Town boss Paul Jewell has confirmed that the Blues will be off to Holland for their pre-season tour once again this summer. The squad will be put through their paces at a training camp in Eindhoven between July 15th and 20th, the third year in succession that they have travelled to the Dutch city.
Jewell said: "I like Holland as a destination in pre-season. It's a short flight to get there, which is very important. I'm not really into these tours where you spend hours travelling there and back.
"The training facilities in Holland are good and it always helps to take the players away from the training ground and give them different surroundings to work in."
Last year the players were put through their paces at a complex in the village of Mierlo near Eindhoven where Jewell had previously taken his Wigan squad.
Town are likely to announce details of the friendlies they’ll play in Holland next week. The Blues took on FC Eindhoven and Den Bosch last summer, having faced PSV in a friendly the previous year.
Meanwhile, Jewell has backed England’s appointment of Roy Hodgson as manager, but feels the successor to Fabio Capello should have been named some while ago: ”I think it is ridiculous to have left appointing a manager for a major championships so late.
"I think we have to give the guy a chance,” he added. "He has been around. He has been an international manager and he has managed Inter Milan and Liverpool, so he has good pedigree.”