The Pitch

[robbiez666]

Probably the most baffling thing to happen this season (of many) is Wilder's decision to reduce the width of the pitch and then play 4-4-2. If we're playing opposition who play 4-5-1, then it gives them an advantage.

It makes no sense whatsoever to me.

 

[wizadry]

He'll have his reasons......fuck knows what they'll be though!

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

It`s so the fans have to shout much louder for the players to hear the derision.
Smart thinking really.

 

[Smirth]

It makes perfect sense- Wilder's main plan this season is to lump it up to Clarke and feed off his knock downs. We don't play with width and we bypass the midfield.

 

[Leonardo Green]

Says so we can close down quicker and play a higher line.

 

[Minty]

Probably the most baffling thing to happen this season (of many) is Wilder's decision to reduce the width of the pitch and then play 4-4-2. If we're playing opposition who play 4-5-1, then it gives them an advantage.

It makes no sense whatsoever to me.

Absofuckinlutely!

Why have wingers when in reality they are just extra CMs - there is just no space out wide and everything is so congested. I said this on another thread but no one agreed/disagreed so I thought it was just me talking bollocks!

 

[robbiez666]

It makes perfect sense- Wilder's main plan this season is to lump it up to Clarke and feed off his knock downs. We don't play with width and we bypass the midfield.

I'm pretty sure crossing to his head would pay more dividends. Maybe he just realises that no one who can play fullback has any ability to stop crosses.

 

[corkysbeard]

Says so we can close down quicker and play a higher line.

r
Well it's working so for

 

[Blade58]

pitch looking in really good nick

must be all that shit on it every home game

 

[Sean Thornton]

r
Well it's working so for

Are you a pirate ?

 

[Ben_1982]

Unsuccessfully trying to play 1980's Bassett football. Was an absolute disgrace last night

 

[zablade]

It has reverted to the dimensions when Bassett was here and Wilder was playing / scything the opposition winger down.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Dousing the pitch with water at H/T.

Bit fucking pointless when the balls in orbit around the ground most of the time

UTB

 

[YES Blade]

At all levels of football the teams hoping to be near the top surely want the pitch to be as big as possible. Team looking to attack want as much space as possible in order to break teams down.

Man U have been average by their standards since Fergie left, but they wouldn't dream of making the pitch smaller. They're a big club and have the attitude of big clubs eg to attack teams at home and win every home match. As the so called biggest club in league one, we should be the same. It's a really negative move to me.

 

[INTERUNITED]

Completely baffling decision. Basically you are telling the opposition how you are gonna play. I bet Southend and Rochdale couldn't believe their luck. Stick 2 big centre halves in there and play through our non existent midfield. Its what I'd expect a team to do who have admitted they are going to be in a relegation battle.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

It makes perfect sense- Wilder's main plan this season is to lump it up to Clarke and feed off his knock downs. We don't play with width and we bypass the midfield.

Exactly so. The first thing hoof managers do is narrow the pitch. Warnock did the same when we went up in 2006. A narrower pitch is also easier to defend, when your percentage-based hoofing loses you the ball.

For all the promising talk of the style Wilder would allegedly try to play, my heart just sank when I saw the pitch.

 

[HolmesfieldBlade]

Says so we can close down quicker and play a higher line.

I spent most of last night screaming about how high the defensive was playing!!

Almost like they wanted to be broken on, obviously not good enough to play like that

 

[YES Blade]

Are you allowed to change the pitch dimensions once the season has started?

 

[Leonardo Green]

the pitch size should be one mandatory size for all

 

[Sirius]

Exactly so. The first thing hoof managers do is narrow the pitch. Warnock did the same when we went up in 2006. A narrower pitch is also easier to defend, when your percentage-based hoofing loses you the ball.

For all the promising talk of the style Wilder would allegedly try to play, my heart just sank when I saw the pitch.[/QUOTE

McCabe will be furious,he could have paid less for a smaller pitch

 

[metalblade]

The answer is HOOF ....................... like playing up and down a gennel

 

[WhiteHawk]

Doesn't matter how narrow the pitch is when we're just smashing it long to Clarke all the time.

 

[Sean Thornton]

the pitch size should be one mandatory size for all

It's not been for over a hundred years.

 

[wizadry]

I couldn't help but notice how many times we kept kicking the ball straight out of play the last couple of games, I just thought it was because of how shite we were, I now know it's all down to the pitch size, thank fuck for that!

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

the pitch size should be one mandatory size for all

It's not been for over a hundred years.

Well, it kind of is mandatory, in so far as there's maximum and minimum dimensions that are allowed ? Or have I made that up ?

I quite like variations in pitches (big, small, uphill, downhill, mud bath farmyard, whatever). It's part of what gives some grounds their character and distinctiveness.

A bit like (draws breath, knowing the haters are gonna hate) cricket grounds

 

[Sean Thornton]

Well, it kind of is mandatory, in so far as there's maximum and minimum dimensions that are allowed ? Or have I made that up ?

I quite like variations in pitches (big, small, uphill, downhill, mud bath farmyard, whatever). It's part of what gives some grounds their character and distinctiveness.

A bit like (draws breath, knowing the haters are gonna hate) cricket grounds

No but that's sematics as I assume he meant everyone had a pitch the same size. Otherwise in the context of the thread it doesn't make sense.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

It's a fair cop

 

[Toronto Blade]

Narrower pitch,the groundsman isn't happy less grass to mow so they've cut his wages.

 

[Ricky]

It's an embarrassing way for a club like Sheffield United to go about it in League One.

It's saying to everyone else in the league 'we're not that good, you've got a great chance of getting a result here'.

Teams will put players behind the ball and contain us comfortably. It's going to cost us a lot of points this season.

Any team with aspirations of topping their division should back their quality and give themselves space to play in on their home pitch knowing it'll provide more points in the long run.

We have attacking full backs, have signed two decent wingers and have a first choice strike pairing who rely mainly on service from wide areas. It just makes no sense whatsoever.

I can only think Wilder gave the groundsman the dimensions when he was planning on playing in a different way - maybe we then failed to sign the players he wanted, like Ricky Holmes. Because as it's turned out, as I said, it makes no sense at all.

 

[nopigfansintown]

We don't stretch the game in wide areas due to the narrowness of the pitch, or length ways with strikers running behind the centre backs. Clarke and Sharp's numbers were visible to me on the kop almost all night, when you should be seeing their face as they run beyond the defenders (one goes long, one short). Were often playing inverted wingers who naturally run infield on their favoured foot and add to the congestion. You could throw a dishcloth over our team from goal kicks - it's nonsensical. Our lack of control in midfield means our full backs struggle to get high enough up the pitch to alleviate this problem. Wilder was probably hoping that Brayford and Hussey would give us all the width we need and that other areas were far more important. You have to have a measure of control in midfield for this strategy to have any chance of long term success. We haven't, so it hasn't.
Another point worthy of comment is our pressing game. Wilder's game plan is a high defensive line and our forward players pressing the opposition in their own half. This strategy is doomed to fail when you have so many fairly immobile players in these positions. They get out of our block fairly easily and then straight away outnumber us in midfield. This normally results in trouble down Done's side due to his positional indiscipline (he often leaves his fullback two vs one)