Why are we so much better away from home?

[Dave]

I've said before that in a way I'd have preferred to lose against Everton and beat Stoke or Blackpool, even though you still get the same reward. But why are we playing better away from home than at SJP? Is it the lack of pressure from the home fans? Do we play better on the break, when teams feel they have to attack us?

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted wherever we win (and today was particularly vital) but convention dictates that can't rely on our away form to stay up. So far we look a different team depending on where we're playing and it worries me.

[Pilko]

1) Less pressure from an increasingly frustrated home crowd

2) Players are convinced it'll be easy after not losing there all of last season

3) 4-4-1-1 is shit

 

imo

[Yorkie]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

[Guest Heneage]

Less pressure, and less complacency. 

 

At home we're expected to win and win comfortably, meaning complacency breeds and we end up making routine mistakes. I honestly think Perch's removal will improve our home record, he was at fault for both Insomnia's goals.

[Ronaldo]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

Some of our home fans

[Yorkie]

We don't require as much in the way of flair away from home. We'll contain teams and hit them with the sporadic attack; and at the moment we're taking our chances too.

 

At home we need to push teams back and we don't have the pace or creativity to make it work. So basically, teams come to SJP and play just like we do on the road. Tried and tested formula... it works for us on the road, it works for other teams at St James'. I saw Stoke City come to SJP and look like the masters of the counter, having contained us for about 25 minutes.

 

We need some flair. But like i say, going 4-4-2 might change things providing we play the right personnel in midfield.

 

Fan pressure is bollocks.

[ikri]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This.

 

We don't have the quality in the team without anyone good enough to break down a team set up to contain us, away from home or against better opponents we fair better since they're the ones doing all the attacking which leaves more space for us.

[Wullie]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

In a nutshell. Teams sitting deeper stumps us because our attacking quality is rather limited at this level with Routledge and Lovenkrands not doing it and HBA crippled.

 

I think home form is easier to put right than being in an away rut though so I'm not too concerned. We've always also been better at home against clubs that psychologically we think we're on a par with - Everton, Villa, Spurs. We've been falling down against the shite for years, we've just forgotten about it a little bit because of last season.

[Frazzle]

I agree with Yorkie to an extent (although I think fan pressure is a problem).  On the other hand maybe it's too early in the season to be talking about trends.

[Pilko]

Fan pressure is bollocks.

 

It really isn't. It's obviously not the only reason, or the primary reason (mine were listed in order I thought of them) but it is a factor imo.

[Yorkie]

I was at Stoke and Wigan and the fans were no more aggressive to the side than i've seen in recent times. If pressure from the home fans is an issue with regards to our form, we've got a pretty spineless group of players. Which i know we don't.

[Stifler]

1) Less pressure from an increasingly frustrated home crowd

2) Players are convinced it'll be easy after not losing there all of last season

3) 4-4-1-1 is shit

 

imo

Pretty much this.

[Ronaldo]

I don't think fan pressure and complacency are really factors, tbh.

[Guest BlacknWhiteArmy]

I've said before that in a way I'd have preferred to lose against Everton and beat Stoke or Blackpool, even though you still get the same reward. But why are we playing better away from home than at SJP? Is it the lack of pressure from the home fans? Do we play better on the break, when teams feel they have to attack us?

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted wherever we win (and today was particularly vital) but convention dictates that can't rely on our away form to stay up. So far we look a different team depending on where we're playing and it worries me.

 

Less pressure, tbh.

[mrmojorisin75]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This.

our manager was a defender, his team is in his image in sense - happens a lot in football, the likes of fergie (ex-striker) who build a team from the back are the exception

[Yorkie]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This.

our manager was a defender, his team is in his image in sense - happens a lot in football, the likes of fergie (ex-striker) who build a team from the back are the exception

 

Hughton's not a defensive manager. He went through fits and spurts last season of being a bit cautious, but he's not a defensive manager. The reason why we tend to let teams play into our hands (and counter), is simply down to the fact we've barely got any decent attacking players in the squad.

[Taylor Swift]

Because we're not obligated to attack.

 

When we play away, our attacks tend to develop naturally, either through a good counter-attacking move or us shifting the play, passing it slowly and looking for space and time to create something.

 

When we play at home, we're forced to attack, so our players sit further up the pitch, have less space to move into and consequently makes it harder for us to create good chances.

 

Our home form will improve when we play teams who play a bit more of an open game.

[Keefaz]

Because we're not obligated to attack.

 

When we play away, our attacks tend to develop naturally, either through a good counter-attacking move or us shifting the play, passing it slowly and looking for space and time to create something.

 

When we play at home, we're forced to attack, so our players sit further up the pitch, have less space to move into and consequently makes it harder for us to create good chances.

 

Our home form will improve when we play teams who play a bit more of an open game.

 

[Big Geordie]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This. When the onus is on us to press for the win, we just don't have the players who can do it. Not helped by a lack of pace and creativity in the side.

[Dave]

The solution is obviously to play defensive at home; Allardyce-style.

[jdckelly]

Because we're not obligated to attack.

 

When we play away, our attacks tend to develop naturally, either through a good counter-attacking move or us shifting the play, passing it slowly and looking for space and time to create something.

 

When we play at home, we're forced to attack, so our players sit further up the pitch, have less space to move into and consequently makes it harder for us to create good chances.

 

Our home form will improve when we play teams who play a bit more of an open game.

good assesment 

[Parky]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This.

[mrmojorisin75]

We're better at containing teams than pressing them, simple as that imo. If the attacking onus is on is, like it is at home, we just don't have it. It might improve if we stick with two men upfront, mind.

 

This.

 

can't believe anyone thinks it's as simple as playing 2 of the current squad up top at home

[Yorkie]

What? I said "it might improve".