Pre-Season

[Jamie_M]

 

 

[irnbru]

Was there not a mention of an 150th anniversary game? Might have been a good earner before the season starts. 

[AyrshireTon]

We’re going to get all of those teams in our League Cup group now, aren’t we?

[Jamie_M]

Didn't realise last season's pre-season games were over 2 legs.

[LargsTON]

It's almost like the club are trying to get us to not buy season tickets 

[TRVMP]

Some laugh if we end up playing the 150th anniversary game against Motherwell B or something in November. 

[dunning1874]

If there's a season where it would be less appealing to have the routinely requested tour of either the Highlands or Ireland it's this one, when half the support will be either skint from or possibly still in Germany, but at least throw in some Ayrshire outfit away from home.

Who would we have a glamour friendly against for the 150th anniversary anyway? Chelsea since they're our only European opponent, but they'd be sending a youth team? A return of Zenit is obviously not happening for many reasons just now.

[Greacen2000]

In my opinion it’s quite a sensible (if uninspiring) choice to arrange games that we will expect to win but that should be competitive too. 
 

Highland tour etc - fun for the fans who follow the team on the tour, but would likely cost the club than these 3 home fixtures and probably not offer as much in terms of the balance I mentioned between competitiveness & winnability.

Glamour ties against higher level opposition - again, fun for the fans plus could be a decent money spinner (although realistically we are never going to get massive crowds for any pre-season friendly) but as others have mentioned it would likely end up with us playing against a bunch of academy players as opposed to anything approaching a first team squad. 
 

I do still really hope that the club are working on a special exhibition match for the anniversary, but IMO that is less important than getting some games in the calendar which will get the squad ready for the season ahead

[vikingTON]

You can't really write off 'fun for the fans' as not important when you're trying to flog a new kit line, get early bird season ticket money in, want increased MCT contributions

Sparking interest and enthusiasm for next season is key to getting those resources and when you are currently struggling to pitch likely progress next season due to key departures from the squad, this is the area you need to offer instead. 

There is absolutely no significant preparatory or financial benefit from playing the Annan game at Cappielow instead of down there. It's just an open goal missed. 

[Greacen2000]

1 hour ago, vikingTON said:

You can't really write off 'fun for the fans' as not important when you're trying to flog a new kit line, get early bird season ticket money in, want increased MCT contributions

Sparking interest and enthusiasm for next season is key to getting those resources and when you are currently struggling to pitch likely progress next season due to key departures from the squad, this is the area you need to offer instead. 

There is absolutely no significant preparatory or financial benefit from playing the Annan game at Cappielow instead of down there. It's just an open goal missed. 

I certainly wouldn’t write it off as unimportant - just saying that it’s less important than how useful the fixture will be in preparing us for the season ahead.

[Chicken_Soup]

3 hours ago, vikingTON said:

You can't really write off 'fun for the fans' as not important when you're trying to flog a new kit line, get early bird season ticket money in, want increased MCT contributions

Sparking interest and enthusiasm for next season is key to getting those resources and when you are currently struggling to pitch likely progress next season due to key departures from the squad, this is the area you need to offer instead. 

There is absolutely no significant preparatory or financial benefit from playing the Annan game at Cappielow instead of down there. It's just an open goal missed. 

Those willing to travel to the highlands for a pre season tour have already bought their season tickets. Morton heading on the oft suggested tour does nothing to entice those on the fence about buying one. The only people who benefit are those already totally invested. 

[Toby]

1 hour ago, Chicken_Soup said:

Those willing to travel to the highlands for a pre season tour have already bought their season tickets. Morton heading on the oft suggested tour does nothing to entice those on the fence about buying one. The only people who benefit are those already totally invested. 

I’ve not yet bought my season ticket. I’d love a trip to the Highlands to see Morton.

[HamCam]

Another missed opportunity. Despite all the words we still appear to take one step forward and two back when we want to engage fans. Aside from the strip most of the offerings, so far, to mark the 150th have been run of the mill/not worth the bother. None of the friendlies will encourage me to make the trip to Cappielow.

[vikingTON]

2 hours ago, Chicken_Soup said:

Those willing to travel to the highlands for a pre season tour have already bought their season tickets. Morton heading on the oft suggested tour does nothing to entice those on the fence about buying one. The only people who benefit are those already totally invested. 

 

1 hour ago, Toby said:

I’ve not yet bought my season ticket. I’d love a trip to the Highlands to see Morton.

And me too. 

3 hours ago, Greacen2000 said:

I certainly wouldn’t write it off as unimportant - just saying that it’s less important than how useful the fixture will be in preparing us for the season ahead.

But there's no actual trade-off between those two points when your key preparation games are against a bunch of seaside league jobbers. 

[Chicken_Soup]

6 hours ago, Toby said:

I’ve not yet bought my season ticket. I’d love a trip to the Highlands to see Morton.

Fair, but I doubt the conversation rate of a highland tour vs our existing fixtures would yield increased profitability. 

[vikingTON]

7 hours ago, Chicken_Soup said:

Fair, but I doubt the conversation rate of a highland tour vs our existing fixtures would yield increased profitability. 

Nobody is suggesting that the total number of season tickets sold will be paid for by pre-season games. The actual purpose of having a pre-season that isn't completely gubbins is to increase early purchases of various club products - by actually providing a reason to anticipate the following season - and above all to add an incentive to buy the new, assorted club tat that it is unveiled every 12 months. 

As it is, the club's signal is that nothing of interest will be happening here until at least the League Cup group begins. Which means that if people end up spending their pounds elsewhere by the middle of July, then that money ultimately will not be going to the club at all. 

A further purpose is to generate and/or sustain enthusiasm within the 'existing' fanbase. I haven't been on a Highland tour but I know that it is an event that is easily recalled by many who were there 20 years ago. Ditto the northern England trips a few years later. They don't all loyally go to every game now of course - but they hung around for a good while longer than had Dougie organised a parade of home games v Livingston. I was talking to someone on Monday who doesn't attend games any more whose first point of interest was whether the club had announced any (worthwhile) pre-season games. It has a real impact. 

The club need to recognise that they are not actually dealing with a captive market: it is competing to retain and develop interest for engaging with its 'products'. And when you're rightly counselling patience as a club on the signing front right now, the most effective strategy for doing that is in fact to have something to offer in pre-season that isn't utterly predictable dogshit. 

[TONofmemories]

3 hours ago, vikingTON said:

Nobody is suggesting that the total number of season tickets sold will be paid for by pre-season games. The actual purpose of having a pre-season that isn't completely gubbins is to increase early purchases of various club products - by actually providing a reason to anticipate the following season - and above all to add an incentive to buy the new, assorted club tat that it is unveiled every 12 months. 

As it is, the club's signal is that nothing of interest will be happening here until at least the League Cup group begins. Which means that if people end up spending their pounds elsewhere by the middle of July, then that money ultimately will not be going to the club at all. 

A further purpose is to generate and/or sustain enthusiasm within the 'existing' fanbase. I haven't been on a Highland tour but I know that it is an event that is easily recalled by many who were there 20 years ago. Ditto the northern England trips a few years later. They don't all loyally go to every game now of course - but they hung around for a good while longer than had Dougie organised a parade of home games v Livingston. I was talking to someone on Monday who doesn't attend games any more whose first point of interest was whether the club had announced any (worthwhile) pre-season games. It has a real impact. 

The club need to recognise that they are not actually dealing with a captive market: it is competing to retain and develop interest for engaging with its 'products'. And when you're rightly counselling patience as a club on the signing front right now, the most effective strategy for doing that is in fact to have something to offer in pre-season that isn't utterly predictable dogshit. 

This. Small details i know, but it really sets the tone. So far (and at the risk of sounding incredibly negative and getting caught up in the usual closed season madness) we had: 

• Best players leaving, or about to leave;
• No word on the players offered deals and, even then, they're not exactly inspiring;
• Strapp allegedly offered reduced terms, which is fucking madness, but i believe it was Dougie who didn't want him last season so it doesn't come as a massive surprise but we're not in a position to be wasting players like Strapp;
• A mixed message telegraph article with Dale, which is contradictory if we're going to sign who i was told we will;
• Linked with uninspiring signings, albeit its far to soon to really judge that, so keen not to let it get out of control;
• A pish set of pre-season friendlies, all of which we could end up drawing in the cup groups. 

We want to shift season tickets and new strips (which is a belter), but we're not working at our optimum IMO to gather positive traction. Yes, the fans might be generating the negative narrative and i'm aware the above is just that, but the club have a chance to start fresh and really build something especially with a believed increased budget. I hate to reference Raith Rovers, but they managed 90% of their positivity through good engagement and luckily a winning team. 

[Greacen2000]

19 hours ago, vikingTON said:

But there's no actual trade-off between those two points when your key preparation games are against a bunch of seaside league jobbers. 

Seaside league jobbers they may be, but IMO much closer in standard to who we will be coming up against this season than the likes of Huntly or Banks o' Dee and therefore better prep for the season ahead.

I'm not in any way against a pre-season highland tour and wouldn't have had a problem if we had arranged one - just saying I am ok with the route we have went down (when weighing up all the aforementioned factors).

I am also not convinced that who we play pre-season has much tangible effect on merch & season ticket sales

[Madton]

2 hours ago, TONofmemories said:

This. Small details i know, but it really sets the tone. So far (and at the risk of sounding incredibly negative and getting caught up in the usual closed season madness) we had: 

• Best players leaving, or about to leave;
• No word on the players offered deals and, even then, they're not exactly inspiring;
• Strapp allegedly offered reduced terms, which is fucking madness, but i believe it was Dougie who didn't want him last season so it doesn't come as a massive surprise but we're not in a position to be wasting players like Strapp;
• A mixed message telegraph article with Dale, which is contradictory if we're going to sign who i was told we will;
• Linked with uninspiring signings, albeit its far to soon to really judge that, so keen not to let it get out of control;
• A pish set of pre-season friendlies, all of which we could end up drawing in the cup groups. 

We want to shift season tickets and new strips (which is a belter), but we're not working at our optimum IMO to gather positive traction. Yes, the fans might be generating the negative narrative and i'm aware the above is just that, but the club have a chance to start fresh and really build something especially with a believed increased budget. I hate to reference Raith Rovers, but they managed 90% of their positivity through good engagement and luckily a winning team. 

Who were you told we are signing?

[TONofmemories]

1 hour ago, Madton said:

Who were you told we are signing?

Tom Walsh. 

 

ETA: apparently he's been invited to prove that he's fit as hes still doing rehab from a knee injury, but deal on table if he can prove so.