Manager Mick McCarthy said the Town squad are in great shape as pre-season training got under way at Playford Road this morning. The players were in on Friday to have their fitness tested after the summer away from the club and the Blues boss said they came through with flying colours.

McCarthy has expressed his dislike of pre-season training in the past but says that’s mainly down to the way results in friendlies are viewed: “I’m only not the biggest fan of pre-season because the games don’t particularly mean anything.

“If you go out and have good victories when you play nobody really counts them because they’re pre-season games, they’re friendlies. But if you lose it’s like the end of the world and we’re all doomed for the rest of the season. It’s that mentality that I really don’t like.

“The players came back on Friday and they were tested for their fitness and body fat content, and I have to say they’re in great shape.

“Pre-season’s changed a little bit, you’re not getting them fit to train, they come back almost ready to play. But it’s just the games that don’t mean anything and never do anything for me in pre-season.”

After spending this week training at Playford Road, ballwork as well as the traditional fitness routines, the squad is off to Carton House, the scene of the Irish Open golf from Thursday, in Maynooth, County Kildare for a week's training in different surroundings. The first pre-season friendly follows on Saturday 6th July in Dublin against Shelbourne.

Then there are domestic friendlies against sides from the lower leagues, although not as close to home as McCarthy would have wanted: “We’ve just got games within the locality - about 100 miles away is the nearest one. Geographically it is just difficult to get games. We had Norwich the week before but that’s been cancelled.

“Just get games, get them playing, get them running around doing what they should do. In pre-season very often you find the opposition below you are actually harder to play against because they’ve got something to prove and you get good games.”

Amongst those at Playford Road this morning were new signings Cole Skuse, Jay Tabb, Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick, while academy youngsters Byron Lawrence — who we understand signed a professional contract after turning 17 in March — and keeper Michael Crowe joined in with the senior squad.

Missing from this morning’s session were the transfer-listed Jay Emmanuel-Thomas — although Michael Chopra was present — and skipper Carlos Edwards, who is with the Trinidad and Tobago squad ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.

McCarthy doesn’t consider this a negative: “Carlos comes back just before the season starts, the middle of July. That’s not a problem, he’s playing games, he’ll be as fit as a flea when he comes back.”

The Blues boss says Titus Bramble is not with the squad and hasn’t considered making a move for the 31-year-old centre-half, who was released by Sunderland at the end of the season: “It’s never even crossed my mind because I think Titus Bramble will have other options and probably Premier League options.

“But I can’t say no because that would be a complete lie. What if he came here and said ‘Listen, I love living down here and this is where I come from, what’s your budget, what can you offer me?’, and I said ‘£500 a week’ and he said ‘I love it here and I’ll come and play’.

“I might consider it then under those circumstances. So, if I said no, I’d be lying, but have I spoken to him, his agent or considered it, I haven’t.”

McCarthy’s comments don’t entirely rule out Bramble spending time at Playford Road this summer with another ex-Blue Kieron Dyer having previously trained with the academy — of which both players are sponsors — rather than the senior squad after his release by QPR in January.

The Blues boss says he currently has no trialists lined up to join in with the squad during pre-season.

More photos from this morning's session to follow.

Photo: Action Images

B1TFC added 22:42 - Jun 24 Hey Phil, as you're the man in the know, any chance of forwarding Flips idea to the powers that be?? Agree with all that have said what a fantastic idea it is. Someone must have thought of it before and there must be a reason it's not been implemented, maybe it should be played in Barca lol, least we'd have a trip to the Nou Camp to look forward to!!
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