Thanks to a successful week's work in the Netherlands, Peter Reid now has a very good idea of what he has to work with at Plymouth Argyle.

The Pilgrims' manager (left) watched his side win, lose and draw the three matches they played while they were based at the Dutch Olympic sports headquarters at Papendal, near Arnhem. Argyle returned to England yesterday, and they will be back at work on Monday to prepare for next week's pair of friendlies – at Hereford United on Wednesday and at Queen's Park Rangers on Friday.

Argyle took on two Dutch top-flight teams and another who finished in second place in the country's second tier while they were in the Netherlands. They started off on a high note with a 1-0 win over NAC Breda, and then they lost 1-0 to their other top-tier opponents, AZ Alkmaar. Finally, they sent out an under-strength side against SC Cambuur on Thursday and, after doing very well to build a three-goal lead, they had to settle for a 3-3 draw.

The match practice was, of course, not the only reason for going abroad as a group. Reid has been at the helm at Home Park for less than a month, and the seven-day expedition allowed him to get to know his players off as well as on the field of play. It has been, as far as the Liverpudlian is concerned, a very worthwhile exercise.

"All in all, it has been a really good trip," he told the media before the Pilgrims' travelling party headed for home. "I'm getting to know the players. I know now what the strengths and weaknesses of the squad are."

Argyle's squad is still too big for the club's financial comfort while, if he is in a position to recruit some fresh faces, Reid no doubt has some players in mind. He did, however, make a plea for patience. Both outbound and inbound transfers take time to set up. "There will be some changes as we go into the season," Reid added. "It's hard work in the market, getting people in and out at the moment, but, as the season gets nearer, people do tend to get more business done. I'm hoping to do the same."

Three members of Argyle's squad did not go to the Netherlands. Marcel Seip missed out on a trip to his homeland because he was in Plymouth awaiting the delayed arrival in the world of Walter, a first child for the Dutchman and his wife, Lucy.

Rory Fallon, whose World Cup feats on behalf of New Zealand in South Africa kept him busy almost to the end of June, was spared the tour to give him more recovery time. In contrast, Argyle wanted to take Onismor Bhasera with them, but they were unable to secure a Dutch visa for the Zimbabwean.

In the trio's absence, Argyle found room in their tour squad for three trialists. Left-back Tony Capaldi, who is trying to secure a contract with the Pilgrims for a second time, and American midfielder Anton Peterlin appeared in all three matches in the Netherlands.

Bermudian goalkeeper Freddy Hall played against Cambuur. "He did OK," Reid said. "He came out for crosses and, hand on heart, I don't think he had a chance with any of the goals. He has been smashing this week."

All three trialists can afford to feel satisfied with their week's work in games and on the training pitches. When Reid was asked about their prospects of remaining with the Pilgrims, he replied: "I think it's fair to tell them first, and that's what I'll do, but all three did well."

Reid was then asked if there were financial restrictions in place which were likely to make it hard for him to give contracts to new signings without parting company with players beforehand. The Argyle boss said: "There are deals to be done, if it's in our budget scope, but I don't really like talking about that, because it alerts other people."

The Plymouth players managed to make it through the week without suffering any serious injuries. Karl Duguid was removed from the field of play on a stretcher during Wednesday's loss to Alkmaar, but the verdict was that there was no long-term damage.

"It's a shin injury and he's still a bit sore, but we don't think there's any real damage in there," Reid revealed. "It's just soft-tissue damage, which is good." The crutches which Duguid had been using after Wednesday's game had been abandoned a day later, and the right-back seems likely to recover in time to feature in one or both of next week's friendlies.

Centre-back Krisztian Timar, who has had an injury-plagued year, gained his first taste of match action this summer against Alkmaar. Fellow central defender Kari Arnason, who suffered a thigh strain a few minutes into Argyle's first friendly of the summer, also had a 90-minute run-out on the same evening.

"I'm delighted," Reid added. "Arnason and Timar had a game, and there were no reactions, which is great news for us. I'm very pleased with the way it went, and we'll be back in training on Monday.

"I'll give all the lads fitness tests again next week, just to see how they are, and we'll go from there." Argyle launch their npower League One campaign in 14 days' time, at Southampton.