Failand remote training and home form.

[Rich]

Not intending to make anything of this other than questioning other peoples thoughts.

Is it possible that having little contact/presence at Ashton Gate, other than for home games, is it possible to affect our players in a negative way, or not affect them in a positive way?

For all the players now, they'll be based at the Failand training ground, which as we all know is an excellent facility. So, although the players will have 23+ games at AG and the majority of the support there during games, is that enough to form a bond and a confidence within those players, to give them an advantage over the opposition. Personally I'd like to see them attending AG on a regular basis for all sorts of reasons and getting them to know all the nooks and crannies, so that they really feel as if this is their own tump and they have an affinity to the ground. I think there might be a tendency to treat all games the same, be that home or away, if there's not an affinity with the "home" ground.

In the past the players have met and trained at the ground, had photo shoots there, been there on a daily basis and met fans in the streets when going up to North St and the general area, this won't happen now.

Thoughts.

[CyderInACan]

They’ve not trained at AG for bloody years have they? Been up at Failand for ages I’d thought. 

[Rich]

1 minute ago, CyderInACan said:

They’ve not trained at AG for bloody years have they? Been up at Failand for ages I’d thought. 

And our home form is what? Going back just a few years, the players used to attend AG for all sorts of reasons, they were always seen around the vicinity of the ground on non match days.

[Slacker]

4 minutes ago, Rich said:

And our home form is what? Going back just a few years, the players used to attend AG for all sorts of reasons, they were always seen around the vicinity of the ground on non match days.

Last season some of the starting eleven didn't even turn up on match days.

[Rich]

7 minutes ago, Slacker said:

Last season some of the starting eleven didn't even turn up on match days.

Or for training judging by some of the performances.

[t_b]

57 minutes ago, Rich said:

In the past the players have met and trained at the ground, had photo shoots there, been there on a daily basis and met fans in the streets when going up to North St and the general area, this won't happen now.

Thoughts.

I think it’s only been the past few seasons they’ve not had to meet at AG, change and bus up to Failand right?

But that aside - why would players typically have been walking around North Street and the general area? 
Apart from the olden days when players would’ve gone for a pint?

Most players will drive in and drive out as soon as they’re finished. There’s no reason for them to stroll around the local area…

[Red Rag]

If my memory serves me right, the team that got us promoted to the fist division all them years ago trained on the Ashton gate pitch.

[Nogbad the Bad]

1 hour ago, Red Rag said:

If my memory serves me right, the team that got us promoted to the fist division all them years ago trained on the Ashton gate pitch.

They did, but also at the University playing fields off Coombe Lane.

[Rich]

1 hour ago, tommy_b said:

I think it’s only been the past few seasons they’ve not had to meet at AG, change and bus up to Failand right?

But that aside - why would players typically have been walking around North Street and the general area? 
Apart from the olden days when players would’ve gone for a pint?

Most players will drive in and drive out as soon as they’re finished. There’s no reason for them to stroll around the local area…

Players have often been seen along North St. They went there for the same reasons other people do, Banking, shopping, bookies. The clubs bank I believe used to be the Nat West Ashton Gate Branch where players used to draw cash, in the days before cards became king. This has not been the case more recently. As a result, I believe there is less affinity to the club, the area, the supporters and the ground, also possibly having a negative effect on our home form. This is probably the case with other teams as well who are remote from their traditional home.

[winsaw]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

Players have often been seen along North St. They went there for the same reasons other people do, Banking, shopping, bookies. The clubs bank I believe used to be the Nat West Ashton Gate Branch where players used to draw cash, in the days before cards became king. This has not been the case more recently. As a result, I believe there is less affinity to the club, the area, the supporters and the ground, also possibly having a negative effect on our home form. This is probably the case with other teams as well who are remote from their traditional home.

I would say that's every club these days , most players earn a good wage and live in the better part of town tending to only go to the area the stadium is in on match day

[CodeRed]

9 hours ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

They did, but also at the University playing fields off Coombe Lane.

Stockwood wasn't it?  Hence the frequenting of "The Concorde"

[Davefevs]

7 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Stockwood wasn't it?  Hence the frequenting of "The Concorde"

The training pitch behind the BS14 Club was my home pitch - a lovely pitch - for 2 clubs, and remember playing on it for the first time when I was in the Cubs.  Big pitch, a slight slope that kept it well drained and in good condition all season.

[Unan]

The theory sounds possible until you look at other teams that are far more succesful and do not do these things.

[KegCity]

Do any clubs train at their stadium? I think the poor form at home has come from us playing turgid football and the fanbase struggling to get excited by it more than the players not doing their passing drills in the centre circle.

[Steve Watts]

But they're training together and so will form that bond.  What you're suggesting is that nonsense in my opinion I'm afraid.  We're shit at home because we're shit!  There's not a lot more to it than that unfortunately.  I would presume the majority of clubs in the top two divisions, probably all 4, have a training ground separate from the home ground  and many have had great success so it would probably suggest that it has no bearing on it at all.

What probably doesn't help is the couldron of deafening silence from the majority of the ground during match days.

[Nogbad the Bad]

26 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Stockwood wasn't it?  Hence the frequenting of "The Concorde"

Don't know, but definitely Coombe Lane in the late 70's - saw them down there numerous times while walking the dog.

[Davefevs]

38 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Don't know, but definitely Coombe Lane in the late 70's - saw them down there numerous times while walking the dog.

Pretty sure City left Stockwood in very early 80s.

[CodeRed]

54 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Pretty sure City left Stockwood in very early 80s.

The first time I can remember them using a training ground - away from AG - was in the mid sixties when they used the BOCM sports ground on the Portway.  The ground was a few hundred yards along from where Bristol Manor Farm play om the opposite side, now a nature reserve.

 

[Nogbad the Bad]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Pretty sure City left Stockwood in very early 80s.

My memory of seeing the City squad regularly training at Coombe Lane would be about 1978.

[BigTone]

14 hours ago, Rich said:

Not intending to make anything of this other than questioning other peoples thoughts.

Is it possible that having little contact/presence at Ashton Gate, other than for home games, is it possible to affect our players in a negative way, or not affect them in a positive way?

For all the players now, they'll be based at the Failand training ground, which as we all know is an excellent facility. So, although the players will have 23+ games at AG and the majority of the support there during games, is that enough to form a bond and a confidence within those players, to give them an advantage over the opposition. Personally I'd like to see them attending AG on a regular basis for all sorts of reasons and getting them to know all the nooks and crannies, so that they really feel as if this is their own tump and they have an affinity to the ground. I think there might be a tendency to treat all games the same, be that home or away, if there's not an affinity with the "home" ground.

In the past the players have met and trained at the ground, had photo shoots there, been there on a daily basis and met fans in the streets when going up to North St and the general area, this won't happen now.

Thoughts.

Try watching "All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur" on Amazon Prime and it might answer your question. A different team I know but the same principle applies.

[BigTone]

14 hours ago, CyderInACan said:

They’ve not trained at AG for bloody years have they? Been up at Failand for ages I’d thought. 

Were at Farleigh for a long time also

[CyderInACan]

22 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

The first time I can remember them using a training ground - away from AG - was in the mid sixties when they used the BOCM sports ground on the Portway.  The ground was a few hundred yards along from where Bristol Manor Farm play om the opposite side, now a nature reserve.

 

The old Bristol & West Social Club, too

[Rich]

9 hours ago, Steve Watts said:

But they're training together and so will form that bond.  What you're suggesting is that nonsense in my opinion I'm afraid.  We're shit at home because we're shit!  There's not a lot more to it than that unfortunately.  I would presume the majority of clubs in the top two divisions, probably all 4, have a training ground separate from the home ground  and many have had great success so it would probably suggest that it has no bearing on it at all.

What probably doesn't help is the couldron of deafening silence from the majority of the ground during match days.

Thanks for your input even if it is abrasive and somewhat garbled.

I agree that training together should create a bond amongst the players. What I was questioning and asking for opinions on was. Is that enough to give us an advantage over other teams at AG against other teams who also train together and presumably also form a bond in training. 

As for playing shit because we were/are shit is probably part of the reason for a lack of atmosphere at AG, it's a bit chicken and the egg situation. Plenty of atmosphere for certain games which have been staged there since the rebuild, the fans are the same and the ground is the same, so it is likely to be the team that's the problem. The fans need something to believe in and respond to. If that belief isn't there then it's hard to get motivated vocally. 

 

 

 

[Rich]

It would appear from reading the replies, people seem to think I am suggesting training should take place at AG. Having thought about that, perhaps some training should take place there, obviously not to the detriment of the playing surface. After all, there all sorts of different conditions which affect the play and these won't all be experienced and remembered by players, which might if experienced more regularly gain and advantage. I'm sure that goal kicks, corners, free kicks, the speed the ball runs out of play can all be affected and the more players are used to this, surely the better.

Anyway, that's digressing. We've always heard about teams that use their surroundings to their advantage. Why don't we as a club try to build an advantage by making the players aware of their surroundings, give them some history of the area, it's fans, the lack of success (forget that), try and build a proper rapport with the fans. Get the players to really feel as if this is their home, where they are excited to come to and perform to the best of their ability. If I were in charge, I'd do everything possible to bring players and fans together on a regular basis, rather than just matchdays. They get enough reward for their input, perhaps they should be deployed a little more than organised visits to institutions, get down and dirty with the fans.