The pitch IS narrower...

[Hartcliffe red]

Imagine the same rules in snooker table width

[Portland Bill]

1 hour ago, downendcity said:

Perhaps LJ has asked for the pitch to be narrowed to help with the pressing game that some commented on last night.

The narrower the pitch the easier it is to press and close down the opposition defence, as they have less space available. It might not be a lot, but at this level it's all about small margins.

 

Barcelona are probably the best pressing team in the world, they have a giant pitch, so it doesn't have to be this way.

Imo any manager who narrows his home pitch is clearly a negative manager.

[Maesknoll Red]

If Wiki is to be believed, most Championship club pitch sizes here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Football_League_Championship_stadiums

and some reckon it matters...

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/aug/17/when-football-teams-reduce-their-pitch-size-to-counter-opponents

 

 

[Maltshoveller]

7 minutes ago, Portland Bill said:

Barcelona are probably the best pressing team in the world, they have a giant pitch, so it doesn't have to be this way.

Imo any manager who narrows his home pitch is clearly a negative manager.

105 x 68

 

[bluebutterfly]

When ian atkins was rovers manager he did this and i hated it.

Its a purely negative step to stop better quality footballers having space and time on the ball.

[TheCulturalBomb]

I always assumed possession based football should be played with with wide pitches, i.e Arsenal, Barcelona, or Bristol Rovers. If it helps us defensively, great but a good chunk of last season our game vanished and we were the team chasing.

[Portland Bill]

15 minutes ago, Maltshoveller said:

105 x 68

 

Yes, in real money it's 115 x 74 yards!!

[BS4 on Tour...]

6 hours ago, Dollymarie said:

Genuine question, because I honestly don't know. 

Are we allowed to do that? As in are there rules that say the pitch must be between this and this measurement for example? How narrow are we allowed to make it before someone official would take a look at things.  

Yep there are length and width ranges within which you have to adhere as a pro club. I remember under Souness' management, Rangers narrowed their pitch to the absolute minimum for just one European match because the opposition had two good wingers...

[Bristol Rob]

39 minutes ago, Hartcliffe red said:

Imagine the same rules in snooker table width

How do you make a snooker table laugh?

You put your hand in its pockets and tickle its balls!

[JamesBCFC]

2 hours ago, Portland Bill said:

Barcelona are probably the best pressing team in the world, they have a giant pitch, so it doesn't have to be this way.

Imo any manager who narrows his home pitch is clearly a negative manager.

You realise we still have one of the largest pitches?

No?

Ok, so just an opportunity to rant.

[Ska Junkie]

I seem to remember, like others that we, along with Wolves, had the biggest playing area in the division. IIRC, wasn't QPR the smallest by some margin?

[Davefevs]

The corner quadrant is 1 yard radius

the penalty area in 18*44 yards

the six yard box is 6*22 ( if you drew a line from the posts outwards you've have 3 boxes of 6*6, 6*8, 6*6)

the penalty spot is 12 yards from the goal and the circle outside the penalty area is a line drawn 10 yards from that (imagine a paint brush on a 10 yd piece of string )

the centre circle is 10 yards radius (20yds diameter)

[Cowshed]

2 hours ago, TheCulturalBomb said:

I always assumed possession based football should be played with with wide pitches, i.e Arsenal, Barcelona, or Bristol Rovers. If it helps us defensively, great but a good chunk of last season our game vanished and we were the team chasing.

Not exactly because it will depend on formations. A diamond in midfield will be narrow. Do they want more or less pitch to cover when they lose it?

Barcelonas philosophy with its once short triangular passing, six second presses etc was played in tighter spaces. they have now moved away from this and use lots of width via Neymar etc. Bristol City obviously are not the zenith of brilliance!

Is it easier defend to defend v possession on a narrower pitch? Yes 100%. Does it make games more negative? Yes.

[JamesBCFC]

6 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

Not exactly because it will depend on formations. A diamond in midfield will be narrow. Do they want more or less pitch to cover when they lose it?

Barcelonas philosophy with its once short triangular passing, six second presses etc was played in tighter spaces. they have now moved away from this and use lots of width via Neymar etc. Bristol City obviously are not the zenith of brilliance!

Is it easier defend to defend v possession on a narrower pitch? Yes 100%. Does it make games more negative? Yes.

Do we still have one of the largest pitches?

Yes.

[Cowshed]

Just now, JamesBCFC said:

Do we still have one of the largest pitches?

Yes.

That did not answer the post made by @TheCulturalBomb

 

[JamesBCFC]

12 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

That did not answer the post made by @TheCulturalBomb

 

Good job it wasn't a response to what TheCulturalBomb said then really.

 

It was a response to your misleading point about negative football, your post insinuating that such tactics are the reason behind the change.

Pointing out that we continue to have one of the larger pitches contradicts that fallacy, as would the style of play at last nights game.

[Cowshed]

1 minute ago, JamesBCFC said:

Good job it wasn't a response to what TheCulturalBomb said then really.

 

It was a response to your misleading point about negative football, your post insinuating that such tactics are the reason behind the change.

Pointing out that we continue to have one of the larger pitches contradicts that fallacy, as would the style of play at last nights game.

My post did not insinuate anything. It contained an opinion that you will find in any coaching book or FA course. If a team wants to negate the oppositions possession they make the pitch smaller via pressing/defensive lines. Trimming some of the width of the pitch off obviously makes the pitch smaller and thus makes it easier to control the space.

I regards to a possession based team it is not as straight forward, but if you have wide players/wingers - Inverted wingers, wing backs generally you want them to split in possession and make the pitch as wide as possible.

[JamesBCFC]

2 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

My post did not insinuate anything. It contained an opinion that you will find in any coaching book or FA course. If a team wants to negate the oppositions possession they make the pitch smaller via pressing/defensive lines. Trimming some of the width of the pitch off obviously makes the pitch smaller and thus makes it easier to control the space.

I regards to a possession based team it is not as straight forward, but if you have wide players/wingers - Inverted wingers, wing backs generally you want them to split in possession and make the pitch as wide as possible.

Following the thread of the conversation it did appear to insinuate as such.

TCB had said "If it helps us defensively, great but a good chunk of last season our game vanished and we were the team chasing."

So your part on defensive ease. "Is it easier defend to defend v possession on a narrower pitch? Yes 100%. Does it make games more negative? Yes."

Does carry such an insinuation.

What you say about narrow pitches is right, and I haven't even hinted at the vaguest suggestion otherwise.

What I have been saying, is that making one of the largest pitches 2 yards narrower (such that it remains at the larger end of the scale) DOES NOT mean there will be negative football, not even in the slightest.

Had we changed to a very small pitch, then yes, but we simply havent.

 

[Cowshed]

Just now, JamesBCFC said:

Following the thread of the conversation it did appear to insinuate as such.

TCB had said "If it helps us defensively, great but a good chunk of last season our game vanished and we were the team chasing."

So your part on defensive ease. "Is it easier defend to defend v possession on a narrower pitch? Yes 100%. Does it make games more negative? Yes."

Does carry such an insinuation.

What you say about narrow pitches is right, and I haven't even hinted at the vaguest suggestion otherwise.

What I have been saying, is that making one of the largest pitches 2 yards narrower (such that it remains at the larger end of the scale) DOES NOT mean there will be negative football, not even in the slightest.

Had we changed to a very small pitch, then yes, but we simply havent.

 

I have not insinuated Bristol City HAVE made the pitch narrower due to Mr Johnsons desiring it to be so for a tactical reason. Pitches have been mace smaller for advertising .. Who knows!

I answered a post by @TheCulturalBombregarding possession and width.

Your assertion that making a pitch narrower by two metres (?) if permanent etc is wrong. Its space a defending player does not have to cover. Its space a switching player cannot hit. It is space a player cannot bend a run into. It makes defending just a little easier.

 

[JamesBCFC]

1 minute ago, Cowshed said:

I have not insinuated Bristol City HAVE made the pitch narrower due to Mr Johnsons desiring it to be so for a tactical reason. Pitches have been mace smaller for advertising .. Who knows!

I answered a post by @TheCulturalBombregarding possession and width.

Your assertion that making a pitch narrower by two metres (?) if permanent etc is wrong. Its space a defending player does not have to cover. Its space a switching player cannot hit. It is space a player cannot bend a run into. It makes defending just a little easier.

 

My only assertions have been that we still have one of the larger pitches, and that the 2 yards taken off will not mean we will be playing negative football

The first is factually verifiable, the second is evident to anyone who has watched us.

[Cowshed]

1 minute ago, JamesBCFC said:

My only assertions have been that we still have one of the larger pitches, and that the 2 yards taken off will not mean we will be playing negative football

The first is factually verifiable, the second is evident to anyone who has watched us.

Question. Does making a pitch smaller in length or width make it easier for the team defending possession to press and screen?

A yes there destroys your argument (and you do want one), a no don't even coach six years olds.

[mixer13]

i was under the impression that they moving the pitch closer to the Landsdown stand  ??

so that maybe be why the old corner lines are still there ,unless you can see the lines on other side as well ....

 

[JamesBCFC]

4 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

Question. Does making a pitch smaller in length or width make it easier for the team defending possession to press and screen?

A yes there destroys your argument (and you do want one), a no don't even coach six years olds.

Where have I said anything to the contrary of that?

Read what I post, rather than inventing something to reply to.

 

[Cowshed]

5 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

Where have I said anything to the contrary of that?

Read what I post, rather than inventing something to reply to.

 

I have thoroughly read what you have posted ...You did not answer the question.

Pressing and screenings primary purpose is to negate (a negative) the oppositions possession. Making the pitch smaller makes this easier, thus this has to lead to some/more negative football from sides, it has to at points, that is the game.

Mr Johnson may have some interesting ideas that BCFC are going to become the BS3 geggenpressing monster ... That still follows the above nullifying of the team in possession and could benefit the pitch being narrowed. .

[Ian M]

Whilst there is talk of making the pitch narrower being a negative tactic, I'd argue that if it is being done because the coach wants to employ a high press (a la Pochettino teams) then it is arguably a positive tactic as it's being done to potentially catch teams in possession higher up the field. Would anyone agree?

[Cowshed]

1 minute ago, Ian M said:

Whilst there is talk of making the pitch narrower being a negative tactic, I'd argue that if it is being done because the coach wants to employ a high press (a la Pochettino teams) then it is arguably a positive tactic as it's being done to potentially catch teams in possession higher up the field. Would anyone agree?

Which is why I mentioned pressing. For a team in possession it is a negative. It has to be.

[JamesBCFC]

8 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Whilst there is talk of making the pitch narrower being a negative tactic, I'd argue that if it is being done because the coach wants to employ a high press (a la Pochettino teams) then it is arguably a positive tactic as it's being done to potentially catch teams in possession higher up the field. Would anyone agree?

Better put than I could.

[downendcity]

15 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Whilst there is talk of making the pitch narrower being a negative tactic, I'd argue that if it is being done because the coach wants to employ a high press (a la Pochettino teams) then it is arguably a positive tactic as it's being done to potentially catch teams in possession higher up the field. Would anyone agree?

Yes, me.

5 hours ago, downendcity said:

Perhaps LJ has asked for the pitch to be narrowed to help with the pressing game that some commented on last night.

The narrower the pitch the easier it is to press and close down the opposition defence, as they have less space available. It might not be a lot, but at this level it's all about small margins.

 

 

[Trueredsupporter]

4 hours ago, bluebutterfly said:

When ian atkins was rovers manager he did this and i hated it.

Its a purely negative step to stop better quality footballers having space and time on the ball.

Francis did that at Twerton. No need for space as they wacked it back to front.

[Tinmans Love Child]

5 hours ago, AppyDAZE said:

Looks crap don't it. I prefer the wide looking pitch. What the **** are we doing. This sort of thing is more in line with the Pulis's of this world.

I couldn't care less how big or small the pitch is as long as we win on it!

The writing in the Atyeo seats has looked terrible from day one when it was built, when people are sat on the seats it doesn't make any difference