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There seems to be a growing gap appearing between what the club are telling supporters on the OS and what has been extracted from the twitter accounts of other clubs........

Whilst the OS has this:

July 4 TBC
July 8 Stoke Gabriel v United 3pm
July 12 TBC
July 14 TBC
July 18 United v Plymouth Argyle 7.30pm
July 22 TBC
July 25 Plymouth Parkway v United 7.45pm
July 28 TBC

BTPIR offers this:

July 4 Newton Spurs v United 7pm
July 8 Stoke Gabriel v United 3pm
July 14 Tiverton Town v United 7.15pm
July 18 United v Plymouth Argyle 7.30pm
July 25 Plymouth Parkway v United 7.45pm

Seems like rather a hectic schedule if they fill all the dates. 5 games in 14 days seems heavier than usual - unless the plan is for the games against Newton, Stoke Gabriel are planned to be saturated with trialists like last season.

Although, I'm down visiting family in the Bay from the evening of the 8th so I'm hoping we get a good game for the 12th. Can't see the wife being too over the moon with a trip to Tivvy that week.......

as reported Bristol City come to plainmoor

https://t.co/dboh7gfanB

12 July we are at home to Bristol City.

Only 6 weeks to go before Bristol City game - how many players have we got now 4 or is it 5 maybe we can borrow some of City's players to make up a team or perhaps we will announce to supporters 'Bring your Boots' if you fancy a game. How your meant to gel a promotion winning squad without players 6 weeks before pre-season friendly's I don't know. Oh well I guess we can all blame Nicho again! for the clubs incompetency.

Let's not panic too much. ! Couple of signings a week would do it...

MellowYellow wrote: ↑30 May 2017, 21:25 Only 6 weeks to go before Bristol City game - how many players have we got now 4 or is it 5 maybe we can borrow some of City's players to make up a team or perhaps we will announce to supporters 'Bring your Boots' if you fancy a game. How your meant to gel a promotion winning squad without players 6 weeks before pre-season friendly's I don't know. Oh well I guess we can all blame Nicho again! for the clubs incompetency.

We haven't started pre-season training yet so I can't see how there would be much gelling even if we had signed a shed load of players, they are all still on holiday!

Any players that have been signed already by other clubs fall into 2 categories, either they are desperate and so took the first offer they got or they are so good that clubs paid over the odds to beat off any competition. The vast majority will be sitting back and sifting through any offers they have received then negotiating to get the best deal they can.

As an example, the kind of players who signed in May last year? Gerring, Chaney and Hancox.

Whereas the likes of Blissett, Sparkes, Williams and McGinty didn't sign until June (all the way to the 21st in McGinty's case).

MellowYellow wrote: ↑30 May 2017, 21:25 Only 6 weeks to go before Bristol City game - how many players have we got now 4 or is it 5 maybe we can borrow some of City's players to make up a team or perhaps we will announce to supporters 'Bring your Boots' if you fancy a game. How your meant to gel a promotion winning squad without players 6 weeks before pre-season friendly's I don't know. Oh well I guess we can all blame Nicho again! for the clubs incompetency.

What an absolutely bizarre post.

Jerry wrote: ↑30 May 2017, 23:57
Whereas the likes of Blissett, Sparkes, Williams and McGinty didn't sign until June (all the way to the 21st in McGinty's case).

I acknowledge your post of 'There is no panic' In fact, you could say that the current squad of 5 players is a benefit. It allows the manager to bring in fresh quality players, as opposed to picking up a squad he doesn't think is good enough. As you rightly say we did not sign players until well into June last season.

My post was somewhat tongue in cheek to stir debate on the very nature of rebuilding a team from a squad of players primarily brought in during the month June and whether this format is the ideal having narrowly avoided relegation over the last two seasons.

However, I stand down on this topic and take your word that by the time this season starts, we will have a full squad to make up a promotion pushing team, rather than a team that will struggle . And, of course, we still have the GI checkbook and the resigning of Harrad to fall back on and I am sure Scott Corderoy will play in goal for us if Moore does not sign.

Jerry wrote: ↑30 May 2017, 23:57 Any players that have been signed already by other clubs fall into 2 categories, either they are desperate and so took the first offer they got or they are so good that clubs paid over the odds to beat off any competition. The vast majority will be sitting back and sifting through any offers they have received then negotiating to get the best deal they can. As an example, the kind of players who signed in May last year? Gerring, Chaney and Hancox. Whereas the likes of Blissett, Sparkes, Williams and McGinty didn't sign until June (all the way to the 21st in McGinty's case).

That hits the nail very succinctly on the head. The manager is in no position to spend precious resources early because that is when players have the upper hand commanding the sort of salary they believe they are worth as opposed to settling later on for the sort of salary the manager does and the break down of who signed when last summer tells a story.

Not only that the manager himself has confessed too getting it wrong last summer and in the excitement of his first ever close season, prematurely ejaculating money from the biscuit tin so that by the time the maiden finally took her clothes off he had shot his lot ~ or something like that anyway! :~D

You mean he made a cock-up!

Think that is my favourite post of yours so far Merse !

is it me on my own or is anyone else a little disappointed we only have two pre-season friendlies against bigger opposition?I would have rung up Bristol Rovers and gotten them down. In fact, we have very few preseason games at all really.

Glostergull wrote: ↑23 Jun 2017, 19:07 is it me on my own or is anyone else a little disappointed we only have two pre-season friendlies against bigger opposition?I would have rung up Bristol Rovers and gotten them down. In fact, we have very few preseason games at all really.

No its not just you, but I think the days when we got premier/1st division or championship/2nd division teams down for pre season are long gone. At the moment I am more concerned we can't even put a team out.

Was also hoping we'd get some 'money' Saturday fixtures... but both Saturdays are away to Stoke Gabriel and Weymouth. Perhaps the fact it's the holidays means it doesn't make so much difference but a stand out Saturday home game against larger opposition would have been nice. I guess all the tourning 'biggies' have their Saturday tied up already... such is the position we find ourselves in these days.

Still glad not to be in the same league as Chippenham... small comfort, I know.