Are we under prepared?

[Jimmy the Jock]

PT needs to ship out the under performers from last season and bring in some new faces ASAP. His lack of activity in the market is bordering on lunacy.

We had the basis of a good side last year. If it hadnt been for Slades meddling we could have made the play offs.

I would say we probably need a centre forward but I trust Trollope .

[the other bob wilson]

Well said. I'd go as far as saying that this has been our most effective pre-season in many a year, with youngsters being given a chance to impress and various formations being tested out - exactly what the summer programme is for.

Incidentally, in our promotion-winning season under MM we had played just one fixture at this point - away at Forest Green Rovers. Think the Championship kicked off a week later that year but a lot of the work was done on the training ground.

I'd forgotten that, but Malky favoured not playing any games on our pre season weeks abroad didn't he - think there were games already arranged in his first summer here, but we didn't play during the training weeks in his second and third seasons.

[Cretin Hop]

Don't know extent of pre season football played by other championship clubs or which have been most active in market. I do know Bristol City have been quite busy, Tomlin signed full time and got O'Neill & Matthews.

I am more confident we'll see a better and more up tempo brand of football this season than this time last year.

[TH63]

Good honest managers are a rare breed.

Indeed.

Our last two have been utter shite

[Steve R]

Good positive post Steve.

Not like me I know mate.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

How unfit can our players be? It only seems like a few weeks ago we were playing.

As unfit as the Man City players who put on weight in the close season and who were excluded from training with the first team perhaps.

[surge]

I don't think our squad is yet the one Trollope would like to start the season with but considering how hectic the summer was I think we'll see a Europe wide theme of transfer business completed a lot later than usual. We may still be behind in this but a lot of work has been done to expand the systems we can play in and prepare us for a more focused challenge to the play-offs.

[Mrs Steve R]

Good positive post Steve.

He's going under mechanics on that list Jim

[NigelBlues]

This pre season has been quite low key.

The first team play only their third (and last) 90 minute game tomorrow before the season starts. We did have the two hours of football in Osnabruck last Saturday but it doesn't seem like enough. Okay, Ahlen was a cock up but even so we should surely be playing another full game to shape the team for St Andrews.

It might turn out OK but I don't think Trollope has had chance to select a settled strongest XI

Pre-season has had the perception, unfair perhaps, of being half-hearted.

The fixtures have hardly been a test - and seem to have been ill organised - the new manager was allowed to be with Wales this summer. I don't understand how/why so many players seem to have injury/fitness issues too. It has been lower key and less pre-season football, than I can ever recall at CCFC.

Mind you, players return to pre-season far fitter than before and we may have changed the system but the personnel is largely unchanged so maybe it's about the training ground more than games.

I haven't felt inspired going into this season at all but let's hope for the best, we shall soon find out.

[jon1959]

Pre-season has had the perception, unfair perhaps, of being half-hearted.

The fixtures have hardly been a test - and seem to have been ill organised - the new manager was allowed to be with Wales this summer. I don't understand how/why so many players seem to have injury/fitness issues too. It has been lower key and less pre-season football, than I can ever recall at CCFC.

Mind you, players return to pre-season far fitter than before and we may have changed the system but the personnel is largely unchanged so maybe it's about the training ground more than games.

I haven't felt inspired going into this season at all but let's hope for the best, we shall soon find out.

What injury/fitness issues are you referring to?

Joe Ralls had an illness that kept him out for a week or so, Bruno Manga picked up a minor strain or tightness that kept him out of the German friendlies and Dikgacoi has his annual and probably terminal problems keeping his weight down. Other than that Morrison was recovering from his ankle surgery last season and Peltier had shoulder surgery at the end of the season (both now fully recovered).

Compared to some other teams in the league who have picked up a lot of pre-season injuries we seem to be in good shape.

[gabbsthenewt]

It's impossible to tell really....

What is over prepared? What is under prepared? What is just right? Hmm...?
Too much and you'll have players tired, too little and you'll look shambles, isn't it?

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All i know is it pays to be prepared.....but you don't want to stifle spontaneity and creativity by being too practiced and rigid unable to come away from a script if it's not working right.

A few 60 minute summertime kickabouts, we haven't sold Bruno, we've bought Immers, i think it's great that we can go into the season with no false hope that we're expecting to be tearing up the league with a Chairman really putting everything into an exciting season for us. Instead we can prepare for a middling season with the outside chance of putting a run together that may see us flirt with being amongst the top of the teams, and yet, also due to this low key preparation - not be heartbroken should we be in the wrong half of the table.

[NigelBlues]

Wonder how many of the posters wish to revisit their comments in this thread before the reality of this season's horrors unfolded.

In fairness, it has been far more uninspiring than even I expected. ����❤️

[Croesy Blue]

NigelBlues with misplaced smugness at least one thing we expected this season has happened

[Dr Lecter]

NigelBlues with misplaced smugness at least one thing we expected this season has happened

Steve R was spot on as usual though.

Where's he disappeared to these days?

Has that bird of his (hen)pecked him to death?

[Dr Lecter]

Don't know extent of pre season football played by other championship clubs or which have been most active in market. I do know Bristol City have been quite busy, Tomlin signed full time and got O'Neill & Matthews.

I am more confident we'll see a better and more up tempo brand of football this season than this time last year.

Hmmmm.....

[Dr Lecter]

We may still be behind in this but a lot of work has been done to expand the systems we can play in and prepare us for a more focused challenge to the play-offs.

Oh dear.....