We all know that Pre-Season training and friendlies help the players get back up to match fitness in time for the new season kicking off, but are they the morale booster that the players and the fans need or is it another pointless exercise with the fans shelling out their hard earned money just to see their players jog around the pitch without the winning mentality??

Aberdeen were hammered by Peterhead 4-0 in a Pre-Season friendly the other night there, this coming several days after they played Manchester United in a Glamour tie celebrating the 25th anniversary of their European Cup Winners Cup win. Now for any football fan including myself, I hate my team losing whether it is against Manchester United, Peterhead or some dodgy sounding European team that no one has ever heard of – but I do get the feeling that demanding your team to win every single game is well a bit ambitious.

Do the friendlies give the fans something to shout about? It all depends on their opponents doesn’t it? Rangers recently played against two Fourth Division German sides and scraped two victories 1-0 and 3-1 respectively, while Celtic kicked off their Pre-Season with a win over Championship side Southampton 2-0 in a testimonial. Aberdeen fans must be fearing the worst after their tie with Peterhead after being beaten convincingly 4-0 while Dundee United and Hearts had mixed fortunes over in Ireland (North and South). Hibernian were really the only team in Scotland who had anything to play for, having taken part in the Intertoto Cup but lack of match fitness and an opponent that was better than them in every respect ended their wee foray into their mid- pre-season European adventure.

So do the fans morale increase playing against Fourth Division sides and just winning? or do they increase when winning a testimonial or do they sink when they get beat by a lower league side a few miles away from you – that could be classed as a Derby match? The fans all know that you cannot take anything in the Pre-season games to heart, but in some respects it is the beginning of something more – whether that is good or bad, well we just have to wait. One thing is though I’d prefer my club to play better opponents not weaker opponents, the players need tested on every level and not by how many goals they can score against some wee diddy German side.

With the new season weeks away, many fans will be fearing the worst if their pre-season showings continue into league form, but some will be rubbing their hands in anticipation to see their clubs march to victory. But will your club sink without a trace or rise above the parapets and conquer all?

Tagged with: fans, friendlies, morale, Pre-Season, tours

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