this past pre-season

[moosed]

did we ever find out why we had such a weird pre-season with so little fixtures and first team players playing in them ? I'm sure its ultimately contributed to our slow start this season.

 

[Boss_Blue]

Because Martinez is a crap manager, our coaching staff, fitness experts and physio's don't have a clue, the players are lazy and aren't playing for the shirt, we wasted all our money on one player instead of replacing our entire defensive back line when it was obvious that they were going to be awful this season.



Or it may have been because most of our squad took part in a World Cup.




I've no idea really.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

Because Martinez is a crap manager, our coaching staff, fitness experts and physio's don't have a clue, the players are lazy and aren't playing for the shirt, we wasted all our money on one player instead of replacing our entire defensive back line when it was obvious that they were going to be awful this season.



Or it may have been because most of our squad took part in a World Cup.




I've no idea really.

Nearly negged, and then I scrolled down.



Probably be the World Cup and no good enough opportunities for a money spinning tour.

 

[Boss_Blue]

Nearly negged, and then I scrolled down.

I'm disappointed that you almost thought I was being serious.

Only whoppers believe the first bit and I would have retali-negged with fire and brimstone for putting me in the same class as those meff heads.

 

[Aberblue]

Because Martinez is a crap manager, our coaching staff, fitness experts and physio's don't have a clue, the players are lazy and aren't playing for the shirt, we wasted all our money on one player instead of replacing our entire defensive back line when it was obvious that they were going to be awful this season.
Or it may have been because most of our squad took part in a World Cup.

I've no idea really.

Other teams had players in the World Cup too, though.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Other teams had players in the World Cup too, though.

And a lot of them haven't started the best either - Chelsea is the only team with significant numbers of World Cup players thta has started the season well.

Chelsea had as low key a preseason as we did, they just didn't get a load of injuries to their best players.

 

[Boss_Blue]

Other teams had players in the World Cup too, though.

Yeah lid and other teams had crap pre seasons as well and some others had good ones.

The World Cup disrupted our preperations whereas at Man Utd (as one example) they had the squad numbers to make it appear that they were having a great pre season.

Hasn't been plain sailing for them so far though has it?

For what it's worth I don't think our dodgy pre season is the main factor behind our dodgy start (although it clearly played a part during the first couple of games), rather it's the perplexing lapses in decision making being made by individuals in key positions when we are under pressure.

Also I was being a little tongue in cheek as well because it irritates me how some on the forum can see things so black and white.

Pre season wasn't ideal, individual errors are frustrating but we've also been hit with a clusterfk of injuries that have prevented us from getting up and running this season.

 

[Khalekan]

And a lot of them haven't started the best either - Chelsea is the only team with significant numbers of World Cup players thta has started the season well.

Chelsea had as low key a preseason as we did, they just didn't get a load of injuries to their best players.

And I will keep pointing out that the RS and the Mancs had a tremendous "pre-season" and they have looked no better than we have.

They just haven't committed hari kari to slit their own throats in three or four games the way we have.

 

[Minimeister]

Can't really blame the world cup for messing up our preparations. We didn't seem to have any. We were arranging matches a couple of weeks before they happened. I've never known us do that before.

 

[royalblue66]

Can't really blame the world cup for messing up our preparations. We didn't seem to have any. We were arranging matches a couple of weeks before they happened. I've never known us do that before.

Moyes wouldn't have done that.

 

[Boss_Blue]

Can't really blame the world cup for messing up our preparations. We didn't seem to have any. We were arranging matches a couple of weeks before they happened. I've never known us do that before.

It definitely contributed though as if there had been no tournament we would have and a longer, more organised pre season.

We definitely didn't handle the disruption well but neither did a lot of sides which has impacted on their form thus far this season (as @LinekersLegs has already mentioned).

 

[Christiffa25]

did we ever find out why we had such a weird pre-season with so little fixtures and first team players playing in them ? I'm sure its ultimately contributed to our slow start this season.

Whilst I tend to agree with the statement. On the other hand you can look at the likes of liverpool and UTD who had very good pre-seasons, yet average starts to the season. With don't forget a lot less demanding fixtures than we'v had so far.

 

[Kiwi]

I tend towards thinking that it was a way to keep the squad fairly capable of dealing on all fronts. Obviously injuries have kind of sent our season all skewiff but that hasn't been down to the preseason.
Brainfarts and injuries have cost us this season so far but we will turn it around.

 

[Groucho]

It's probably a combination of too few games, the actual games of the WC, and then the delayed and staggered return to training for half the squad. Add in injuries to six starting players and European games, and you have a slow start to the season.

 

[Jags..class]

The idea was to get less injuries by not having over-worked players, and tiredness can cause injuries, but we have has so many injuries so its didn't help us.