Pre season fixtures

[RobRoy]

Match apparently arranged against Wick Academy in Wick on 25 July at 7.30pm

[WYNESS101]

What date is it we play Clach on 10th or 31st???

[Oddquine]

Match apparently arranged against Wick Academy in Wick on 25 July at 7.30pm

Hope the rain stays in Spain that day, then!

[Renegade]

What about a game against Inverness City? A game down the Bught or at the Northern Meeting Park could be a nice money spinner for them.

[Alex MacLeod]

From official site

Six-Hit as pre-season card is revealed

Caley Thistle have currently fixed up a pre-season match programme which includes visits to four Highland League clubs plus away games at two Scottish League clubs.

Skipper Richie Foran and the team will kick off at Buckie Thistle at 3 pm on Saturday, July 7, and then on the Tuesday will play Clachnacuddin at Grant Street Park, Inverness, at 7.30 pm.

The next evening, Wednesday, July 11, North champions Forres Mechanics will be the opposition at Mossett Park.

Ross Jack's Elgin City, who have former Caley Thistle centre half Jamie Duff in their side, will host Caley Jags on Saturday the 14th at 3 pm.

Brechin City, managed by former Hearts and St Johnstone player Jim Weir, will welcome us to Glebe Park on Tuesday, July 24 (7.30) and the following evening the team play Wick Academy at Harmsworth Park.

Chairman Kenny Cameron said:” There are two or three other fixtures to be finalised. This includes the possibility of playing an English Football League club at our own stadium, but discussions on this are ongoing.

"Manager Terry Butcher will be rotating his squad for this busy series of games to give players old and new the chance to be fully tuned up for the 2012-13 season."

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Well that is really going to prepare the newbies for the SPL !! I may however visit the hedge again !!

[Oddquine]

Well that is really going to prepare the newbies for the SPL !! I may however visit the hedge again !!

Is it about preparing the newbies for the SPL.....or preparing them for playing as team against any opposiiton?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Well that is really going to prepare the newbies for the SPL !! I may however visit the hedge again !!

Is it about preparing the newbies for the SPL.....or preparing them for playing as team against any opposiiton?

Now that actually does reek of total naeivity !!

[ymip]

That is an absolutely dreadful pre-season programme. How on earth is this supposed to prepare us for a season of SPL football ? We had tougher pre-seasons in Highland League days. I really do worry about where this club is heading......shakes head in disbelief......

[Yngwie]

Interestingly Ross County have gone for a very similar, low key pre-season : Brora, Turriff, Raith, Clach, Nairn, Elgin.

Both sides looking to keep travel costs down and avoid loss-making home games, I would suggest.

[caley100]

Terry Butcher says he will rotate the squad........ right...

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Interestingly Ross County have gone for a very similar, low key pre-season : Brora, Turriff, Raith, Clach, Nairn, Elgin.

Both sides looking to keep travel costs down and avoid loss-making home games, I would suggest.

But unfortunately they are staring the season with the large majority of the squad that they had last season - which means that they have less acclimatisation to deal with, are aware of each others strengths and weaknesses and have'nt exactly signed anyone particularly who has never experienced the SPL level or equivalent before. We will be signing players who may look the part at Wick or Clach but - sorry - but our previous experience is that "flaws" are not always detected in pre season training as they should be.

[+DoofersDad]

Terry Butcher says he will rotate the squad........ right...

What's the plan? Do the 11 players play in different positions each match to see which they're best in?

[bauhaus]

Hearing it could be Bristol City

[Scarlet Pimple]

Well, the punters invariably state that pre-season is for warming up and for trying out things but not necessarily for winning games.

Let's have a look at the final squad to assess it's experience before we prejudge.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Hearing it could be Bristol City

Feck me I hope it aint away and Dewsburydude is going ? But I quite fancy seeing a couple of bristols in consecutive pre-seasons.

[Alex MacLeod]

I see County are playing Coventry City at Grant Street on Wed 18th July. Wonder if they are the team we are negotiating with.

[+Gringo]

I see County are playing Coventry City Nil at Grant Street on Wed 18th July. Wonder if they are the team we are negotiating with.

Fixed it for you

[Alex MacLeod]

There was me thinking there were two teams in Coventry................Coventry City and Coventry Nil. Did they go through an extremely messy merger perchance?

[PaderbornCaley]

Lots of boring nil nil draws before the meger.

Coventry City Nil nil Coventry nil nil.

[dougal]

That line up fills me with as much excitement as it would developing a bad dose of haemorrhoids

It seems a life time ago now since we welcomed the likes of Real Sociedad or Royal Antwerp

After the disastrous preseason last year I thought it would have been a priority for the club this summer to organise at least two glamour friendlies against some quality opposition

No disrespect to the highland league teams but they are simply not good enough to provide an SPL team with meaningful workouts

Playing vastly inferior opposition achieves nothing in my book and will only result in us having a very poor start to the season when the real action starts

Dougal

[Huisdean]

What a load of nonsense some posters againput on this forum. Pre season friendlies are to get up to speed fitness wise first and foremost, then to get the playing system in place. It doesn't matter who we play or what results we get in these as long as we start the season positively.If anyone thinks that a friendly against a "bigger" team/teams will really benefit us in the season ahead, they are sadly deluding themselves.

Bigger teams would presumably also want cash guarantees for playing which is money we can ill afford.

[Tug]

have we booked a bus for the up north stuff this year, hope its got central locking....dont want another tom aldred ;0)

[PaderbornCaley]

That line up fills me with as much excitement as it would developing a bad dose of haemorrhoids

It seems a life time ago now since we welcomed the likes of Real Sociedad or Royal Antwerp

After the disastrous preseason last year I thought it would have been a priority for the club this summer to organise at least two glamour friendlies against some quality opposition

No disrespect to the highland league teams but they are simply not good enough to provide an SPL team with meaningful workouts

Playing vastly inferior opposition achieves nothing in my book and will only result in us having a very poor start to the season when the real action starts

Dougal

I agree that this is not ideal prep. Not so sure about the need for 'glamour friendlies' but at least if we are staying in Scotland, games against the likes of Falkirk, Partick Thistle etc. They are probably on par with quite a few bottom half SPL teams.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

So Coventry City it is then at TCS - anybody remember that brown and pink away strip they once had. Every time I think of it Ian Wallace and Ginger Perm seems to spring to mind ;-)