2020/21 Pre-Season Friendlies Thread

[Casey]

No mention of friendlies at Crawley.

I, personally, enjoy a friendly or two. Especially the ones against lower rated teams where we get to see the players on the fringes of the team get a run out. I'd never get to see them otherwise.

Casey

 

[Chris FGR]

No mention of friendlies at Crawley.

I, personally, enjoy a friendly or two. Especially the ones against lower rated teams where we get to see the players on the fringes of the team get a run out. I'd never get to see them otherwise.

Casey

Players are normally on the fringes of the team because they are shit, or at best not very good.

If they ever do get good enough to not be on the fringes of the team then i'm happy to pay to see them play in a proper game.

 

[Greenacres]

I, personally, enjoy a friendly or two. Especially the ones against lower rated teams where we get to see the players on the fringes of the team get a run out. I'd never get to see them otherwise.

Likewise, we usually arrange games against Shortwood (local rivalry, they are the other team in Nailsworth), Brimscombe and Thrupp (think a Stroud version of Brighton and Hove Albion, where two distinct places collaborated to put out a football team), Swindon Supermarine or Cirencester and a few games at home against league opposition from the West Country or Midlands. The games are usually pretty meaningless from a competitive point of view but it is an opportunity to see new players turn out, build up a bit of match fitness, and for the fans to catch up with friends they probably haven't seen since last May.

 

[Chris FGR]

Don't need to spend a fiver or more to watch our us play a pointless game to catch up with my 'football friends'.

Just go down the pub.

Anyway apparently we've got games at Plymouth and Swansea coming up in 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Greenacres]

Don't need to spend a fiver or more to watch our us play a pointless game to catch up with my 'football friends'.

Just go down the pub.

Anyway apparently we've got games at Plymouth and Swansea coming up in 2 or 3 weeks.

I am avoiding pubs at the moment, don't want to mix with brainless idiots who forget about social distancing once they have a couple of scoops inside them!

 

[BlackHaddock]

Really annoyed our annual Pre-Season tournament with Ajax, Inter and Barca had to be cancelled. Nothing confirmed yet about which three teams will replace them.

 

[Fedora Dale]

Really annoyed our annual Pre-Season tournament with Ajax, Inter and Barca had to be cancelled. Nothing confirmed yet about which three teams will replace them.

Ulceby, Louth and Mablethorpe??

 

[Greenacres]

Pre-season, behind closed-doors friendlies announced as:

Saturday 15th August - Yate Town
Tuesday 18th August - Melksham Town
Saturday 29th August - Plymouth Argyle
Tuesday 1st September - Swansea City

Pretty much the sort of fixtures we are used to, in normal times the first two would have been away and the second two at home.

 

[Chris FGR]

They're all away I think?

 

[Moomin]

We’ve got a number of friendlies setup. We kick off at Tiverton this Saturday.

Following that we have Bristol Rovers and Torquay plus a couple more non league teams.

We did have a friendly arranged vs Swansea but that’s had to be cancelled.

 

[The Terminator]

We've announced ours today with more to follow:

15th August – Reading U23’s (H) – 1pm
19th August – TBC
22nd August – Northampton Town (A) – 1pm
25th August – West Ham U23’s (H) – 7pm
29th August – TBC
31st August – Bishop’s Stortford (A) – 7.45pm

After saying we won't be playing any non league sides, up pops Bishops Stortford out of nowhere!

Our two home games are likely to be streamed and the Northampton game I've heard might be played at their training ground to avoid people travelling and trying to watch from the hill at Sixfields.

 

[chipmunx]

as there will be no fans allowed in to friendlies and the main purpose other than fitness etc was letting fans see new players and get gate money most of our friendlies will be behind closed doors at higher division clubs mainly around Manchester etc i think (as we train in Rochdale) and probably at training grounds rather than stadiums. I'm told by a good source that some might not even be announced ahead of time to keep fans away. We always play Sheff Utd and Blackburn u-23's so they will be 2 of them. Probably Rochdale and Blackpool aswell. I think the only one we definitely know about is FC United of Manchester (away). Frustrated but not unexpected as we can't watch the games.

 

[masi51]

Bolton away all week at a training camp. Spent three weeks on conditioning and fitness Evatt now coaching specifically how he wants the team to be set up....No clue about pre season games. The only one that leaked out was supposed to be against FC United of Manchester this Saturday.......This game was cancelled when news of it leaked out

 

[chipmunx]

Bolton away all week at a training camp. Spent three weeks on conditioning and fitness Evatt now coaching specifically how he wants the team to be set up....No clue about pre season games. The only one that leaked out was supposed to be against FC United of Manchester this Saturday.......This game was cancelled when news of it leaked out

i'm guessing our one at them might go the same way* - i think it's them that announced both the matches against you and us.

* or maybe both might be announced as cancelled to keep people away - but quietly get played anyway

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Any info on what Evatt had for tea?

 

[masi51]

i'm guessing our one at them might go the same way* - i think it's them that announced both the matches against you and us.

* or maybe both might be announced as cancelled to keep people away - but quietly get played anyway

Think we may well end up playing

 

[masi51]

Any info on what Evatt had for tea?

Yes he treated the squad in the eat out to help out.

 

[BlackHaddock]

Ulceby, Louth and Mablethorpe??

I was thinking Brigg, Cleethorpes and Sutton-on-Sea.

 

[Indian Dan]

Unfortunately for our Bolton maniac, one of the young players he has mentioned, Politic, has broken his leg today. Hope he recovers soon.

 

[masi51]

Conflicting reports from bad knee injury to broken leg.......A player in the making that lad will be a miss

 

[Indian Dan]

Broken leg would be better

 

[meanderson]

Unfortunately for our Bolton maniac, one of the young players he has mentioned, Politic, has broken his leg today. Hope he recovers soon.

Looks like a knee injury, ligaments more than likely, think it was non-contact.

We're all more than gutted for the lad, could have been a massive year for him, would have been a big asset and leaves us needing another attacking option if it is as serious as it looks,

 

[Indian Dan]

Our Dion Conroy has done both ACLs in the last 2 seasons. Usually an entire season out.

 

[masi51]

Dont like to see any bad injury but both ACL. He will do well to come back.
Politic is young and will be back,but still a big miss.

 

[chipmunx]

Broken leg would be better

yep - Carlisle's new captain Nick Anderton has broken his leg twice (not sure if it was the same one or different one) - once when on loan with us (from Preston) and once after we sold him to Blackpool - and he's come back strong each time.

 

[chipmunx]

Conflicting reports from bad knee injury to broken leg.......A player in the making that lad will be a miss

might affect Bolton's squad salary cap too - If he's as good as you were making out they'll probably need a replacement and as he was 20 his wages wouldn't have gone against the cap - but any replacement 21 or over would count - and at their full wage as we are after the rule came in.

 

[meanderson]

might affect Bolton's squad salary cap too - If he's as good as you were making out they'll probably need a replacement and as he was 20 his wages wouldn't have gone against the cap - but any replacement 21 or over would count - and at their full wage as we are after the rule came in.

He'll certainly want replacing, I'd imagine though with a hope that he could return later in the season we may just look to loan a replacement. We'll be a long way under the cap as of now though, estimates from local journos have us just under the £1m/yr mark.

 

[masi51]

I do not think we need a replacement as such...We have five maybe six quality players competing for 3 maybe four places.
Anyone Evatt brings in now will have to settle for a place on the bench or will be another Big wages signing if he is to play regularly

 

[Indian Dan]

Cap in place now - max £1150 pw

 

[Crewelad87]

Salford 1-4 Crewe (Henderson for Salford, Finney, Porter, Powell and Mandron for Crewe)