Do We Play the Wrong Teams Pre-Season?

[Wandsworth Blade]

Every year we do our smattering of non-league teams and then a couple of games against higher ranking teams but should we find teams more suitable for our league?
Last year we got muscled off the ball and lo and behold on Saturday we looked slower and got muscled off the ball again. The fans woke up in the morning with a spring in their heel as a result of positive friendlies, only to see the same failings.
Why don't we play big physical sides pre-season to work out how to handle them?

I am also sick of watching other teams centre backs show us how to head the ball. Oshilaja for me was the best defender on the pitch. How we can't get even a run off the mill no-nonsense centre back in is beyond me.

 

[Gavlar]

Every year we do our smattering of non-league teams and then a couple of games against higher ranking teams but should we find teams more suitable for our league?
Last year we got muscled off the ball and lo and behold on Saturday we looked slower and got muscled off the ball again. The fans woke up in the morning with a spring in their heel as a result of positive friendlies, only to see the same failings.
Why don't we play big physical sides pre-season to work out how to handle them?

I am also sick of watching other teams centre backs show us how to head the ball. Oshilaja for me was the best defender on the pitch. How we can't get even a run off the mill no-nonsense centre back in is beyond me.

Not sure we played the wrong teams mate no. I don't know who the teams around us played in friendlies, did they all play other league 1 teams? Im not convinced.

No excuses, who we play in pre-season should not affect our season much

 

[DronnieBlade]

Absolutely categorically 100% yes. Good OP.

You don't improve by playing inferior teams.

You improve by playing teams better than you. Top end Championship Teams, Prem Teams, Serie A teams etc etc.

If you want to improve your tennis, do you you play against an opponent you can easily whoop ??

No you don't cos you don't learn a damn thing.

UTB.

 

[Gavlar]

Absolutely categorically 100% yes. Good OP.

You don't improve by playing inferior teams.

You improve by playing teams better than you. Top end Championship Teams, Prem Teams, Serie A teams etc etc.

If you want to improve your tennis, do you you play against an opponent you can easily whoop ??

No you don't cos you don't learn a damn thing.

UTB.

We played Championship Hull and Premiership Newcastle and looked good by all accounts, then played league 1 Gillingham and got worse not better, pre-season results tell you nothing.

 

[shorehamview]

Absolutely categorically 100% yes. Good OP.

You don't improve by playing inferior teams.

You improve by playing teams better than you. Top end Championship Teams, Prem Teams, Serie A teams etc etc.

If you want to improve your tennis, do you you play against an opponent you can easily whoop ??

No you don't cos you don't learn a damn thing.

UTB.

So by that argument why would a superior team want to play us in a pre-season friendly?

 

[DazBlade88]

I thought we had a decent mix of weaker and stronger opposition. The only thing missing for me was maybe a top end League Two or SPL side.

 

[BushBlade]

Pre season is for getting match fitness and avoiding injuries. No-one goes at it full pelt. Plenty on here giving it 'Newcastle will struggle' but they weren't the ones losing 4-0, nor were Hull.
Blame the manager, blame the players but we've changed them all frequently to no avail. There's only one constant.
We're as rotten as the pigs were until MM took over.

 

[Grecian2000]

Pre-season friendlies are basically meaningless. For getting fit and trying a few moves at half pace, oh, and most importantly of all, not getting injured and missing the real action.

You are never going to get a team to come and rough you up and get anywhere near competitive conditions. The players would be the last ones to want it either.
Bassett used to go off to an army camp for bonding and play a few really shit teams to bang a few goals in. Never got the feeling we were "undercooked" when the season started.

The only people who take pre season remotely seriously are fans who want to watch some football a couple of weeks earlier than they would otherwise and like to think they've got an insight into the coming season ("wow, Baxters really flying in pre-season" type shite).

PS. Bugger, beaten to the punch by Bushy.

 

[ThatJa]

Did we get it wrong last pre season when we went to Burton and got hammered 4-0?