Friendlies

[south247]

I kinda started a thread about Central Europe and the opportunity for SUFC to come to Slovakia on a pre season tour. A tournament would be arranged with teams like Art Media (who beat Celtic 5-0 last season), Slovan and Poprad. Plus another British team are already planning to tour so a mini tournament.

My question to you is:

Should friendlies/pre season tours just be about being tactical with selecting opposition to prepare for season ahead? Or could a good tour also be beneficial for fans?

A previous poster suggested it is never about fans and shouldn't be. It is about choosing opposition that prepare you for next season. So of course playing Billericay, Chelmsford, Witham clearly prepares us for playing Preston, Burnley and Sunderland (ok Pompey accepted!).

Interested in views? Anyone fancy a tour to Slovakia (less than 2 hours from Stansted) or the usual trek across the QE II Bridge in the summer.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

My question to you is:

Should friendlies/pre season tours just be about being tactical with selecting opposition to prepare for season ahead? Or could a good tour also be beneficial for fans?

I think thats the key part of your question, as it is phrased, for me. I know football is about and for the fans, but pre-season needs to be planned for the good of the team alone IMO. Whetever it takes to get them in A1 shape for the start of the season - and no distractions from that.

Tours can be good for that purpose - and good for scouting - but if team preparation is not the primary aim of any tour then it shouldnt be done IMO. Us fans can do a tour of anywhere we like for our own benefit, at any time of our choosing.

I'd like to go see the Shrimpers take on some european clubs, but I'd rather have them beat teams in the league...

 

[overseas shrimper]

I think thats the key part of your question, as it is phrased, for me. I know football is about and for the fans, but pre-season needs to be planned for the good of the team alone IMO. Whetever it takes to get them in A1 shape for the start of the season - and no distractions from that.

Tours can be good for that purpose - and good for scouting - but if team preparation is not the primary aim of any tour then it shouldnt be done IMO. Us fans can do a tour of anywhere we like for our own benefit, at any time of our choosing.

I'd like to go see the Shrimpers take on some european clubs, but I'd rather have them beat teams in the league...

I agree that pre-season is all about preparation for the coming season. I think that a 'tour' can help in other ways, like team bonding and morale. It can also help players focus more when being more isolated in an unfamiliar place without the usual day-to-day distractions and also help make pre-season more of an occassion that trips to Chelmsford and Billericay will ever do.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Friendlies are for the players, the fans can go if they want!!

Although, a tour like that would probably benefit the players more than our normal set of matches

 

[HawkwellShrimper]

Is it a free tour then? Are you paying all the expenses of flying the squad out to Slovakia?!

The whole reason Southend play all the local non-league teams is that fact they are local, therefore the players can travel there without the need to hire out a coach and it minimizes the expense the club have to fork out. This is a fact. If the tour is being paid for by your company then I'm sure the club would bite your hand off...