Pre-season Friendlies

Do you manage your team in the pre-season friendlies or do you let your ass man take control of the team?

I do it as it allows me to get all my first team and most reserve players fully fit for the season.

Sometimes but other times I go on holiday for the day.

In the poll, it should also have a "sometimes" option

Yeah I let the Assistant take some if im wheeling and dealing but like to take some myself to rotate the full squad.

I do it as it allows me to get all my first team and most reserve players fully fit for the season.

Yes i do the same.

Unless I'm experimenting with tactics, no.

The ass man never rotates everybody properly, so i've started to do friendlies myself.

Always, as it gives me the chance to try out youngsters aswell as seeing which players are good enough for the roles i set them.

I play mix and match teams a spread of youngsters and seasoned pros not bad at all for trying out new gems.

Yes, i do.

I manage. I select the players in order of morale and fitness. Those with the lowest morale and who need fitness are picked first, then higher morale needing fitness, then lowest morale.

I need to control the subs and so on to make sure I get the most out of the match, fitness and morale-wise

i like to bed in any major tactical changes, as well as getting that ever so important match readyness

Didn't used to until I noticed my assistant manager played youth team players when first teamers in that same position weren't yet fit. Always do it now.

Didn't used to until I noticed my assistant manager played youth team players when first teamers in that same position weren't yet fit. Always do it now.

I noticed this as well. There was always a massive scramble for results in the first few games of the new season when I have bought/sold a lot of players or changed tactics. Afterwards I got all my new signings playing immediately with min. 5-6 pre-season friendlies and by the time we started the season we were reasonably coherent and adjusted to my tactics ..

Managing your own pre-season may be boring as hell, but it pays if you've made a lot of changes or are new to the club.

I control the friendlies so I can see my summer signings in action and develop my tactics around them.

i used to cancel them all, but now i manage during them, but keep it on 'only commentary'

Don't have that much time to play friendlies myself so I let my assman take the control for a while.

I let my assman do it. I also let him arrange them.

He arranges them because finding a team willing to accept a friendly who isn't a bulgarian second XI is impossible, and he takes control because he then gets most of my first teamers match fit through rotation, whereas I stick with the good guys or the young guys.

I said no, but really this is only half true.

If I've just joined a new team which I'm unfamiliar with, I'll manage them and try to find a tactic that works and which players can play in what positions.

But if I know the players already then I just find it tiresome, and leave it to the ass man.

My assistant does all of them. In fact I don't think I've ever managed one!

Sometimes but other times I go on holiday for the day.

You do know that you can have your assistant manager control the match, which is the same as going on holiday, right?

Anyway, I don't. Unless my team have Euro qualifiers, and it means a very busy schedule. It always me to get most of my players fit, and stop me over playing anybody..

I just let my Ass Man take control of friendlies

They usually pick a suitable team

I use pre-season friendlies to "practice" set-pieces and what not.

It's also the only time I watch matches on extended highlights and (very) occasionally, the entire match (or most of it anyway).

But it's all totally pointless, seeing as the game doesn't work

/apathy

I control all of mine, just so i can see who is playing well, get everyone fit and check out my new signings. I also have like a mini tournament with my reserves and under 18's, every player is pretty much guaranteed at least 2 games then and the better ones get moved up into my squad to play the other friendlies!

In the poll, it should also have a "sometimes" option

Ditto, I may manage the first friendly of the season or one against a big team but tbh I can't be bothered with the rest and just try to get to the start of the season asap.