Overseas training camp announced on OS

[UlsterSaint1]

Was there a couple of years ago when Northern Ireland played Leitchenstein.Superb place and would love to go again.

[ericofarabia]

Might do one or the other on my visit to the UK by car but can't afford both I don't think, hmm Thun is 3 hours drive from me.. I'b better get googling. Might be worth making a day and night of it.

 

If you took a detour via Germany, you could have Thun, Thun, Thun On The Autobahn *

 

* For anybody old enough to remember the Kraftwek hit from the 70's.

[Shroppie]

Just image googled Interlaken, wish I was going.

 

Have camped there for a fortnight. Brilliant spot, great for paragliding.

[MK Saint]

I've booked a flight from London City Airport to Basel then plan on getting a train down to Fribourg on the Friday in time for the Sochaux match. Has anyone found/could reccomend a place to stay there?

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Can't afford this but a good opportunity for Stu. Get to work Stu with this venue's guide to the travelling supporter via your new website. Did you use that software ever Stu, hope you found it useful.

 

Yes, the software is coming in handy. I am very slowly, but surely getting there!

 

As for Interlaken, gutted the club thought we didn't think we deserved to know till a week before. The club will have at least had the training base sorted for weeks, if not months, as clubs from all over Europe have used that facility before, including Liverpool a few times.

 

Would have made for a nice football-related break.

[skintsaint]

you could camp

[Gingeletiss]

 

Venue for the game against FC Thun...looks good!

 

Looks a bit waterlogged down in the far right hand corner, IMO.

[Dan]

I've booked a flight from London City Airport to Basel then plan on getting a train down to Fribourg on the Friday in time for the Sochaux match. Has anyone found/could reccomend a place to stay there?

 

Have a look at Hostels.

 

Must warn you trains in Switzerland are not cheap!

[Dan]

May know of someone that is running a mini bus for either both games, staying out there or just out for the Saturday game in Fribourg? With 1 night in a hotel/hostel.

 

Would anyone be interested?

[Gemmel]

For anybody interested in going there is a fantastci camp site 5 mins from the centre of Interlaken, with fulll faclilities and on the edge of lake. This is going back many years but it was really cheap and a lovely place.

[Charlie Wayman]

Well done everyone on here for forcing the Club to announce its pre-season fixture plans at last - about bloodee time too. I am not sure how we are going to get down to Interlaken to see the games 'though, perhaps Snr Corleone will lay on a double-decker Airbus from Eastleigh Airport, there must be enough of them around lying redundant?

 

Looks like poor old Ted has all but been forgotten? Exit the Ted Bates Trophy, I know it was a cr.ap trophy for a cr.ap match and nobody gave a t.oss but hey! we are really quite good at winning cr.ap trophies!

 

Now the lads are up for a bit of mountaineering and male bonding although I fear they will be well and truly knackered when they get back home, one hopes we will be spared the OS showing us pics of the beggers snow-balling each other starkers. Not a word to the womenfolk mind you.

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Well done everyone on here for forcing the Club to announce its pre-season fixture plans at last - about bloodee time too. I am not sure how we are going to get down to Interlaken to see the games 'though, perhaps Snr Corleone will lay on a double-decker Airbus from Eastleigh Airport, there must be enough of them around lying redundant?

 

Looks like poor old Ted has all but been forgotten? Exit the Ted Bates Trophy, I know it was a cr.ap trophy for a cr.ap match and nobody gave a t.oss but hey! we are really quite good at winning cr.ap trophies!

 

Now the lads are up for a bit of mountaineering and male bonding although I fear they will be well and truly knackered when they get back home, one hopes we will be spared the OS showing us pics of the beggers snow-balling each other starkers. Not a word to the womenfolk mind you.

 

Yep, as it stands looks like the Ted Bates Trophy is being withdrawn, what with the digs about Matty, Keegan, Mac and all, the banning of Benali, I can only assume the Doncaster train still stands proudly in the board room. It does seem that Mr Cortese is not one for history and he believes that SFC's history started the day Liebherr signed the cheque for the club.

 

As for Interlaken, that MUST have been sorted out weeks and weeks ago, or it would have been booked up by another team. Why on earth couldn't they at least of given us dates of the training camp? At least then we could have booked flights etc... FFS

[Thedelldays]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn

[oldsarum]

Interlaken is quite a way from where the two games are being played, Thun is closest but Friebourg is miles away

[stevegrant]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn

I'm sure I don't have to remind you, or anyone else, of this:

 

DO NOT make sarcastic comments or imply that a thread is "boring" just because it doesn't interest you. If it doesn't interest you, please simply ignore the thread. If a particular user appears to irritate you on a regular basis, use the "Ignore User" feature.

[Thedelldays]

this is where stu now tell us he is a high flying executive travel agent..

 

oh, abuse away stu...you seem to have your tongue firmly up the arses of the admin that you can say what you like...

 

as for the rules..i am sure I could find (easily) about 20 infractions alone within 5 mins....that is just for DBP...let alone the ones you have (apparently) carried over from your other account (which is also against the rules)

[NickG]

club announcing friendlies when they are confirmed but still people moan?

[Scummer]

I'm sure I don't have to remind you, or anyone else, of this:

 

Does the ignore user feature still exist? I can't see it.

[stevegrant]

club announcing friendlies when they are confirmed but still people moan?

Personally, I've got no real issue with the matches themselves being announced this week (although it does still remain a bit odd that it's taken so long to confirm the details), but there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't have announced that the squad would be in Interlaken from the 8th to the 18th of July. It's a popular (and expensive) resort, they would have needed to have at least basic details (i.e. the dates!) sorted weeks, if not months, ago.

[Thedelldays]

just for stu..

 

DO respect other forum members' opinions, even if they differ from your own

DO NOT make threats or implied threats towards other members

Insulting or abusing another member - 2 points, expires after 6 months

 

I think we can safely say that you have breached these to no end over the last few days...yet....................

[stevegrant]

Does the ignore user feature still exist? I can't see it.

Go into the user's profile and select "Add to Ignore List". I'll try to add it to the popup menu when you click on a user on here tomorrow.

[The Kraken]

just for stu..

 

I think we can safely say that you have breached these to no end over the last few days...yet....................

 

Can you take this into PM? Believe it or not, some of us don't have any time for your petty grudge.

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Personally, I've got no real issue with the matches themselves being announced this week (although it does still remain a bit odd that it's taken so long to confirm the details), but there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't have announced that the squad would be in Interlaken from the 8th to the 18th of July. It's a popular (and expensive) resort, they would have needed to have at least basic details (i.e. the dates!) sorted weeks, if not months, ago.

 

Exactly, they would have known the dates for Interlaken months ago, it is a very popular pre-season training facility and they would have to have got in there early to secure it. Despite numerous people emailing the club they kept silent - like they did about season tickets - like they did about Pardew etc etc... SFC is now a secret society.

 

Is a shame, because it would have made for a very decent pre-season holiday.

[Thedelldays]

Can you take this into PM? Believe it or not, some of us don't have any time for your petty grudge.

 

works both ways...I will stop now..just hillarious double standard by those who run this place..I am not the only one who thinks so, just I say it

[Scummer]

Go into the user's profile and select "Add to Ignore List". I'll try to add it to the popup menu when you click on a user on here tomorrow.

 

Oh yeah, can see it now thanks. Like you say, I was just looking on the popup menu. Don't think I've ever actually put anyone on ignore though, no matter how annoying they are I still want to know what they are saying.

[Gorgiesaint]

As for Interlaken, that MUST have been sorted out weeks and weeks ago, or it would have been booked up by another team. Why on earth couldn't they at least of given us dates of the training camp? At least then we could have booked flights etc... FFS

 

Interlaken is quite a way from where the two games are being played, Thun is closest but Friebourg is miles away

 

This again fits with the explanation that I suggested yesterday. The training camp was originally intended to be just that, a training camp behind closed doors and nothing more. Late in the day the prospect of playing 2 friendlies have come up and the club, for whatever reason, appear to have changed their plans. This is indicated by the poster wh advised us that the dates changed, the announcemnet on the OS that the resort were holding our booking (again indicates dates changed) and the fact that Thun's OS had not announced the match when we announced it & Sochaux's was still showing time & venue to be arranged.

 

So tell me DBP, why would you want to book a holiday to get to a training camp that is behind closed doors so you would see potentially (and probably) see nothing?

 

Regarding the Ted Bates Trophy, you're right - it looks like it's been dropped which is a real shame. Maybe it will return when we are capable of facing a team that will do justice to the teams we've faced previously?

[The Kraken]

Exactly, they would have known the dates for Interlaken months ago, it is a very popular pre-season training facility and they would have to have got in there early to secure it. Despite numerous people emailing the club they kept silent - like they did about season tickets - like they did about Pardew etc etc... SFC is now a secret society.

 

Is a shame, because it would have made for a very decent pre-season holiday.

 

As with the season ticket prices, home and now away kit, and pre-season tour there seems to be a method of operating by the club where all announcements seem to have to have a build-up to them, and then a special launch of sorts. Its as if they want customers clamouring at the OS for an announcement, any announcement. The membership scheme is another one, surely the club knew weeks ago what the benefits would entail but instead we get a statement "details of the membership scheme will be announced next month". All a bit odd.

[Matthew Le God]

Saints have no game on the weekend of 24th July. The Ted Bates trophy may be played then. They could be waiting for the Reading games to sell more tickets before announcing it, as if it is against a big side to celebrate the 125th anniversary people won't go to the Reading game.

[Dave Benson Phillips]

This again fits with the explanation that I suggested yesterday. The training camp was originally intended to be just that, a training camp behind closed doors and nothing more. Late in the day the prospect of playing 2 friendlies have come up and the club, for whatever reason, appear to have changed their plans. This is indicated by the poster wh advised us that the dates changed, the announcemnet on the OS that the resort were holding our booking (again indicates dates changed) and the fact that Thun's OS had not announced the match when we announced it & Sochaux's was still showing time & venue to be arranged.

 

So tell me DBP, why would you want to book a holiday to get to a training camp that is behind closed doors so you would see potentially (and probably) see nothing?

 

Regarding the Ted Bates Trophy, you're right - it looks like it's been dropped which is a real shame. Maybe it will return when we are capable of facing a team that will do justice to the teams we've faced previously?

 

You don't go to Interlaken for 10 days and not have any match practice in that time. There is no way ( in my opinion ) that the club didn't intend on having freindlies ( especially as we only have 3 others arranged when we return )

 

It would not surprise me if the training was behind closed doors now, pretty much everything else that SFC do now is behing closed doors. But pre-season tours are not just about that, they are about the friendlies, and just an excuse to go and stay off the beaten track for a week, as well as getting 'up close and personal' ( not in a gay way ) with the players and staff, which gives a completely different perspective.

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Saints have no game on the weekend of 24th July. The Ted Bates trophy may be played then. They could be waiting for the Reading games to sell more tickets before announcing it, as if it is against a big side to celebrate the 125th anniversary people won't go to the Reading game.

 

I certainly hope so. I think it will be a disgrace if the memorial game for a Southampton legend is withdrawn only weeks after Mrs Southampton FC passed away.

 

As for the opposition, it doesn't have to be a MASSIVE team that will slaughter us. A mid-Prem team or half decent European team ( like Parma / Fiorentina etc ) would prove a good test. I notice the " Cortese can do no wrong " crew are already reeling out the latest crop of excuses on behalf of him though.

[Gorgiesaint]

Have you got some proof that it could have been announced earlier? What if details weren't finalised? You'd be 100 times more ****ed off if they cancelled a tour when fans had booked tickets etc.

 

Why would they delay announcing it for any other reason?

 

adriansfc,

 

Don't let the fact that Saints were the first of the 3 clubs involved to announce the actual details (i.e. Venue & time) get in the way of a good conspiracy theory!

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Have you got some proof that it could have been announced earlier? What if details weren't finalised? You'd be 100 times more ****ed off if they cancelled a tour when fans had booked tickets etc.

 

Why would they delay announcing it for any other reason?

 

1)You won't need to buy tickets for pre-season European tour friendlies.

 

2) The Echo knew where they were going a month ago ( although they said they can't release the details )

 

There is absolutely no way they could have booked up a resort like Interlaken at short notice, if we didn't have the facility, then another European team would have snapped it up.

 

Yet another example, with pretty much every other one where the club is witholding information from fans which would be of use. The club states it will only publish info through the official site and in a 'timely fashion' - What it really means is " Pay your f*cking money but don't expect anything back from us "

 

No doubt I will get slaughtered for attacking Cortese again by people who had no intention of going on the tour? Annoyed? Yep I am because the clubs actions and deliberate delaying of season tickets and pre-season tour has directly affected me.

 

Diddums me.

[stevegrant]

This again fits with the explanation that I suggested yesterday. The training camp was originally intended to be just that, a training camp behind closed doors and nothing more. Late in the day the prospect of playing 2 friendlies have come up and the club, for whatever reason, appear to have changed their plans. This is indicated by the poster wh advised us that the dates changed, the announcemnet on the OS that the resort were holding our booking (again indicates dates changed) and the fact that Thun's OS had not announced the match when we announced it & Sochaux's was still showing time & venue to be arranged.

 

So tell me DBP, why would you want to book a holiday to get to a training camp that is behind closed doors so you would see potentially (and probably) see nothing?

It's a fair point, although I would argue that, realistically, there were always going to be a couple of games squeezed into the tour simply due to the timing of it. By the time the tour ends, every other club in League One bar Notts County and Walsall will have begun their programme of pre-season friendlies. Many will have had 3 or 4 games by the 18th.

 

Here's when all the other clubs in League One begin their pre-season friendly games, as far as I can tell from their respective official sites:

 

Bournemouth: 10th July v Spurs

Brentford: 14th July v Fulham (may have away games before this)

Brighton: 10th July v Burgess Hill

Bristol Rovers: 14th July v Bath City

Carlisle: 9th July v Kendal

Charlton: 10th July v AFC Wimbledon

Colchester: no idea

Dagenham: 7th July v Borehamwood

Exeter: 15th July v Clevedon

Hartlepool: 13th July v Almere

Huddersfield: 9th July v Emley

Leyton Orient: 17th July v KFCO Wilrijk

MK Dons: 17th July v St Neots Town

Notts County: 22nd July v Stoke City

Oldham: 10th July v Barrow

Peterborough: 14th July v West Ham

Plymouth: 10th July v Truro

Rochdale: 17th July v Rossendale

Sheff Weds: 10th July v USK Anif

Swindon: 14th July v Swindon Supermarine

Tranmere: 13th July v Heswall

Walsall: 20th July v Wolves

Yeovil: 17th July v Swansea

[Gorgiesaint]

It's a fair point, although I would argue that, realistically, there were always going to be a couple of games squeezed into the tour simply due to the timing of it. By the time the tour ends, every other club in League One bar Notts County and Walsall will have begun their programme of pre-season friendlies. Many will have had 3 or 4 games by the 18th.

 

You (and DBP) are probably right. I went back to the original thread about the Fc Sochaux game, and DBP indicated that the Echo knew about the tour a month ago but weren't allowed to go to print. That said, the date of the first game has changed since the original article and the venue for the second game has only been decided recently (FC Sochaux's website even yesterday still had venue & time to be confirmed).

 

I still cannot see how the club can be blamed for not releasing details that were not finalised. It's ok for those of you who say, but I would have camped out for 10 days to catch both matches, but at least one person (MK Saint) has said they are flying out for the weekend match. Imagine they'd booked flights and then the club announce that the date has changed to Thursday night when he's still in the air - how impressed would people be then?

Edited 2 July, 2010 by Gorgiesaint
Changed days as the game is already on a fRiday - doh!!

[bungle]

Research

 

You have too much time on your hands!

[trousers]

Woohoo.....Farnborough on the 21st July.....another chance for me to see the Pulis lad at close quarters.

 

I also note that the Farnborough game comes 4 days after the Swiss training camp end date so perhaps some of the first team may be involved in that game too if any of them need a bit more match practice. Or perhaps if any new signings are made during the training camp period....

[stevegrant]

I still cannot see how the club can be blamed for not releasing details that were not finalised. It's ok for those of you who say, but I would have camped out for 10 days to catch both matches, but at least one person (MK Saint) has said they are flying out for the weekend match. Imagine they'd booked flights and then the club announce that the date has changed to Thursday night when he's still in the air - how impressed would people be then?

Yeah, I totally accept that it would be an issue for those who were only going for a short period of time, but they could easily have got around that by emphasising the point that the match dates and times are still provisional, but that the tour dates themselves are pretty much nailed down. It's then up to others if they want to take the risk that things get changed.

[Gemmel]

Whatever the reasons for not annoucing this earlier, I can't see it being down to late planning.

Pardew cited the lack of pre season as one of the things that held us back at the begining of last season and no doubt used it in defence of his job as well, with Cortese.

This would have been booked and prepared with Military precision a long time ago. The clue is in the resort - it would have been taken up by many other clubs, had we not booked months in advance.

 

I don't know or understand the reasoning for the way the club is dealing with its communications at the moment. It might just be a case of Coretese putting his mark in the sand that everything will be done his way or not at all.

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Whatever the reasons for not annoucing this earlier, I can't see it being down to late planning.

Pardew cited the lack of pre season as one of the things that held us back at the begining of last season and no doubt used it in defence of his job as well, with Cortese.

This would have been booked and prepared with Military precision a long time ago. The clue is in the resort - it would have been taken up by many other clubs, had we not booked months in advance.

 

I don't know or understand the reasoning for the way the club is dealing with its communications at the moment. It might just be a case of Coretese putting his mark in the sand that everything will be done his way or not at all.

 

I honestly believe that Cortese either gets a buzz having thousands of people waiting on his every word, or he doesn't believe in a football club having 'fans' and thinks they should just pay their money and shut up ( which of course will never happen ) .

 

There is certainly no welcome mat at the doors of SFC anymore, shame really.

 

Communication-wise the club is an absolute shambles, surely even the most pro-Cortese people can see this?

[hypochondriac]

Stu, I think it's a bit of both really. I believe some of it is that Cortese is making a point that he can do pretty much what he likes and has all the power. It's only going to get worse IMO, probably to the point where I will be attending less and less games because I just cannot justify the cost. Sad for me but I doubt Cortese will care.

[trousers]

This would have been booked and prepared with Military precision a long time ago. The clue is in the resort - it would have been taken up by many other clubs, had we not booked months in advance.

 

Maybe it's that very popularity of the resort that has been the hold up?

 

What if SFC were one of many clubs that expressed an interest in booking the resort several months ago and got engaged in a bidding war up until recently?

 

So maybe, just maybe, things have only just been signed on the dotted line with the venue after a drawn out tender process?

 

Two sides to every conspiracy theory....

[Gorgiesaint]

Communication-wise the club is an absolute shambles, surely even the most pro-Cortese people can see this?

 

Communication has been very poor with regards to season tickets, installment plans and the so-called customer charter (or what-ever it was called). I'm sure that there are other that can be added to the list. But this, no, sorry. I wonder if the fans at FC Sochaux & Thun complain about the lack of notice about pre-season friendlies as much as our fans?

[hypochondriac]

Communication has been very poor with regards to season tickets, installment plans and the so-called customer charter (or what-ever it was called). I'm sure that there are other that can be added to the list. But this, no, sorry. I wonder if the fans at FC Sochaux & Thun complain about the lack of notice about pre-season friendlies as much as our fans?

 

Difference is, those clubs aren't going on a pre season tour of Southampton.

[Dave Benson Phillips]

Communication has been very poor with regards to season tickets, installment plans and the so-called customer charter (or what-ever it was called). I'm sure that there are other that can be added to the list. But this, no, sorry. I wonder if the fans at FC Sochaux & Thun complain about the lack of notice about pre-season friendlies as much as our fans?

 

I think you are missing the point, the club could have announced the training camp weeks/months ago in response to the many people that emailed them. There was nothing stopping them responding to individual enquiries saying " We are going to Interlaken between 8th and 18th July, although no details for matches have been finalised yet " , they didn't even need to publish it, but could have simply answered the question to those that asked. We have been discussing it on here since January.

 

Communication about pretty much everything the club does is done with the very minimal regard to the supporters.

[shirleysfc]

Oh please please stop. We can't do this again. It's one thing for you to have a problem with him, be critical, ask questions, fine, but don't turn it into an idiotic cortese-luvvie farce. We can have people not minding him and questionning things without the need for ignorant black and white grouping like previous years.

 

+1.

[Gorgiesaint]

Whatever the reasons for not annoucing this earlier, I can't see it being down to late planning.

Pardew cited the lack of pre season as one of the things that held us back at the begining of last season and no doubt used it in defence of his job as well, with Cortese.

This would have been booked and prepared with Military precision a long time ago. The clue is in the resort - it would have been taken up by many other clubs, had we not booked months in advance.

 

I agree in terms of the resort - the Echo indicated, according to DBP (I'm out of the area so can't read the rag), that this was in place a month ago. IMO the opponents & hence the venue's had not been finalised. Look at who everyone else is playing for their first friendly in our division on the list that Steve provided - most are playing minor (and in some cases very minor) non-league sides. We're playing a top level side from the French and Swiss leagues. That must have taken some arranging, would a PL side entertain a pre-season friendly (not when they're on tour themselves) against a third level team from abroad?

[trousers]

There was nothing stopping them responding to individual enquiries saying " We are going to Interlaken between 8th and 18th July, although no details for matches have been finalised yet " , they didn't even need to publish it, but could have simply answered the question to those that asked. We have been discussing it on here since January.

 

How do we know when the contract was finally signed? They may well have been in discussions with the resort for ages but, knowing Cortese as well as we all do... , he may have either been playing hardball with the venue to get the cost down or indeed locked into a price war with a.n.other club(s) who were also in discussions with the venue. No-one would have secured exclusive rights to the venue until the contract was signed, and I have no idea when said contract process was completed.

[trousers]

I agree in terms of the resort - the Echo indicated, according to DBP (I'm out of the area so can't read the rag), that this was in place a month ago.

 

Does anyone have the exact wording of the Echo piece? Did it say (words to this effect): "the contract was signed, sealed and delivered" a month ago or that "the preferred venue had been selected and contract talks were ongoing"?

[shirleysfc]

I think you are missing the point, the club could have announced the training camp weeks/months ago in response to the many people that emailed them. There was nothing stopping them responding to individual enquiries saying " We are going to Interlaken between 8th and 18th July, although no details for matches have been finalised yet " , they didn't even need to publish it, but could have simply answered the question to those that asked. We have been discussing it on here since January.

 

Communication about pretty much everything the club does is done with the very minimal regard to the supporters.

 

Can I ask a quick question. You've obviously got a problem with NC, and in fairness on some issues you may be correct, but what is the objective of your campaign against him? I've read several threads where you've repeatedly slated him for whatever reason, but what are you trying to achive? Are you trying to bring things to ML's attention to make a change for the good of the club and fans or are you just trying to make sure everyone on here is aware of your opinion so you can say I told you so IF things go wrong/get worse?

 

It's not a dig I'm just trying to understand your motivation in all this?

[Dellman]

Yep, as it stands looks like the Ted Bates Trophy is being withdrawn, what with the digs about Matty, Keegan, Mac and all, the banning of Benali, I can only assume the Doncaster train still stands proudly in the board room. It does seem that Mr Cortese is not one for history and he believes that SFC's history started the day Liebherr signed the cheque for the club.

 

The new did begin the day Liebherr signed the chq. Fact to be thankful for.