Town fly out to Ireland this morning for their now annual pre-season training camp at the Carton House Hotel in Co Kildare.

Manager Mick McCarthy has been taking his squads to the historic mansion 20 minutes away from Dublin since his days as Sunderland manager and believes it’s the perfect environment in which to prepare for the campaign ahead.

“Carton House is an absolutely beautiful place with a fantastic surface, the playing surface is always great,” he said.

“They have a wonderful gym with weights that we can’t pick up because it’s the Irish Rugby Football Union’s gym, dumbbells that you can’t even move! I don’t know if they just put them there to scare everybody.

“The food’s excellent, the rooms are great. I’ve never had one single, solitary complaint from a footballer about going there, which is amazing because there’s generally something wrong, and there never is.

“The treatment that we get [is excellent] and the lads always get to play a game of golf when we’ve a bit of spare time, the ones that like to play.”

The Blues will play their first friendly of pre-season on Saturday 9th July against Dublin side Shelbourne at Tolka Park (KO 3pm), a fixture which has also become a regular feature of Town’s pre-seasons under McCarthy.

“We’re playing Shelbourne again, we had Adam McDonnell from there, and it just suits as we’re in Dublin and the lads have a couple of beers on the Saturday night,” he added. “It’s just a well-structured trip that the lads enjoy and we get the maximum out of it.”

Kevin Bru will join-up with the squad for the trip to Carton House having been given additional time off as he was away with Mauritius earlier in the summer, while Daryl Murphy, who was given two further weeks off after the Euros, will start his pre-season on Tuesday 12th July, the day after the rest of the squad return from Ireland.

@EssexCricket was great to meet big Mick @Official_ITFC at Chelmsford this evening pic.twitter.com/IZ1u7IozXR

— phil corton (@mopedphil) July 1, 2016

Meanwhile, McCarthy was a guest of Essex CCC at the ECG in Chelmsford on Friday, where he signed autographs and had photos taken with fans as the home side beat local rivals Kent by 50 runs in the NatWest T20 Blast.

Former Blues chairman David Sheepshanks was also a guest of Essex, where ex-Town chief executive Derek Bowden now works in the same role.

Photo: Action Images

BrettenhamBlue added 06:39 - Jul 4 Good chance to help the new players settle in with the rest of the squad (which is essential). Great part of the world to do it too. Sounds like a great playing surface which will be great for passing the ball smoothly.
1

sidtheswan added 08:00 - Jul 4 Don't let MM near cricket he will be putting opening batsman as wicketkeeper and wicketkeeper as opening bowler !
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ITFCGloryDays added 08:49 - Jul 4 Apart from Adam Webster, who are the new players coming 'in' to the club?
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mickeyjb added 09:23 - Jul 4 That's what I thought, who are the new players??? Webster and?
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BrettenhamBlue added 09:31 - Jul 4 Good point. Suppose I was counting Digby as new when he's obviously not. Should read "good chance for Webster to settle into the squad"
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IpswichT62OldBoy added 09:40 - Jul 4 Does MM's brother -in-law own the hotel?
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MarkFish added 09:46 - Jul 4 It really must be like Groundhog Day for the players. If you always do what you did you always get what you got.
1

karls_dad added 09:55 - Jul 4 I know this may sound a tad green eyed monster of jealousy, but has anyone had a Google look at this place? we can,t afford players, or to reduce ticket price,s, but i,m really glad i,m not picking up the bill for this jolly away! it must cost thousands, surely this is something that can be called a waste of club funds? yes i get the theory of team building, but jeez!

0

GiveusaWave added 10:07 - Jul 4 It really looks like an amazing place and if we had more new players would be a fantastic place to gel. It is however pointless having a good playing surface given the way we play. It is doubly pointless because we have only one new signing. Seriously wish MM would send the players to Siberia (Rocky IV style) to toughen them up before the first game. Running through thick snow, snow drifts and playing football on a 3ft thick snow pitch. If they don't get in the play-offs this year, then we are going back. That would be motivation.

0

paulcooperisgod added 10:19 - Jul 4 No doubt MM will spot a young talented Irish player, bring him away from his family and home for a trail, offering him a contract saying he's 'one for the future'....... and then not play him and release him on a free next summer. Same every year zzzz
6

Kirbmeister added 12:18 - Jul 4 Good to see the TWTD members warming up with their negative comments ready for the coming season a month before a competitive ball is kicked.
7

essextractorboy93 added 12:52 - Jul 4 Kirbmeister - just how it is for some unfortunately, its their equivalent of preseason training! Someone will always have something to moan about! haha
4

markytitfc66 added 13:11 - Jul 4 I didn't think MM worried about the playing service and was more concerned with the air quality. Just saying!
2

Kirbmeister added 15:01 - Jul 4 All the Hoofball / air quality jokes have been done - all a bit tired now. Let's wait and see how we start the first few games shall we?
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herri65 added 15:16 - Jul 4 Carton House is a fantastic place to stay... I was staying there on a work trip a few weeks ago, and the NI football team were there on a pre Euros training camp ( I literally bumped into Gareth McAuley). As for cost, we managed to get a decent rate, at around the same price as the hotel we'd normally stay in, but which has inferior facilities. Don't for one minute think Town will be paying the advertised room rates, will be 2 to a room....it is the ideal location for a training camp.

1

Bluebongo added 16:18 - Jul 4 Looks a really posh hotel. If it,s good enough for NI then it,s good enough for the Tractor Boys. Really looking forward to the new season.Top six, no problem.
1

BlueNomad added 16:26 - Jul 4 Careful bongo. There are some who will not like your positivity, which they will label "head in the sand"!!
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Bluebongo added 16:54 - Jul 4 They can say what they like mate, I,ve been a SUPPOTER for 70 years plus and I aint giving up now.
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jas0999 added 17:06 - Jul 4 With seven or eight players leaving the squad, it would have been nice to bed in a few more additions during this trip. As others mention, it's really only Webster who is a new signing. Digby has been here since Christmas. Appreciate there is still time for signings, but we are still four or five players away from being promotion contenders. I personally think it's great that several posters on here are positive about the new season. However, as I have said countless times before, people are entitled to their opinion. I can fully understand why folk are not feeling over confident with the current situation.

2

Ashinbarnsley added 19:05 - Jul 4 Top 6 is always the target as McCarthy has stated previously. Can see some new signings coming in after the trip to Ireland let him see what he's got
1

brian_a_mul added 09:19 - Jul 5 Pre season training conditions are very important. Alot of heavy work is put in and the surface conditions are crucial to keeping players in optimal condition and avoid unnecessary injuries. Remember when The Darklord took the squad to a mucky army base for preseason. The players came back battered and bruised and in worse condition. I think Colin Healy picked up a serious foot injury (infection).

2

dubblue added 15:16 - Jul 6 Looking forward to watching Town next Saturday at Tolka Park. Agree Carton House is a great place, just so long as the players stay away from the weights!
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