Pre-season friendly

[Darc Tiger]

So according to what we have scraped together, we have friendlies with Montpellier, Castres, Nottingham and Munster.

Some great games in there. I hope to get to some of them before I leave Leicester... Sad times...

[dailywaffle]

BJ, the Ickle testimonial match was last season.

There was speculation about playing one of the regions in August, but nothing worth hanging your hat on.

[G.K]

So 11 of the GP clubs have announced their pre-season friendlies. I wonder which one hasn't?

Agreed I'm pretty annoyed with the continual lack of information that comes from LFC apart from when they want to blow their own trumpet or sell something. To me LFC often appear to treat their supporters almost with contempt.

[me2]

How many of the other 11 GP clubs are currently completely re-building their main stand and therefore have other non-playing issues to contend with before being able to confirm their pre-season schedule?



So long as the club confirm any pre-season games before the date of the game I don't really see what the problem is!

The game (should it happen) is still more than 6 weeks away.

[Kinoulton]

It all does sound a bit lax.

I know sport-that-must-not-be-mentioned starts ridiculously early, but my "other" team which is NFFC have already played at Sporting Lisbon in a pre-season friendly which they won in front of 300 travelling fans.

This is the sort of thing that really whet's your appetite for the coming season and is by no means trivial.

Tigers should be whipping up a bit of fervour right now, not staying quiet.

[me2]

BJ, my point was not that everyone was involved in building the new stand but more the point that the building of the new stand was influencing what else could go on and when!




There will be no other home pre-season games other than the one vs Munster.


For away pre-season games in France the Tigers "crowd" usually numbers the low teens so there really aren't that many people who will be affected by the timing of any announcement.

For away pre-season games in the UK, flights do not need to be booked and accommodation will also not sell out. I would expect that you can do Nottingham & back inside a day without the need for a hotel for example.

[me2]

On the FYI front, don't forget that last season's Nottingham pre-season game was cancelled not that long before the date of the match so even if the games are "confirmed" officially that doesn't 100% guarantee that they will be going ahead.


Maybe that is why the club are holding back on announcing the "confirmed" dates for the 2 pre-season games in France?

[G.K]

Seems some people lead such boring lives they can get to matches with a few days notice whilst having no consideration for those that may have other things to do and so need to plan ahead (yes I mean you me2).

I suppose that best thing is for me to just scrub around attending any pre-season matches on the basis that if LFC can't be bothered to let us know when they are then I can't be bothered to go.

[me2]

Not quite barson.

I take the approach that, until I hear otherwise, I plan well in advance for the game(s) to take place on the dates that have been rumoured and then, once they are confirmed officially, change any plans as necessary.


I would rather do it that way & know that once confirmed officially that things are pretty much set in stone rather than adopting the policy that some others would prefer (and I am referring to you here barson) where you want everything "confirmed" months in advance when there is in fact still a chance that such confirmation is worthless due to outside factors!



As I have said previously, when games have been "confirmed" well in advance before by the club they have sometimes been cancelled (eg Nottingham last season). When kick off times have been "confirmed" well in advance they have been changed (eg numerous Sky games). Even venues have changed after being "confirmed" well in advance (eg Bristol at home last season).



If the club had "confirmed" the pre-season schedule a month ago and then been forced into a late change due to the ground not being ready, the opposition not being available or possibly the fixture not being considered necessary and you had booked travel on the basis of that confirmation would you have complained?

I am willing to bet that you would!



Personally I am willing to wait until the 'i's are dotted & the 't's crossed before the games are confirmed so that I can be sure that any plans are not going to get messed around. I am guessing that you are simply not that patient.

[Tigerbeat]

As Rizzo posted previously, Gary Sherrard has said that an announcement of pre-season fixtures will be announced when they are confirmed.

I have had the same response

[G.K]

me2 - As is so often the case with you sort of people you have distorted and misreprensented what I have said. I suggest you apply for a job in Government.

At no point did I say that I wanted confirmation of fixtures "months" in advance merely to the same timescale as the rest of the GP clubs seem able to do and communicate.

Alas for some (as BJ has already pointed out - but obviously you don't get it) it's not possible for everyone to make late adjustments to plans (except at significant cost) especially where those plans involve pre-booking trains and boats and planes (song somewhere in there) and hotels.

One thing we can agree on though is that if LFC wish to continue with a policy of late confirmation of dates/times of fixtures then I for one won't be at many of them!

[me2]

barson, as I have previously pointed out (but which you obviously didn't get) the number of people who travel to the away pre-season games in places such as France usually number in the teens.

Therefore the inconvenience to that very small minority of delaying an announcement is far outweighed by the desire of the club to accurately inform the significant majority of Tigers fans who would instead choose to attend only the more accessible (ie UK-based) pre-season games.



Sale, who are in the French pre-season tournament with Tigers, have so far only confirmed the dates and oppositions for their 2 French matches. They haven't yet officially confirmed either the kick-off times or the location(s) of the matches, meaning that Sale fans cannot yet book travel with any degree of certainty either at this stage.


The Sale "info" can be found here:
http://www.salesharks.com/news/kingsley ... ason-games

(Note the lack of location and kick-off time in their article).


I have no desire to work in Goverment but I would suggest that you should look to apply for a job in press/marketing as you clearly think you know how to do things far better than the incumbents and I am sure that they would appreciate your expert advice.

[Kinoulton]

BJ, I commend you for choosing two metaphors that allow you to get "fruit" and "nuts" into the same sentence.

Very slick.

[Darc Tiger]

Merc confirms friendlies away at Montpellier, Castres and Nottingham. One unconfirmed fixture, and a home game against Munster.

Speaking of Montpellier, how is Ollie getting on? Not heard much about him.