 09:30 - Jul 19 with 3595 views | PlanetHonneywood |
Ohhh that’s a good point.
Plus, with the WC stopping us for a month, probably don’t want to go in too cooked at the start with the density of games coming. | |
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| Pre season friendlies on 09:35 - Jul 19 with 3575 views | BAWHoops |
It’s also dependent on what sort of side the other team put out.
I remember in 2004 we played Ajax. They sent their kids and still beat us easily.
Also when you go abroad it’s a bit luck of the draw what you end up facing. The Germany tour last time when we played Union Berlin was good, but we’ve had some stinkers of Italian tours in the past.
In conclusion Libya is a land of contrasts | |
| http://blogandwhitehoops.wordpress.com/ |
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| Pre season friendlies on 09:40 - Jul 19 with 3556 views | stevec |
Seemed a bit like last seasons peak was in pre season games. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 11:46 - Jul 19 with 3374 views | aston_hoop |
our first game against Blackburn should be a breeze then as we'll have played 6 senior friendlies compared to their 5 (Celtic, Dundee, Accrington, Hartlepool and Lincoln) | |
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| Pre season friendlies on 11:55 - Jul 19 with 3352 views | stanistheman |
I was more concerned about the players only getting 45-60 minutes on the pitch rather than the quality of opponents.
Maybe the players are already match fit, but why sub them after 60 minutes if they can last the 90)?
I expect to see the same happening at Wealdstone and possibly against Palace. Given that Dykes, Dickie and Dieng (as a keeper might be ok) were injured since March they are the players that need 90 minutes in pre season.
That is my main gripe about this pre season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see, read or hear that they couldn’t last the 90 minutes at Blackburn. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 12:01 - Jul 19 with 3327 views | PinnerPaul |
I would be VERY surprised if we don't last the 90' against Blackburn - they are professional athletes paid for 12 months of the year and monitored much more closely than ever before, if they are not deemed fit enough for 90' , they simply won't play 90' - even more so this season with 5 subs. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 12:03 - Jul 19 with 3324 views | DavieQPR |
No point in having 11 match fit players and no more. It's more about who can adapt to MBs tactics. He can't tell if it's the same old 11 players. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 12:05 - Jul 19 with 3309 views | Lanhoop |
This. It's about the whole squad getting minutes and less about fitness and more about playing together for a new manager with different style and tactics. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 12:06 - Jul 19 with 3305 views | Rangersw12 |
Alot of the subs nowadays are infulenced by sports science.
I'm confident we will be fit and raring to go by the opening day of the season | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 12:10 - Jul 19 with 3292 views | danehoop |
I think sport science and the fact that its so hot at the moment. Why would you play anyone in 30 plus degrees for 90 minutes at this stage of pre-season? | |
| Never knowingly understood |
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| Pre season friendlies on 12:33 - Jul 19 with 3203 views | kensalriser |
There's never any shortage of things to fret about in football, is there.
Today I'm going to focus on the worrying lack of threat in our strike force. | |
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| Pre season friendlies on 12:47 - Jul 19 with 3144 views | stanistheman |
we should be worried about the lack of strikers. Dykes Bonne Kelman and an already injured Roberts. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 13:03 - Jul 19 with 3101 views | PinnerPaul |
Especially with double training sessions the day before the game, still don't get why people don't get it - our prep is geared to being fit and ready for Blackburn, not for ANY of the pre season games. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 13:05 - Jul 19 with 3090 views | PinnerPaul |
IF we're only going to play one, not so much of a concern, nor is an injury in the middle of July. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 14:44 - Jul 19 with 2966 views | paulhoop2 |
Am I missing something…. Training at a school ??? Don’t remember this. Wasn’t Twyford Avenue vacated earlier then that ?? | |
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| Pre season friendlies on 15:46 - Jul 19 with 2892 views | francisbowles |
I accidentally upvoted on this.
FWIW, players being pushed too hard, especially towards the end of games, can end up injured. No point in taking those risks before the season starts. | | | |
| Pre season friendlies on 15:51 - Jul 19 with 2865 views | kensalriser |
Why bother, it's a bonus game anyway! | |
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