Width of the Pitch...

[Guided Missile]

...was it just me, or has the pitch at St. Mary's been narrowed by a metre or two?

Was it all a cunning plan to prevent visiting sides from attacking our flanks and allow our midfielders to cover our attacking full backs.

I think we need to be told....

[Snowballs2]

...was it just me, or has the pitch at St. Mary's been narrowed by a metre or two?

Was it all a cunning plan to prevent visiting sides from attacking our flanks and allow our midfielders to cover our attacking full backs.

I think we need to be told....

 

 

 

Err why ?

[Chez]

funnily enough I thought it had been widened. I thought Pearson had it reduced last season and now we have increased it.

[Gingeletiss]

Iagree with GM.......(shocked and stunned)....I thought it was narrower.

[VectisSaint]

Certainly looked like there was a bigger gap between the pitch and the Kingsland stand. I actually thought this happened at some point last season as well. FA Rules have a minimum and maximum pitch size, as long as we are within that we have the right to change the size of the pitch.

 

Maybe it is to save money on the amount of new turfs required or to cut down the amount of fuel used by the lawn mowers, or the amount of water sprayed on it at half-time or even the amount of money spent on white lines (which is very expensive)

 

I think watering the pitch at half-time yesterday by the way was a bad move. Just after the break the ball was whizzing off the pitch, whereas in the 1st half it was much slower.

[Wes Tender]

Funnily enough, I commented on this to my son before the kick-off. We were in block 41 so could see along the lines adjacent to the Kingsland and to us the margins off pitch looked wider than normal. We had thought it a mistake, as we presumed that our game plan was to use the maximum width to stretch out rival teams and make more space for attacking both up the wings and throught the middle.

[ottery st mary]

Each half, the goal we kicked at (very few times) seemed to be a lot smaller than the one Blackpool were kicking at( Many times) Maybe they were just better at it than us, a little bit like last season.

[70's Mike]

pitch has been narrowed so all the square passes we played yesterday did not have so far to travel.

 

Gillett to James to Svensson to Gillett to Surman to Perry to Gillett and then pump it forward, Jan was not happy about it

[Professor]

Funnily enough, I commented on this to my son before the kick-off. We were in block 41 so could see along the lines adjacent to the Kingsland and to us the margins off pitch looked wider than normal. We had thought it a mistake, as we presumed that our game plan was to use the maximum width to stretch out rival teams and make more space for attacking both up the wings and throught the middle.

I was in the Itchen, and the extra width of the margin immediately struck me, but you inevitably tend to doubt your own memory, as I hadn't been in the Itchen since before last Xmas. Apart from the tongue in cheek suggestions, if our perception is correct, what would be the footballing objective of doing this? Its true The Dell pitch was virtually minimum width, and did encourage ball control and the passing style of play, but isn't that just as possible on a wide pitch?

[Wes Tender]

I was in the Itchen, and the extra width of the margin immediately struck me, but you inevitably tend to doubt your own memory, as I hadn't been in the Itchen since before last Xmas. Apart from the tongue in cheek suggestions, if our perception is correct, what would be the footballing objective of doing this? Its true The Dell pitch was virtually minimum width, and did encourage ball control and the passing style of play, but isn't that just as possible on a wide pitch?

 

As I said, my perception was that the wider the pitch, the more width you can use and that by stretching the play out wide, the more gaps there are between the midfield players to exploit with a passing game. If my perception is incorrect, perhaps somebody will kindly explain where my thinking is wrong.

[Scummer]

Its true The Dell pitch was virtually minimum width, and did encourage ball control and the passing style of play, but isn't that just as possible on a wide pitch?

 

The Dell pitch was reasonably wide actually, it was the lack of length that made it a 'small' pitch.

[sun of spain]

So that's why we lost,I can tell my mates it was the fault of the pitch !

 

I don't feel so deflated now,it sounds a plausible excuse to me ?

[Saint@Bristol]

Whilst we're on pitch dimensions, someone pointed out to me that the tunnel is not completely inline with the half line-its slightly off centre. I didn't beleive him at first as I alway though it was dead central. Has this been changed in the recent past?

[Whitey Grandad]

The Dell pitch was reasonably wide actually, it was the lack of length that made it a 'small' pitch.

It was the same size as White Hart Lane and slightly larger than Highbury.

 

Or was it the other way round?

[VectisSaint]

It was the same size as White Hart Lane and slightly larger than Highbury.

 

Or was it the other way round?

You are quite correct, bigger than Highbury for sure. The pitch itself was not that small, just that we used to stand almost on it and so it seemed small and intimidating.

 

I think there are several points in making the pitch narrower. It restricts the opposition so that they find it more difficult to get around our defenders (meant Fat Boy had to come inside more). Also makes it slightly easier for us to put in deeper crosses (crosses to the back post). Also means that our 2 defensive midfielders have less width to worry about, and so they can effectively cover the opposition attacking options more effectively.

[buctootim]

The Dell pitch was reasonably wide actually, it was the lack of length that made it a 'small' pitch.

 

Wonder why we didnt narrow it and squeeze a few more seats in.

[Fan The Flames]

They have moved the Kingsland Stand back a little bit to get more people in for concets. It's where the boards focus has moved to.

[Bon Call Night]

Having spoken to the groundsman I can confirm the pitch was not narrowed last season or this.

[dubai_phil]

On the subject of the pitch, as my abusive neutral mate pointed out in the pub, WTF have our ground staff been smoking. The pitch had the weirdest wobbly lawn mower lines we've seen on a tv. Thought it was the beer at first, but no, wiggly lines.

Don't tell me wiggly's come back now Rupe's is here?

[pilsburydoughboy]

Pitch Sizes can vary from 45yards wide to 90yards wide and 90yards long to 120yards long.

You could have a square pitch if you wanted.I personally dont think the pitch had changed dimension at all on Saturday.

[Wiltshire Saint]

I thought it had been narrowed and lengthened and tarmaced. Then I realised I was at Heathrow.

[Whitey Grandad]

Pitch Sizes can vary from 45yards wide to 90yards wide and 90yards long to 120yards long.

You could have a square pitch if you wanted.I personally dont think the pitch had changed dimension at all on Saturday.

The permissible sizes are somewhat different to that. The touch line can be between 100 and 130 yards and the goal line between 50 to 100 yards. You most definitely cannot have a square pitch, the touch line must be longer than the goal line. For international matches the length is from 110 to 120 yards and the width from 70 to 80 yards which I believe would have ruled out the Dell.

 

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html

[Scummer]

Wonder why we didnt narrow it and squeeze a few more seats in.

 

The front rows of seats were 'underground' as it was. If we'd put any more rows in you'd have needed a periscope to see the pitch.

[buctootim]

The front rows of seats were 'underground' as it was. If we'd put any more rows in you'd have needed a periscope to see the pitch.

Thats true . I'd forgotten that.

[Whitey Grandad]

The front rows of seats were 'underground' as it was. If we'd put any more rows in you'd have needed a periscope to see the pitch.

And a schnorkel. There is a water culvert under the pitch. That's why it was called 'The Dell'.

[derry]

As I said, my perception was that the wider the pitch, the more width you can use and that by stretching the play out wide, the more gaps there are between the midfield players to exploit with a passing game. If my perception is incorrect, perhaps somebody will kindly explain where my thinking is wrong.

 

 

Dead right, except that White then Dyer kept coming inside, giving no useable width. JP emphasised that point, so I think it will be dealt with.

[Charlie Wayman]

The playing area at The Emirates is much larger. About time pitch size was standardised in metres +/- 0.

[the stain]

The playing area at The Emirates is much larger. About time pitch size was standardised in metres +/- 0.

 

Why? I reckon it's one of the many charming idiosyncrasies of English-invented sports that give them the edge over more regimented games like American Football.

[Whitey Grandad]

Why? I reckon it's one of the many charming idiosyncrasies of English-invented sports that give them the edge over more regimented games like American Football.

Exactly! I've refereed some local games where the corner flag is two strides from the penalty area.

[paulwantsapint]

Have we started using less white paint?

as from row GG in northam was unable to see top or D of chapel pen box & only just made out edges of box as well

[paulwantsapint]

Have we started using less white paint?

as from row GG in northam was unable to see top or D of chapel pen box & only just made out edges of box as well