Friendlies: How do you arrange yours?

How do you arrange you friendles? I Start off with some easy local away games then a 3 game international tour against similar teams ending with a money spinning home game against a better foreign team.

Mixture of morale boosters and money makers. Generally play the kids, with a sprinkling of first teamers, in the morale boosters.

I leave it to the assistant but also throw in a little friendly cup with 3 big teams from around the world, different ones each season. Usually ones who have players that I like, gives me a chance to scout them at my own ground.

Depends on the finacial situation at the club I am, if I'm a top club I'll go for easy morale boosters, if I'm a lower club struggling for money I go for big money earners

First team plays all the games against Feeder clubs and they go first, then up until a week before my first competitive game I play tours in countries like Japan, China and USA and morale boosters. Reserves and youth sides play against league 1 or 2 sides and then games against sides from top two non-league divisions.

At the moment I'm playing as Gloucester, and we're now in the EPL. Our fierce rivals are Cheltenham. They started 2 leagues above us (I think) but are now slumming it out at the bottom of the pyramid. At the start of the game, we used their stadium (but now have our own, though also in Cheltenham, not Gloucester).

I feel both pity for them, having dropped two divisions and also feel the need to rub their nose in our success, so one game is always against them at their place. It makes the fans super happy when we trounce them 8-0, it gives them some much needed cash as well.

The other games are generally against a mix of absolute minnows and a bunch of semi-decent clubs, often from different countries. I want games to get everyone happy and I want games where I can see how good the new signings are. I might even go on tour if I feel like it.

Back when we were at the bottom of the pyramid I'd definitely try and get in EPL reserve teams or lesser, bigger teams (Leeds et al) for the cash. But only pre-season, none of that silly arrange 4 friendlies a week over the entire season for money malarkey here. And then a couple of games against minnows to get morale up again.

In past versions I used to let my ass man arrange them, but now I do it myself. I'll also almost always accept any friendly proposals that come my way,

I always end with a match against a local minnow. Good for morale.

Other than that, it depends on the time. Two friendlies per week, if there's enough time I'll do a tour in a nearby country and play at least one big name.

Start off easy to get some fitness back, then have the big lucrative games, then end with a few teams that I know I can beat so morale ends on a high.

I always end with a match against a local minnow. Good for morale.

Only good if you win!

Start off easy to get some fitness back, then have the big lucrative games, then end with a few teams that I know I can beat so morale ends on a high.

Mostly this as well.

I let my ass man do it, but then cancel all away friendlies and arrange home friendlies in the gaps earning as much money as I can. In lower leagues I have a friendly every 2/3 days, but if I am in European competitions I will have no more than 2 a week for fitness reasons (and because the cash means less).

If playing as a poor team then fund raising friendlies.

Then if a top team easy-ish games to get a few wins under the belt.

Only good if you win!

The challenge is usually to go into double digits.. ;-)

As a smaller team, I almost always open up with a home tournament with three larger teams. That way I get money, and usually TV revenue, from the games where my team isn't even playing. No pressure team talks and a few small teams after fix any morale issues.

Tourneys are definitely the way to get money.

Depends on the club i managing, generally i will always use them as a morale boost unless the finances are really bad.

Different depending on who I'm managing. But since I usually manage Arsenal, I tend to start of with a few easy fixtures to get the team going and having a proper look at some of my younger players that I feel could get a place on the team next season. After 2-3 easy games I sometimes go on a tour playing a bit bigger sides and end it all with a couple of tougher games so to be prepared for the new season. I find it to work rather well for me.

However when managing a lesser side I do think about finances a lot. So a few games against good sides/home tournament to bring in some needed money to the club and end pre-season with a couple of easy fixtures to get morale back up. That is if we had a bad time against the better sides.

Usually I let my assistant coach arrange friendlies, but most of the times their are few, away and with smaller teams. So, I arrange friendlies against the reserves as the 1st game of pre-season and with a big team (because I'm managing in the Championship, I invite one of the Premier League big guns, like Man United, City, Arsenal).

Load up on minnows by inviting them to play at my stadium and net a decent profit for each game. Crucial for anyone coaching MLS teams, as the Champions League knock-out rounds start while MLS is still in preseason.

Depends. For pre-seasons, usually trips to other countries as cash-generators; during the season, morale-boosters.

let assman arrange some then add in some high profile money spinners in between

Assman does it, then I add my own if I have free time available.

A few friendlies to test my tactics and new signings and one or two morale boosters just before the league starts.

I try to be as realistic as possible. First friendly date will be around the second week in July, usually away to a feeder club or a lower league team. I then try and arrange friendlies every three/four days up to a week before the first league game. I have a three game tour in between, (if managing a top club, it's usually Qatar or USA), and the final weekend before the start of the first league game, I arrange a 'Home Cup' between three other top clubs around Europe.

Currently managing Leverkusen and every season we play in the 'Voller Cup', named after a club Legend. This year Marseille, Inter and Ajax have been invited.

I tend to try and increase the strength of opposition game by game, start off against a lower league team, finish against a team stronger or similar to my team

I let my Assistant Manager arrange them and occasionally add or remove one depending on what he has done.

Let my Ass Man arrange them unless I want to go on a tour.

generally have 4 days off between friendlies and nothing in the week before first league game....will try and get away games against lower rep teams early on (give players 1 week max to get high intense fitness done) and then have a couple of high earners before last 1 or 2 matches against lower rep again to build into season....1st friendly I generally change most players at 1/2 time and so far so good haven't had injuries in the 2nd half. 90% of time I reject offers of friendlies and organise my own as want to check the dates of the matches, choose the teams carefully and see what gets me most money

As Huddersfield I generally play 8 friendlies (though it depends on how long between the players coming back for pre season and the start of the season), with 4-5 days between them, and my final game the week before the season starts.

Start with 2 very small opponents where everyone plays 45mins, then a slightly harder game with it being split 60/30, then the same as the 3rd friendly (60/30) but the players who started the 3rd friendly being on the bench for this friendly, then 2 money spinners where it's split 75/15 for both games in the same way as friendlies 3 and 4, then an easy game 8 days before the start of the season where I play my first 11 for the full 90mins, another easy game the day after where my 2nd 11 play the full 90mins. I sometimes throw in a 9th friendly against an easy team where everyone plays 45mins, but I never play a friendly in the week before the first game of the season.