There are factors that are within our control, or should be, and how we manage them increase or decrease our chances. Key players sodding off 6 weeks prior to the season starting decreases our chances. If you're a fan of the Olympics I assume you like the spirit of it. If this is true can you answer me why you couldn't get behind a football team of semi-professionals or a youth team, or a team of trial lists looking for a club?
I would if they were playing in the olympics, but they are not so I support the ones who are there now.
Rubbish, the players weren't chosen as they are not good enough to be in the team according to Pearce.
This Olympics is going to be a showcase of Footall's future. Spain will demo what the rest of the world are going have to come to terms with in years to come. By all reports, Brazil is sending a team packed full of flair and talent. When those two meet it's going to be a fascinating collision of styles. Our team, our Welsh future, and our Swans in particular, will be measured against these standards. We will get to see how in-line or behind the curve we really are. We will get to see Allen and Ramsay against the best young players in the world and allow us to see whether we really have a generation of the calibre of Charles and Allchurch in the making. I am looking forward to it. Yes, there are risks in this process for us as a club, but this is special, this is worth those risks. IMO.
D That's what the u-21 football championships are for Sorry, I'll shut up about this now as I'm probably doing your heads in. Knackered; agree with you about the Olympics...they've lost track of what it was meant to be about and the event would benefit from focusing it's energy and resources on those sports that need it.
We can't go through in the under21s though as we enter it under our national sides, so the only time we can enter the Olympics under TeamGB is if we are the host nation, unless something changes in the qualification in the olympics in the future.
i hope there is a team GB at any age in the future, its the only time we will ever see welsh players on the big stage with any certainty...
Valley you say it will have little impact as they know the players already. Correct me if i am wrong but isn't laudrup shipping some players out and bringing in maybe upto 6 players. One a centre back. So taylor will never have played along side him until first game of the season, new attacking midfield player neither Sinclair or Allen will play along side him till first game against QPR and you say that wont have an impact. Player get to know how each one plays and that comes from actually playing alongside each other in games. If, pre season isnt that important why have one. This Tournament is going to be to the detrement of SCFC and I for one dont want it. Lets see if people change their tunes if because of this and a lack of understanding between old and new players we lose our first few games. Valley can i ask have you played football to a highish standard (if that makes sense). I have played to conference standard (a long time ago i might add) and i can not start to tell you how important pre season is and how it molds your season. Yes points are gained over the whole season, but the teams we are playing at the start and ones we would expect to beat and need to beat if we have any hope of staying up. Still happy to be proved wrong, well i hope so anyway. They are there now and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Pre season are 3 games only, and this is no different as to bringing in siggy or borini in through in January or players we bring in on the last day of a transfer window. Or emergency loan players we can bring in, they are professional players they mould into the team as the season goes on, not in Pre-season meaningless games where they play for a first half then changed all for the second. I am sorry but you asking have I ever played football doesn't mean anything, I am not playing now apart from 5 a-side on occasion, so I fail to see what you are trying achieve with the question, I know how pre season works I have been to enough of them
I don't see what all the fuss is about, the players we have in team GB, won't miss much with pre-season, and will come back with some great experience at a higher level in the Olympics, so chill those of you that are fretting! The new Laudrup signings will of course benefit from some pre-season games, and getting to know our squad and game, so can we all chill out please.............. With regards to the political debate, back some pages now, started by our illustrious Mabon Glyndŵr (thank you Mabon) this whole issue has got me thinking, and as we now have a Dane in charge, thought it was interesting to take a look and comparison, of Denmark and Wales! While wales has a population of some 3.1 Million, and the Denmark population is 5.3 Million both countries are relatively small, though granted Denmark's land mass is twice that of Wales, what is interesting is that Denmark's GDP is roughly £132 Billion, and successful, while Wales GDP (£50 Billion) has been on a slow decline for some years, mostly due to the decline in GDP from West Wales and the Valleys. Time and again, and far too often, public sector schemes fail to become self-sustaining and fold as soon as their funding streams dry up. If change is not realised, and the public sector domination of the social and economic agenda continues with little input from private enterprise, Wales will be destined to remain at the lowest levels of United Kingdom and European prosperity. Sadly, the latest EU figures highlight that, of the 66 regions that received both Objective 1 and convergence funding, 57 of them became relatively wealthier, including regions of Greece, Latvia, Slovakia and Spain. Nine regions—that is, west Wales and the Valleys, two regions of Portugal, four regions of southern Italy, and Malta—were the only regions to receive this funding and become relatively poorer. While it's clear to anyone with the slightest knowledge of welsh prosperity or rather the lack of it, that the Welsh government has failed to effectively use EU funding to help raise the relative GDP of the West Wales and the Valleys region, surely we in Wales can learn an awful lot from the Dane now in charge at the Liberty, on and off the field, Denmark is a very successful model that Wales could well look to emulate, as evidence of what a small nation can achieve. Denmark is one of the most competitive economies in the world, helped by the fact that it stands out as one of the most free in the Index of Economic Freedom. Denmark has the most free labour market in Europe. The World Bank ranks Denmark as the easiest place in Europe to do business, and that surely should be the objective of the Welsh assembly, what we need are true leaders with vision and drive, to motivate the Welsh Nation, not send it to sleep. So fitting that we should now have a Dane in charge at the liberty, perhaps we can install a Dane in charge of the Welsh Assembly too!.....................
I dont want to argue with anyone over this, but if pre season is 3 meaningless games then they wouldnt bother having one. The whole of pre season is building towards deciding your starting 11, getting new players used to each other and getting used to possible new formations, along with other things, as you quite well know as you say you have been through many of them. But to say they are meaningless is nonsens. How will laudrup get to know these players, their abilities, their personalities, by a video. Pre season is majorly important part of the build up to a season and being able to hit the ground running. I personally think that this nonsense competion is going to hinder the effectiveness of our start to the season. I appogies if you think i was being terse with what i said earlier, but having been in the professional game i know the importance that all professional clubs put on pre seaon.
Our success has lead to our best young players being picked for the olympics which shows how far we have come. We`ve had players injured in pre season and even warming up before a game so if we did`nt take some risks we would`nt leave the house. But i can see how it may affect the bonding of the team with a new manager "again" and new players coming in, but thats something the club has to decide on unless they have no choice in it ? are they being dictated to by the f.a. ? or a bit of emotional blackmail from the players & agents who want an olympic selection on thier c.v. ? or have they decided its not a problem and condone it with all the ramifications to welsh football independance that may (or may not )come with it ? There are pros- rasing swansea`s profile in the worlds psyche and it will be intresting to watch it with our players taking part on a world stage etc. The cons are - Injury,cards against,lack of pre season bonding,any threat to Welsh f.a. independance, being in the shop window for other clubs to take an intrest in them etc. Like it or not it`s yet another decission us fans will have no influence on as with most things at S.C.F.C. we have to just grin and bear it or relax and enjoy another new part in our clubs journey onwards and upwards.
Do not kid yourselves for **** sake, if England had not been making twats of themselves in the Euro's( so i am told) not one of our players would have made the squad. Yes we have come a long way but our players are only playing second fiddle, what is also galling here with this is if they get booked and banned and the ban runs over the length of the olympics they will be banned for our World cup qualifiers, and england with none of their first teamers involved in this tournament have a clean slate to start. all for the privelege of playing for the England under 23 football team cheeky twats
