🗓️Pre-Season Friendlies 2024/25

[Notts78]

I would have thought the last couple of friendlies before the season starts should see us playing with pretty much our first choice 11 so that they gel as a unit

A fair point. I will counter it. If you spend the last few games playing your first choice 11 and then your keeper gets sent off in the first game, you are left with a keeper who hasn’t played for a few weeks. Or your centre midfielder picks up an injury, you are left with a player not match fit. Or as some predict, your unproven first choice striker goes a few games without a goal and you want to change it, the player replacing him hasn’t played for weeks.
Pre season is the worst part of the year for most players where they are ran ragged - to not have that carrot of a game dangled in front of you would be horrific.
The thing that’s also gone relatively unnoticed is that youth players have been making an appearance.. some on here have been banging the drum about seeing more of these lads given a go. Is a PSF not better than a League game to see how they go?

[matt_magpie]

A fair point. I will counter it. If you spend the last few games playing your first choice 11 and then your keeper gets sent off in the first game, you are left with a keeper who hasn’t played for a few weeks. Or your centre midfielder picks up an injury, you are left with a player not match fit. Or as some predict, your unproven first choice striker goes a few games without a goal and you want to change it, the player replacing him hasn’t played for weeks.
Pre season is the worst part of the year for most players where they are ran ragged - to not have that carrot of a game dangled in front of you would be horrific.
The thing that’s also gone relatively unnoticed is that youth players have been making an appearance.. some on here have been banging the drum about seeing more of these lads given a go. Is a PSF not better than a League game to see how they go?

Exactly, great point on the youth players though he has little choice to play them with squad size. The facts are the friendlies are selected and all the players share the minutes to build up to get to 90 for the week before the season starts, that’s why we have 2 games Sat. If he was to pick the 1st 11 for 60 at the moment then the second would just be full of 4 or 5 available seniors and then youth and trialists and a bit of a waste of time that way.
I think most the doom and gloom is driven by not many believe in SM and we also seem to be short of 1 or 2 more quality players and less so about the results.