that dreaded home form .....

[david in sweden]

also cost Reading a play-off place ....and a manager!

(Saw in a BBC interview that Steve Coppell re-iterated that Reading failed

because they lost so many home games..tell me about it, Steve) and only won one of their last nine at home. I watched their home game v. Brum on cable TV and they were truly awful!

 

In over 50 years I can't recall such bad home form as we've shown this season. In the past,The DELL (and to a lesser degree SMS) have been a good hunting ground for us - I can even recall days in the 1960's when we won 16/17 home games, and regularly scored 50-60 home goals (once ..even 70 goals in a single season). OK I know thats long ago , but ?

We've always accepted that " we didn't travel well " and rarely had more than 3-4 away wins in a normal season. Of course times change..but so few wins in home games is beyond belief, and not just the defeats but all those drawn games, too.

 

Studying the stats. (as I'm inclined to do ) we got around 23 away points (as good as some mid-table sides,) even Preston managed to get a play-off spot with 23 away points ! So what happened to us.?

Can't see how we can blame the fans..(O.K there could have been more of them at some games) but to play the same teams twice in a season and still lose so many at home games must be unprecedented!

 

WHY ..is SMS so un-inviting ? Thoughts or ideas anyone ...?

Edited 18 May, 2009 by david in sweden

[kpturner]

The reason for our poor home form is perfectly simple. We had a c r a p team.

[dubai_phil]

Said it many times

 

We need to get the White Witch back

 

Too many rumours of things going wrong last time she was here

[skintsaint]

crap team, 1 up front tactics, teams fancy to beat us by lumping it in the box...

[benjii]

Not enough goals scored and vulnerability from set-pieces cost us.

 

Nothing to do with SMS - we were just crap at the key moments and it's a strange quirk of fate that we did better away IMO.

 

I don't think we played noticably better away we just converted our chances a bit better. I suppose you could say that might be down to there being less pressure away; but this would apply whether or home ground was the Dell, St Mary's, Bernabeu or the Silverlake!

[Frank's cousin]

NOt really rocket science TBH - we played it on the deck and passed it around - when at home away sides defending deep and we simply were not good enough to penetrate - no width anno midfield guileand strike force ineffective - + with dodgy defence succombed to the break away goals and conceded too many fom set pieces.

 

Away from home sides more attacking leaving us space and the pasing game worked better, more able to catch sides on the break and create space...

[70's Mike]

To win at home you have to go forward not sideways, also you have to play for 90mins not 75

[The9]

Too slow on the break once Holmes got injured and no-one in the box between September and February to convert the stuff we did create.

 

I can't think of more than a couple of occasions where we actually played a successful through ball from a midfielder to a striker in the whole season.

 

Long and short of it was away we were able to catch teams on the break due to having our wide players pushed up, but at home we were too slow to exploit openings, keeping possession in unthreatening areas or crossing it to no-one, and teams got men back which made it much more difficult.

 

That and missing a sh1tload of chances late in the season.

 

There were loads of reasons, but trying to break down ten defenders by passing it sideways and your alleged striker not making runs into space are probably the main ones.

[The9]

Well, that's 3 people in a row that have said we passed sideways and lacked penetration...

[scott_saints]

The problem at home last season, was quite often due to the away team scoring more goals than we did, imo.

[david in sweden]

The problem at home last season, was quite often due to the away team scoring more goals than we did, imo.

 

Really ? that's a pretty radical statement on your part ..

.......are you sure of your facts ...or are you just guessing ?

[londonsaint1604]

It must have been bad considering we got 3 points there.

[eelpie]

 

In over 50 years I can't recall such bad home form as we've shown this season. In the past,The DELL (and to a lesser degree SMS) have been a good hunting ground for us - I can even recall days in the 1960's when we won 16/17 home games, and regularly scored 50-60 home goals (once ..even 70 goals in a single season). OK I know thats long ago , but ?

We've always accepted that " we didn't travel well " and rarely had more than 3-4 away wins in a normal season. Of course times change..but so few wins in home games is beyond belief, and not just the defeats but all those drawn games, too.

 

Studying the stats. (as I'm inclined to do ) we got around 23 away points (as good as some mid-table sides,) even Preston managed to get a play-off spot with 23 away points ! So what happened to us.?

Can't see how we can blame the fans..(O.K there could have been more of them at some games) but to play the same teams twice in a season and still lose so many at home games must be unprecedented!

 

WHY ..is SMS so un-inviting ? Thoughts or ideas anyone ...?

 

Something I've raised several times (and got shouted down). Even when we were relegated to the old Div 3 South in the fifties we managed 5 home wins. The Dell was a fortress, like Fratton Park is now for Pompey. Close to the pitch and quite steeply raked stands. Frightens the opposition. Compare to St Mary's and you have the answer. It certainly is not the fans.

[Toomer]

To win at home you have to go forward not sideways' date=' also you have to play for 90mins not 75[/quote']

 

Did we sign another version of sideways Jim.

[The9]

Something I've raised several times (and got shouted down). Even when we were relegated to the old Div 3 South in the fifties we managed 5 home wins. The Dell was a fortress, like Fratton Park is now for Pompey. Close to the pitch and quite steeply raked stands. Frightens the opposition. Compare to St Mary's and you have the answer. It certainly is not the fans.

 

You keep saying it, but we were doing alright when it was full, and it was full cos we were doing alright... the only thing that affects results is the quality and effort of the players.

 

Some, but very few, players can only be highly motivated by a crowd supporting them, far more can improve their peak performance when supported, but generally players are so used to crowds I shouldn't think it makes much difference to them one way or another.

 

There's a ton of evidence in Saints results that a loud supportive crowd doesn't make the blindest bit of difference.

[Berkshire Saint]

Something I've raised several times (and got shouted down). Even when we were relegated to the old Div 3 South in the fifties we managed 5 home wins. The Dell was a fortress, like Fratton Park is now for Pompey. Close to the pitch and quite steeply raked stands. Frightens the opposition. Compare to St Mary's and you have the answer. It certainly is not the fans.

 

Fratton Park isn't a fortress for Pompey though. Their home form in the last couple of seasons has been mediocre at best.

[david in sweden]

Something I've raised several times (and got shouted down). Even when we were relegated to the old Div 3 South in the fifties we managed 5 home wins. The Dell was a fortress, like Fratton Park is now for Pompey. Close to the pitch and quite steeply raked stands. Frightens the opposition. Compare to St Mary's and you have the answer. It certainly is not the fans.

 

You're right about the design. The design of the DELL presented a " wall of sound " that was amazing. The home side were used to it but visiting teams

were terrified. Several famous players have said (TV interviews) that visiting the DELL was a challenge in itself, the volume and intensity of the crowds

cheering / singing was frightening. Don't know if the crowd were a help to the Saints..or a hindrance to the opposition. A bit of both - maybe .

 

SMS is a lovely stadium but doesn't have the acoustics that the DELL had.

[Teddy Nutkins]

You're right about the design. The design of the DELL presented a " wall of sound " that was amazing. The home side were used to it but visiting teams

were terrified. Several famous players have said (TV interviews) that visiting the DELL was a challenge in itself, the volume and intensity of the crowds

cheering / singing was frightening. Don't know if the crowd were a help to the Saints..or a hindrance to the opposition. A bit of both - maybe .

 

SMS is a lovely stadium but doesn't have the acoustics that the DELL had.

 

It was amazing stood under the west stand,at the Dell, when the season ticket holders started stamping their feet on the wooden floor above.

[madsent]

The problem at home last season, was quite often due to the away team scoring more goals than we did, imo.

 

Actually, the big problem was the number of games that the opposition scored the same number of goals as us. We actually lost the same number of games this season as we did last season.

[david in sweden]

It was amazing stood under the west stand,at the Dell, when the season ticket holders started stamping their feet on the wooden floor above.

 

Absolutely Colin,

I remember it well. I used to shelter under the West ..near the half way line (a good view of the whole pitch) but when the crowd in the stand above were roused - they stamped their feet like crazy. You usually got a shower of rust filings down your neck and it always felt like something was going to come down on your head.

 

The noise was deafening. I don't know what it did to the opposition, but it nearly frightened the life out of me !