Hurray! Forget the World Cup. Real football is back: mighty Boro. 
The squad stepped up their pre-season preparations in Austria this week with a run-out against Sturm Graz and on Tuesday Tony Pulis takes Boro for the first domestic friendly at Spennymoor.
But what are friendlies for? What do managers expect? Do they want to see their team winning games or just get fitness levels up?
And what do fans expect? Do they want emphatic victory and to go away entertained and convinced of inevitable impending glory or just to break the cold turkey sweats of a matchless summer? 
Are friendlies ever any good? Whatever happened to the high-profile glamour games of the early Riverside days? Which players really caught the eye in pre-season? Or got crocked? And which glamour game did Untypicalboro take his wife to on their first date? 
Join the lads in the latest Tripe Supper as they shake off the ring-rust with a low-key chat about friendlies.  For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy