Re: Home Form : Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:20 pm  

Bonzo wrote:

Just a thought...

Is our home record (1 from 3) this season as a result of the size of our pitch at Wheldon Road? When you think about our away wins (3 from 3) and where they've come, they've been in stadia with full size, wide fields which obviously suits our attacking style of play.

Are the dimensions of the field at the Jungle limiting our attacking options and allowing teams who play less expansive rugby to capitalise?

I realise there's little that can be done about it, however it highlights a need for our defence to be absolutely spot on when we're playing at home. It also adds more fuel to the fire of an ever increasingly desperate need for the new stadium to progress.

I totally agree mate!!!!! when you look at where most of our points have come from they have been out wide with Dixon, Evans, Shenny and Owen, which also suggests why Dixon's kicking success is a little off, they have almost all been from touch.

: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:58 pm  

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Re: Home Form : Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:02 am  

marshman wrote:

I'm still of the opinion that if we actually supported our team at home as we have done away at Wigan, Catalan and Hull the players would respond much better and we might actually make our home support work in our favour rather than against us.

In agreement with PA and Marshy (though Bonzo's point seems very valid).

In both the home defeats we seem to have played with a degree of panic when it wasn't needed. This can only be due to feeling pressure from the terraces. Then we score once and we return to our best. When we conceed again it's back to silly offloads and poor decision making.

I was also talking to a former Tigers' skipper the other day (more on that next week) and he was in agreement too about the role the fans can play in helping the side.

Re: Home Form : Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:03 am  

Bonzo wrote:

Just a thought...

Is our home record (1 from 3) this season as a result of the size of our pitch at Wheldon Road? When you think about our away wins (3 from 3) and where they've come, they've been in stadia with full size, wide fields which obviously suits our attacking style of play.
Are the dimensions of the field at the Jungle limiting our attacking options and allowing teams who play less expansive rugby to capitalise?

I realise there's little that can be done about it, however it highlights a need for our defence to be absolutely spot on when we're playing at home. It also adds more fuel to the fire of an ever increasingly desperate need for the new stadium to progress.

You should do well when you come to Wakey then

: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:37 pm  

I think it's a combination of the two factors already discussed.

Most of our tries tend to come out wide and we don't seem to have trouble getting out of our own 25 to the oppositions, at home. The problem seems to come if we are 'camped' in their 25 for more than one set, we seem to have too many bodies and not enough space to get over out wide.

This combined with the fact that the fans expectations are rising. When we are 'camped' in their 25, the sheer panic that comes from the Wheldon Road end, infects the players . The players have to learn to cope with that though. We are also losing the underdog tag. It's good to go to games now, expecting and hoping we can win. But as I've read earlier on here, our away support is 'proper' support. The fans get behind them if we are winning or losing. At home, it's only when the game seems to be in the bag and supporters have relaxed that they get behind them with 'support' and not 'panic'.

: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:57 pm  

As seems to be the general consensus, I'd agree that the 2 points are equally valid:

We have a side that tends to score plenty of points out wide and this is clearly suited by the wider pitches such as KC and JJB (and Headingly when we go there ) . I don't know whether others have noticed but the pitch was further narrowed by a few yards to allow for the new dugouts.

There is also the anxiety from the home supporters that transmits itself to the players when things aren't going our way. Incidentally, this isn't a problem peculiar only to Cas - try listening to the home fans at Wigan, Leeds, Saints, Warrington etc when they're behind at home!