So we usually host a home fixture even though they are loss making.
On that basis not sure why we bother and don’t just play away somewhere given the cost cutting has been very evident by a string of recent owners.
But I take the point the corporate hires are easy income by comparison.
I think we host them because fans like them (even if they don’t show up) and it must be good for new players to get used to the surroundings, possibly helps stadium staff get back into the swing of things a bit too. I think they’re nice overall but this season the quality of the pitch has to come first
is an argument I agree.
But if those are the real rationale you’d suffer the loss of a few thousand from corporate hires and get the pitch tended to as the priority id have thought and get the PSF benefits still.
But maybe the new floodlights will necessitate heavy plant / kit on the pitch so timing means it has to be this way.
More cynically the calibre of team we want to play want too much cash so away it must be. In which case so be it and may be the likely future pattern.
I think it’s more that the pitch didn’t have enough time to bed in last year due to the Portsmouth game so it needs fixing
But if only that you’d forgoe the modest corporate hires income too.
Corporate hire of the pitch finished last Sunday. That gives them just shy of 8 weeks before the season kicks off and a little longer depending on whether home or away first game.
I suspect they’ll have taken advice from the pitch provider and our own groundstaff as to what was needed/best to ensure it’s ready for the kick off.
I’m not sure why everything needs to questioned to the nth degree.
So we usually host a home fixture even though they are loss making.
On that basis not sure why we bother and don’t just play away somewhere given the cost cutting has been very evident by a string of recent owners.
But I take the point the corporate hires are easy income by comparison.
I think we host them because fans like them (even if they don’t show up) and it must be good for new players to get used to the surroundings, possibly helps stadium staff get back into the swing of things a bit too. I think they’re nice overall but this season the quality of the pitch has to come first
is an argument I agree.
But if those are the real rationale you’d suffer the loss of a few thousand from corporate hires and get the pitch tended to as the priority id have thought and get the PSF benefits still.
But maybe the new floodlights will necessitate heavy plant / kit on the pitch so timing means it has to be this way.
More cynically the calibre of team we want to play want too much cash so away it must be. In which case so be it and may be the likely future pattern.
I think it’s more that the pitch didn’t have enough time to bed in last year due to the Portsmouth game so it needs fixing
But if only that you’d forgoe the modest corporate hires income too.
Corporate hire of the pitch finished last Sunday. That gives them just shy of 8 weeks before the season kicks off and a little longer depending on whether home or away first game.
I suspect they’ll have taken advice from the pitch provider and our own groundstaff as to what was needed/best to ensure it’s ready for the kick off.
I’m not sure why everything needs to questioned to the nth degree.
Because :
1. the pitch looked (relatively) poor well before the end of season
2. the club admitted it had problems
3. we usually have a home PSF
5. others suggested the club ignored advice last season and hosted Portsmouth (?) when they should not
6. seems odd to chase small revenue from hires if the pitch is the priority
7. todays announcements suggest we are still negotiating who we will play and when when you might expect that to be set up further in advance
So we usually host a home fixture even though they are loss making.
On that basis not sure why we bother and don’t just play away somewhere given the cost cutting has been very evident by a string of recent owners.
But I take the point the corporate hires are easy income by comparison.
I think we host them because fans like them (even if they don’t show up) and it must be good for new players to get used to the surroundings, possibly helps stadium staff get back into the swing of things a bit too. I think they’re nice overall but this season the quality of the pitch has to come first
is an argument I agree.
But if those are the real rationale you’d suffer the loss of a few thousand from corporate hires and get the pitch tended to as the priority id have thought and get the PSF benefits still.
But maybe the new floodlights will necessitate heavy plant / kit on the pitch so timing means it has to be this way.
More cynically the calibre of team we want to play want too much cash so away it must be. In which case so be it and may be the likely future pattern.
I think it’s more that the pitch didn’t have enough time to bed in last year due to the Portsmouth game so it needs fixing
But if only that you’d forgoe the modest corporate hires income too.
Corporate hire of the pitch finished last Sunday. That gives them just shy of 8 weeks before the season kicks off and a little longer depending on whether home or away first game.
I suspect they’ll have taken advice from the pitch provider and our own groundstaff as to what was needed/best to ensure it’s ready for the kick off.
I’m not sure why everything needs to questioned to the nth degree.
The annual work on the pitch started at least a week ago as I was chatting to the groundstaff last Friday.
The work this summer is far less substantial, they said, than last summer as the major work was done then. Only a few inches, rather than feet last year, are being removed.
Bloody annoying, and I think unnecessary to have the Slovenia game behind closed doors. I cannot see many travelling from either club, plus the guys that would go would certainly not be trouble makers. I always see a pre-season an opportunity to go to new places.
League 1 and 2 start the week before the Championship so won’t be anyone from those divisions. Same for the Scottish divisions.
Unless we get an away trip to a Premier League side (which I’d be surprised if we did), then it could just end up being a fellow Championship club or behind closed doors game against a Prem U21 side.
Bloody annoying, and I think unnecessary to have the Slovenia game behind closed doors. I cannot see many travelling from either club, plus the guys that would go would certainly not be trouble makers. I always see a pre-season an opportunity to go to new places.
Assuming it's at the same place as last year, the pitch is surrounded by a fence that you can look straight through. However, it wasn't a behind closed doors friendly last season and fans were able to stand on the side of the pitch.
So we usually host a home fixture even though they are loss making.
On that basis not sure why we bother and don’t just play away somewhere given the cost cutting has been very evident by a string of recent owners.
But I take the point the corporate hires are easy income by comparison.
I think we host them because fans like them (even if they don’t show up) and it must be good for new players to get used to the surroundings, possibly helps stadium staff get back into the swing of things a bit too. I think they’re nice overall but this season the quality of the pitch has to come first
is an argument I agree.
But if those are the real rationale you’d suffer the loss of a few thousand from corporate hires and get the pitch tended to as the priority id have thought and get the PSF benefits still.
But maybe the new floodlights will necessitate heavy plant / kit on the pitch so timing means it has to be this way.
More cynically the calibre of team we want to play want too much cash so away it must be. In which case so be it and may be the likely future pattern.
I think it’s more that the pitch didn’t have enough time to bed in last year due to the Portsmouth game so it needs fixing
But if only that you’d forgoe the modest corporate hires income too.
Corporate hire of the pitch finished last Sunday. That gives them just shy of 8 weeks before the season kicks off and a little longer depending on whether home or away first game.
I suspect they’ll have taken advice from the pitch provider and our own groundstaff as to what was needed/best to ensure it’s ready for the kick off.
I’m not sure why everything needs to questioned to the nth degree.
Don't think Hibs could fit us in. Their Europa League campaign starts July 24th and the SPL on August 3rd. They have four friendlies before that between July 5th and 19th.
It will be a relatively local championship team away, one we're not playing in the first 6 weeks of the season ideally, so we might be holding out until the fixtures come out to officially arrange it
Hopefully the first game of the season ends up being a bit of a tune up for the league, Portsmouth Away for instance
Would assume we tried to find a better game and failed. This is where I don’t see why pre-season games against teams in the same league aren’t more common. What better way to prepare for a championship season than play against a championship team
Playing a team in your league is a no no for me. Lose/don’t play well and the usual over the top reaction would be even worse. It’s ok if it’s behind closed doors and early on like when we played Orient a few years ago in Spain, but Portsmouth away would be poor (as well as the fact the fans are going there anyway in the normal season)
Comments
I suspect they’ll have taken advice from the pitch provider and our own groundstaff as to what was needed/best to ensure it’s ready for the kick off.
1. the pitch looked (relatively) poor well before the end of season
2. the club admitted it had problems
3. we usually have a home PSF
5. others suggested the club ignored advice last season and hosted Portsmouth (?) when they should not
6. seems odd to chase small revenue from
hires if the pitch is the priority
7. todays announcements suggest we are still negotiating who we will play and when when you might expect that to be set up further in advance
The work this summer is far less substantial, they said, than last summer as the major work was done then. Only a few inches, rather than feet last year, are being removed.
I cannot see many travelling from either club, plus the guys that would go would certainly not be trouble makers.
I always see a pre-season an opportunity to go to new places.
The Rangers fan in you would have to say that
https://www.charltonafc.com/news/addicks-conclude-pre-season-southend
Hopefully the first game of the season ends up being a bit of a tune up for the league, Portsmouth Away for instance
They will think he’s the nuts after the worldie he scored at their place in the cup.
https://www.charltonafc.com/news/addicks-face-ipswich-town-pre-season-friendly