This Spanish......

AFKABartram

.....jolly intensive training camp.

Is it being part-subsidised by Joma, any of our Spanish coaching school contacts ?

Baring in mind the financial constraints being banded about at the moment, is an 8-day overseas trip, playing one, possibly two games, really necessary ?

Team bonding can be done a hell of a lot cheaper than Marbella, even if it does mean Pards not getting such a good tan.

Rothko

Don't think Pards needs anymore time in the sun looking at his tan at Welling.

gawd know how they can afford it, probably the cost of one Mark Robson

Weegie Addick

Careful, now, Mr A, you're in danger of joining us cynics ;-)

razil

Perhaps they're going by Ryan Air?

Besides it keeps them out of the intense media furnace that surrounds our team when in the UK..

Then again its the carbon footprint I'm worried about

:)

Weegie Addick

[cite]Posted By: Rothko[/cite]Don't think Pards needs anymore time in the sun looking at his tan at Welling.

gawd know how they can afford it, probably the cost of one Mark Robson

Good grief, not getting to you too is it, Rothers??

Fishnets

They could have played Paintball at Ruxley, followed by bowling in the Broadway and then a curry...

Weegie Addick

Where are you, Oggy - we desperately need some rose-tinted positivity?

AFKABartram

me and Rothko are 'on the turn'

Just Oggy left as the last bastion of optimism !!

razil

there is probably a contractual obligation with the sponsors, and a long term benefit by promoting the academys out there? Or maybe a tax dodge?

AFKABartram

seriously though, its like we're not learning anything.

Masking the realities of the Championship by getting ourselves ingrained in the Premiership approach.

Weegie Addick

You'd have though Blackpool away following the last Spanish trip would have been warning enough, really.

razil

more to the point it shows we aren't really that far up the shit pile, or it would have been cancelled. Mind you some of the things they made savings on such as the womens team, and the tea lady (kidding) were so small.

cholland

I know we like do things differently at Charlton so I shouldn't d be surprised that virtually all of the other 23 teams in the championship this year are providing full details (ko times/venues etc) of the teams they are playing in overseas preseason friendlies.
18 are holding training camps/tours outside England and of these only Watford (in Austria) do not say if they're playing teams while away.
Maybe Charlton know better than to play competitive matches in front of a crowd - It might be that being able to make multiple substitutions will get them for 90mins competitive action.

Weegie Addick

It's all part of the game going on behind the scenes between Pardew and the board:

Board to Pards - you can't have any decent money to spend till you bring in £5M
Pards - in that case, I'll buy non-league strikers, sack Mark Robson and take what's left of the squad to Spain to cheer them up
Board - while you're in Spain, just sell Magic to Real Betis and we'll think about giving you some of the dosh...

falconwood_1

More likely sponsored by Sinatra's, Puerto Banus.

razil

Bent, Thomas and Faye should be nearly 5 mil if you include wages, just need to get them out the door...

Salad

don't see the problem, getting away from home will help build team spirit. Virtually all the "bigger" Championship sides will be doing something similar.

randy andy

By my rough guestimates, if we bring in more than 1.6m in total for those three players, then with their salaries that's over 5m

razil

probably cheaper than paying for them to stay somewhere here what with hotels and training facilities, and they need to be away from distractions.

BigRedEvil

Overseas trips are great, remember last years one? I remember seeing Reid with the guitar, everyone having a great time...shame the results weren't too great though...

Off_it

Ah, but it's old skool teambuilding.

Although they say it's an eight day trip, what the players don't know is that the they are being driven to the coast, sleeping in a tent overnight being woken up at the crack of dawn, split into 5 man teams and being told to make a raft out of some barrels, a few planks of wood and some mouldy rope, to take them to Marbella.

If they manage to do it they get however's long of the 8 days to laze in the sun and have a greater sense of togetherness.. If they end up drowning the wage bill comes down. The club can't lose - it's inspired!

cholland

[quote][cite]Posted By: Salad[/cite]don't see the problem, getting away from home will help build team spirit. Virtually all the "bigger" Championship sides will be doing something similar.[/quote]

They are - my problem is that all but one of them apparently let their supporters come along for the ride - some even organising trips.

Curb_It

ooo eerrrr

I hope we wont be getting reports/pictures back like these ones.

Stu_of_Kunming

[cite]Posted By: Weegie Addick[/cite]You'd have though Blackpool away following the last Spanish trip would have been warning enough, really.

Or West Ham the year before, that really backfired.

BlackForestReds

There was the time that Craig Bellamy attacked John Arne Riise with a putter.

Weegie Addick

[cite]Posted By: Curb_It[/cite]ooo eerrrr

I hope we wont be getting reports/pictures back like these ones.

A few of them look like they're losing their trunks in that last pic, Curb_It!

Curb_It

i hadnt noticed at all.. let me go and have another look.. :-)

Weegie Addick

Think I'd better check, too, I may have got it wrong...

WSS

you two are disgusting, we're not pieces of meat you know

LenGlover

Our greatest ever manager took them to Bournemouth when we were a second tier club.

Weegie Addick

[cite]Posted By: WSS[/cite]you two are disgusting, we're not pieces of meat you know

Think yourself lucky we haven't started a 'Would You' thread about it ;-)