Reading Fc (8-0) Jonsereds IF

[Hoop Blah]

Because we are significantly better than them.

Big scorelines like that shouldn't be difficult for players of our calibre when playing against these glorified pub teams, especially when we can change the side around so much and they're all out to impress a new manager.

We got beat 2v1 at Kettering last week , are we not superior to them ? Seems to me when we get beat off inferior teams " we are crap " yet when we stuff them its " oh well thats nothing we should hammer them we are superior" Its a no win job, but 8 v 0 is a good result and the young uns are doing well., I reckon its lookin good.

Show me where I, or probably anyone else who is agreeing that these scorelines are pretty meaningless, has said that we're crap because of the result against Kettering (who as it happens are probably a higher standard than the Swedish mob).

I'm not bothered by those results, I'm just a little concerned that we have only one game set up that will give the players a decent examination close to that which they'll get come the start of the season.

[Hoop Blah]

Yeah, well take a look at our 106 and 1st Prem season. We got into the zone knocking in easy goals against non league and swedish sides and played our two best seasons ever.

I seem to remember we played a couple of games against better opposition in those days as well as all the non-league/Sweden stuff, but I might be wrong.

Have you got the fixtures?

EDIT: ...don't forget we also lost that first game against Plymouth so we obviously got it wrong that year!

And we're playing against stiffer opposition in Chelsea this year as well. I'm not saying we should exclusively play against pub teams FFS. It is better to get into confidence and enjoy yourself playing mostly lower level teams and then test yourself against a couple of better teams as well.

That Plymouth game we played fairly well, but let in a cheap goal and a spawny cheap goal.

Perhaps we let in that soft goal because we lack that little bit of extra sharpness a couple of more testing games would've provided? Who knows, I can't remember the full pre-season that seaon, although it did finish with the home friendly against Feyenood.

My point is, I'll repeat it again just for the sake of it, is that I think we could do with a couple of extra games where we'll be playing half decent sides to get us firing on all cylinders. This is especially the case this season whilst the new man beds in the new style of play and integrates the youth players into the first team squad.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Perhaps we let in that soft goal because we lack that little bit of extra sharpness a couple of more testing games would've provided? Who knows, I can't remember the full pre-season that seaon, although it did finish with the home friendly against Feyenood.

The Feyenoord friendly was before our debut Premiership season, not the Championship-winning year.

And we were also in Sweden that year, as I remember Bikey headbutting that geezer whilst we were over there.

[Hoop Blah]

Yep, your right it was.

Think it was Spurs before the Championship winning season now you mention it. I can't remember the other games though.

EDIR: We've been going to Sweden since about two seasons before that season as well. Pardew started it off with his Scandinavian links.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Yep, your right it was.

Think it was Spurs before the Championship winning season now you mention it. I can't remember the other games though.

EDIR: We've been going to Sweden since about two seasons before that season as well. Pardew started it off with his Scandinavian links.

You're right, it was Spurs as we lost 2-0 I seem to remember. However, I don't remember it being the weekend before the league kicked-off. I think it was a bit earlier in the calendar.

[Hoop Blah]

Just managed to find it on the Evening Posts website and the Spurs game was the Saturday before we kicked off the season against Plymouth.

The week before that we were in Sweden winning games 8-0, 6-0, not sure if we had a third game or not. We also lost to Farnborough 2-1, and beat Didcot 7-0.

[CMRoyal]

Perhaps we let in that soft goal because we lack that little bit of extra sharpness a couple of more testing games would've provided? Who knows, I can't remember the full pre-season that seaon, although it did finish with the home friendly against Feyenood.

The Feyenoord friendly was before our debut Premiership season, not the Championship-winning year.

And we were also in Sweden that year, as I remember Bikey headbutting that geezer whilst we were over there.

Hmmm. Which year were the boys in Asia (Korea?) then? Or am I imagining that? I was sure Feyenoord was the same year, between our two Premier League seasons.

I guess the fact that we can't quite remember underlines how little a bearing they seem to have on the season - superficially, anyway.

[brendywendy]

feyenoord 1st prem season

peace cup and......villa? 2nd prem season?

[Bill Oddie's Beard]

Peace Cup was 2nd season, Villa was last season

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Just managed to find it on the Evening Posts website and the Spurs game was the Saturday before we kicked off the season against Plymouth.

The week before that we were in Sweden winning games 8-0, 6-0, not sure if we had a third game or not. We also lost to Farnborough 2-1, and beat Didcot 7-0.

Fairly similar to this pre-season then? Replace Farborough with Kettering, the Didcot result was similar, and if we lose 2-0 to Chelsea, I'm backing us to win the league at a canter again!

[brendywendy]

Peace Cup was 2nd season, Villa was last season

that was it, who was the big home friendly agaist in our 2nd season?

[CMRoyal]

Peace Cup was 2nd season, Villa was last season

So, Feyenoord before the 1st Prem season, Villa before last season...who was it before the 2nd Prem season? Seems like we tend to follow an established pattern - two or three games against non-leaguers, two or three more against inferior foreign opposition, then a relatively big game against a top-tier team.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Peace Cup was 2nd season, Villa was last season

So, Feyenoord before the 1st Prem season, Villa before last season...who was it before the 2nd Prem season? Seems like we tend to follow an established pattern - two or three games against non-leaguers, two or three more against inferior foreign opposition, then a relatively big game against a top-tier team.

We played Brenford, Brighton, and Wolves that pre-season. All away from home.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Where have you been for the last six years?

[CMRoyal]

Peace Cup was 2nd season, Villa was last season

So, Feyenoord before the 1st Prem season, Villa before last season...who was it before the 2nd Prem season? Seems like we tend to follow an established pattern - two or three games against non-leaguers, two or three more against inferior foreign opposition, then a relatively big game against a top-tier team.

We played Brenford, Brighton, and Wolves that pre-season. All away from home.

Blimey, I don't remember them. Mind you, I was in France all that summer.

[CMRoyal]

Where have you been for the last six years?

It's only since I discovered the internet about 18 months or so ago that I've found myself caring about such things. It really is a medium that brings out the inner-geek, isn't it? Prior to that, I had a rule - that I'd followed until my son was old enough to come along - that I would not start attending matches, or even taking notice of football, till September. I tried to make that August this year, but as you can see, I've failed miserably.

[Squelchy2507]

Bit more about our next opponents

http://www.expressen.se/sport/2.1726/sa ... cup-titeln

Er...I don't think we're playing the girls team.

[Snowball]

I see Rodgers says that this side had never lost to a British team
including Saints, Watford, QPR

[Snowball]

and the more I hear about Church the better he gets, (SOUNDS LIKE) a star in the making

[Ian Royal]

My points are based on attacking play and goalscoring, which is what was generally being discussed. Fair enough I wasn't really paying attention to the defence. But then I wasn't arguing that the results are meaningful. Just that the games are useful.

Ideally (as I've said) you want both. Because the lesser opposition games get your attackers into the grove more easily and once there it's easier to stay there.

Clearly better opposition games test your strikers against better defences and bring your defenders up to speed.

Preseason at this stage is about fitness and beating out the rust. Later we get the real test. And is there any point in really testing the defence right now, given it's pretty makeshift and subject to change.