Pre-Season Matches 2013

[Toronto Villa]

A shame we couldn't have got at least one decent team to give us a real test.

pre-season means nothing other than to get players ready for the real games ahead. It's "glamourous" I suppose to play the likes of Inter Milan as we did a few seasons back but not indicative of how that seasons going to pan out. I'd sooner we played games that give us a real test from a fintess standpoint and allows the players to build some confidence together. Once we've won the league a couple of times then we can fuck off on a tour of Asia, and find Barcelona begging us to play in a mini event with them.

[lordmcgrath5]

I know a bit about Paderborn and Bochum thanks to my inability to get St Pauli out of the 2.Bundesliga on football manager.  But that other German side doesn't even have a wikipedia page, so Im going to assume they dont actually exist and this is just a ploy for Lambert to go on a jolly with his old Dortmund mates or something.

Bochum is in the Ruhr Valley and has to share popularity with Schalke, Dortmund, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen, Monchengladbach and Duisberg. All I really know of them is that they have a nice compact little stadium and their most famous fan is Herbert Gronemeyer of 'Das Boot' fame. He also bothers the charts in Germany.

Sorry to be pedantic, but it's "Duisburg" if that's OK with you, Curious (may I call you "Curious"?). Wouldn't normally be that pedantic but they have been, for my pains, my German team for the last 20+ years.

Bochum's ground is actually fantastic, and right up there with my favourites in Germany. Not as good as it used to be of course - back in the day they had standing on three sides of the ground. The away end's tucked in the corner, but there are also away seats behind the goal.

Otherwise, the ground's easily walkable from the main station. Transport links are predictably superb, with airports in Düsseldorf and Dortmund nearby and easily accessible by a proper, regular, (still) nationalised train service.

As a club, I've always quite liked Bochum. They're similar to the glorious MSV Duisburg in many ways - a solid local fan base and reasonably well liked across Germany, but up and down like a whore's drawers between the top two divisions.

[manic-road]

Paderborner pilsener is the best thing to come out of Paderborn.

[Astral Weeks]

Villa then return to the UK to take on domestic opposition as they gear up for the upcoming top-flight season.

Don't those words "top-flight" look good!

[lordmcgrath5]

Paderborner pilsener is the best thing to come out of Paderborn.

True enough. The football club are - with the greatest respect - an absolute non-entity. Only a recent entrant to the second tier and of very little interest other than to their small number of fans. Most of those interested in football in Paderborn watch, among others, Arminia Bielefeld, who are a proper club with a history and a cracking ground.

[Ego Uhiogu]

Is anyone travelling from the south? Really hoping to do the games in Paderborn and Bochum.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Pity we're not playing my German team; Karlsruher.

No word from Frank yet, regarding the German Villans!

[ADVILLAFAN]

Wycombe away... A repeat of my first ever Villa game and only 40 miles from where I live. Wonderful.

Has anyone looked into the Germany trip? It seems by looking at the map that flying to Dortmund is the best option, with Paderborn and Bochum about an hour and a half away. I'll have a proper look when I'm back from work.

Somebody said that there is an airport at Paderborn on the other thread.

[frank]

Pity we're not playing my German team; Karlsruher.

No word from Frank yet, regarding the German Villans!

Congratulations to you and Karlsruher SC on their promotion to Bundesliga 2.
The German Villans are most likely to go to the Bochum game on the Sunday afternoon. I'm working in another part of Germany all that week, so can't go.

[Jon Crofts]

Is anyone travelling from the south? Really hoping to do the games in Paderborn and Bochum.

I'll probably go, from Bournemouth if flying, I might even drive.

[Clampy]

The freindly against Shamrock Rovers in Dublin has been added now, on Sunday 4th August.

[Jon Crofts]

Paderborner pilsener is the best thing to come out of Paderborn.

That and the RAF flight to Lyneham on a Wednesday afternoon.

[The Adventurer]

Germany looks like an ideal warm up,pre-season trip that many fans will be able to attend! Sadly for this guy it also coincides with a trip to NYC so it'll have to be Wycombe,Luton,Crewe & Walsall for me!!

[cdbearsfan]

Annoying that Crewe is a night game would be difficult to get there after work but I'll definitely take in Wycombe.

[silhillvilla]

Are any of the games down in Bavaria / Black Forest area ? I love it down there