Bolton to play Barcelona!

Barcelona B team that is!

Bolton Wanderers have added another fixture to their pre-season schedule, with FC Barcelona B visiting the Reebok Stadium on Friday 10 August (8pm kick-off).

The friendly will be the final match of pre-season ahead of the Championship opener against Burnley at Turf Moor eight days later.

FC Barcelona B play in the Spanish second division and act largely as a feeder team for the senior side.

Superstars Lionel Messi, Xavi, Carles Puyol and Andres Iniesta came through the FC Barcelona B setup during their early years before establishing themselves as first team players at the Nou Camp.

Ticket details for this match will be announced in the forthcoming weeks.

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Cool should fill the bok up to about 6,000.

Great, getting passed to death on the eve of the season by technically superior players.

Another fucking clueless pre-season. When are the club going to learn that games against any foreign opposition are meaningless - we should be playing decent English teams.

How is playing against 16 year old Spaniards going to prepare us for Burnley?

To be honest- I wish we didn't play any pre season friendlies at all. Wasting thousands of pounds schlepping around American C grade teams is just an excuse for a holiday at someone elses expense.
Turning out against the likes of Bamber Bridge or Hartlepool etc. doesn't do much for match fitness.
Last season we played Newport- net result? One of our best players is lost for a season and ,although it might be stretching things a little, his absence might have cost us our premiership status.
I would much rather we had an A team and a B team from our squad and we played them against each other a few times to sharpen up.
We're already low on numbers (no Wheater or Holden) so lets abandon these pointless friendlies and concentrate on our own players- get them all up to match fitness at Euxton

You can't not play against non league teams because of what happened to CYL at Newport. Mears broke his leg in training. Holden sustained his injury at Old Trafford. You don't have to be a non-league player to make a stupid challenge and hurt someone.

largehat wrote:You can't not play against non league teams because of what happened to CYL at Newport. Mears broke his leg in training. Holden sustained his injury at Old Trafford. You don't have to be a non-league player to make a stupid challenge and hurt someone.

This isn't about injury for me, just the fact that it doesn't help get a running start when you're playing against sub-standard players. We'd be better just playing Prem teams.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

largehat wrote:You can't not play against non league teams because of what happened to CYL at Newport. Mears broke his leg in training. Holden sustained his injury at Old Trafford. You don't have to be a non-league player to make a stupid challenge and hurt someone.

This isn't about injury for me, just the fact that it doesn't help get a running start when you're playing against sub-standard players. We'd be better just playing Prem teams.

Personally, if it were up to me, we would play as many football league clubs in the north west as possible - Rochdale, Bury, Tranmere, Preston etc.

Agreed- Holden was injured at Old Trafford - and Mears was injured in training. But why take risks with players in pointless pre season games. We don't prove anything by beating the likes of Tranmere- and there's no reason to suggest it will get players back up to match fitness. It puts players at risk by playing some of these teams.

Well, we don't prove anything, as such, in any pre-season game. It's a chance for the manager to try different players and tactics and for the squad to build up its match fitness. I don't know how you can write that there's no reason to suggest it will get players back up to match fitness - that's the entire point. Players who miss pre-season due to a major injury often take weeks to gain match fitness as a result.

You'll have to explain to me why you think players are at greater risk playing Tranmere than they are playing against anyone else - I don't get it. Major injuries in pre-season friendlies are incredibly rare.

For me it's quite straightforward- as soon as you put a player on the pitch then he's at risk- so why take unnecessary risks. If a player is injured in a league match then that's part of the risks of the game- but it can happen in a pre season against Tranmere. So why risk players unecessarily. When they play these pointless matches,the only thing that I will look out for is whether players end up with injuries- major or minor. Last season Pratley apparently played blinders pre season- and then look what we got in the real thing!!. These matches prove nothing. I fail to see how playing with 11 on the pitch and then changing virtually all of them against sub standard opposition during the game assesses anything. Is Coyle and his ilk so backward in asessing potential and tactics thst he has to try them out aginst low level opposition- why can't he see potential in training. These matches,unless they create significant cash flows are pointless.

They arn't pointless, you can't expect a team to go out fully fit and ready for the first game without pre seasons.

But I would agree with the original point, much rather have some Prem/Championship opposition instead of Barcelona B

Ahh, I misunderstood - I thought you had an issue with playing Tranmere in pre-season but it seems to be the case that you're against them full stop.

I'm not a sports scientist but I imagine there are very valid physiological benefits from pre-season friendlies. It would explain why every professional football club in the world takes part in them in every pre-season, wouldn't it. I think your line about "Coyle and his ilk [being] backwards in assessing potential and tactics" is comical to be honest. If there were something wrong with pre-season matches do you not think someone with a little bit more knowledge and understanding of football than either you or I might have done away with them by now?

Do you not think it's a good idea for footballers to practice playing football? I'm not taking the piss, but that's what you seem to be suggesting. Of course there is a risk of injury in any physical activity, but you can't wrap the players in cotton wool and send them into the season undercooked.

We may be able to get a player or two on loan - building good relationships with Real Madrid and Barcelona can only be a good thing.

There's a couple of posts saying/implying that Barcelona B are not a good enough test; After watching tonight's final Barcelona K team would be to good for us.

rammywhite wrote:Last season we played Newport- net result? One of our best players is lost for a season and ,although it might be stretching things a little, his absence might have cost us our premiership status.

im SHITTING myself about this happening again...

I think it's fair to say when a "small" club, i mean conference, get the chance to play a prem club (as we were) their players are out to prove they're as good, probably the only chance they'll get in their lives to play a prem side.

so i don't think it's beyond the realms of imagination to say they "get stuck in" a bit more, though very rare, it's possible you could pick up a few injuries that way.

I'd rather we played opo at a level just slightly above champ, games against Southampton, Reading, West Ham would be good tests and a couple of Seria B sides or something.

This is fantastic infomation. If Bolton can beat barcelona is gonna be sending the strong mesage to the other teams in the championship.

Mo wrote:This is fantastic infomation. If Bolton can beat barcelona is gonna be sending the strong mesage to the other teams in the championship.

If Barca decide to give Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas and Fabregas a run out then it will indeed send out a strong message.

We will be lucky if they just play Thiago Alcantara.

It's Barcelona B, they wont be playing anyone like that.