pre - season friendlies

Hugh Watt wrote:

Angry wrote:

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Elburton Villa,  Bideford, Bath City, Torquay United so far

not exactly going to test the team much are they which is the whole point of these games on top of building up team cohesion and fitness

building up team cohesion and fitness is the whole point of pre-season

Yes, winning is just for the other team

I'd rather we sent our team on tricky trips to Lower Championship sides, they got tonked 4-1 and chased the ball for 90 minutes, getting fit, than doing the same thing to sides well below their level.

I hear what you are saying but I'm not so sure. I saw Argyle play Real Oviedo at Home Park back when Colin was i/c. I think we lost about 5-0 and our lot barely got a touch of the ball throughout. As a fitness exercise I suppose it was invaluable but as a confidence booster it was a sickener.

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

I hear what you are saying but I'm not so sure. I saw Argyle play Real Oviedo at Home Park back when Colin was i/c. I think we lost about 5-0 and our lot barely got a touch of the ball throughout. As a fitness exercise I suppose it was invaluable but as a confidence booster it was a sickener.

But i imagine Warnock learnt far more about his team's weaknesses and what to do to strengthen them in time for the season with that result and performance than he ever would have from hammering bideford.

North Devon Greens Proudly present Meet The New Argyle Derek Adams For a Q&A

Saturday 18th July 1.45pm for 2pm start at Robins Nest - Bideford AFC

This will be held in Robins Nest Downstairs Function Room Plenty of space for The Green Army

Please come along with questions ready

Following The Q&A - Pre Season Friendly : Bideford AFC vs Plymouth Argyle 1st Team 3pm KO

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

I hear what you are saying but I'm not so sure. I saw Argyle play Real Oviedo at Home Park back when Colin was i/c. I think we lost about 5-0 and our lot barely got a touch of the ball throughout. As a fitness exercise I suppose it was invaluable but as a confidence booster it was a sickener.

Yes, I remember that game. Bizarrely I now own a share in Real Oviedo (along with a few thousand other people worldwide). They were promoted into the second tier at the end of last season.

Angry wrote:

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

I hear what you are saying but I'm not so sure. I saw Argyle play Real Oviedo at Home Park back when Colin was i/c. I think we lost about 5-0 and our lot barely got a touch of the ball throughout. As a fitness exercise I suppose it was invaluable but as a confidence booster it was a sickener.

But i imagine Warnock learnt far more about his team's weaknesses and what to do to strengthen them in time for the season with that result and performance than he ever would have from hammering bideford.

I don't think so. The gulf in class was such that it was a complete waste of time from our point of view.

Real Oviedo weren't so much on a different planet as in their own solar system.

It was a confidence destroying hard slog and nothing more. We went on to lose our first 5 games that season so results suggest the immediate impact can hardly have helped.

At least playing Bideford is good local PR but apart from it being a gentle start playing Bideford probably doesn't do us much good either.

Who would be perfect opponents? Maybe a PL youth team or Div 1 team or Conference team, I suppose, because we can hardly play teams in our division.