Away form in the League

[biscuitbeck]

How has our league away form been so good this season?!

Won away at Fulham. Won away at Sunderland. Won away at Southampton. Won away at United. Lost to City and Arsenal/drew with Everton. Won away at Cardiff. Won away at Villa. Won away at Palace.

7-1-2 away from home is excellent. Hopefully we can make it 8-1-2 tomorrow.

But what explains it?

I think it's the fact that our squad is so talented, that when they play with a bit less pressure (no nervous WHL crowd) and when the other team attack them more, we are able to pick them off and score goals - because we have such a good squad. Against Southampton and United in particular, both sides did plenty of attacking, but we just scored one more goal.

I'd be interested to hear what you all think. Let's face it, with our home record as 5-3-3, our away record has been our saving grace.

 

[TottenhamLegend]

Ade said in his interview with Geoff Shreeves that they play better away because "there is no pressure. No booing".

If that doesn't get through to the negative idiots who go, I'm not sure what will. He's basically saying when we play without pressure, we're one of the best teams in the league (as winning 7 away games shows!), so if the players could feel like there wasn't pressure at home (which there shouldn't be), we could be right up there.

 

[mark87]

Ade said in his interview with Geoff Shreeves that they play better away because "there is no pressure. No booing".

If that doesn't get through to the negative idiots who go, I'm not sure what will. He's basically saying when we play without pressure, we're one of the best teams in the league (as winning 7 away games shows!), so if the players could feel like there wasn't pressure at home (which there shouldn't be), we could be right up there.

No it won't get through to those morons, unless we are 2 up by half time, those idiots will boo. Winds me right up.

 

[Shea]

No it won't get through to those morons, unless we are 2 up by half time, those idiots will boo. Winds me right up.

BOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Kiedis]

We've been doing well away for quite some time, and the fact that we would always be a force to be reckoned with on the road was one of the very good things under AVB, and that has continued so far under Tim.
Not about to make this yet another AVB vs. Tim thread, but it'll be interesting to see if his more open approach will lead to the same results.

 

[Geyzer Soze]

Away fans, who are awesome, must have something to do with it

 

[nferno]

Cos the majority our home fans are over-expectant, moaning old ****s.

 

[biscuitbeck]

Away fans, who are awesome, must have something to do with it

So true. They have been absolutely brilliant this season.

 

[biscuitbeck]

Not sure I quite buy the argument that tense and quiet fans are affecting the team that much. Granted, it's been a poor atmosphere this season, but do any clubs have a brilliant home atmosphere when not winning?

 

[Geyzer Soze]

So true. They have been absolutely brilliant this season.

Not just this one, many in my view. Always even.

 

[DiscoD1882]

Ade said in his interview with Geoff Shreeves that they play better away because "there is no pressure. No booing".

If that doesn't get through to the negative idiots who go, I'm not sure what will. He's basically saying when we play without pressure, we're one of the best teams in the league (as winning 7 away games shows!), so if the players could feel like there wasn't pressure at home (which there shouldn't be), we could be right up there.

It is truely amazing that people still feel booing will make players play better. If that is the case we should be booing kids from the start. in fact, im off to boo my kid on the football pitch right now. Im going to give him some serious stick. that will make him play better.

 

[mark87]

It is truely amazing that people still feel booing will make players play better. If that is the case we should be booing kids from the start. in fact, im off to boo my kid on the football pitch right now. Im going to give him some serious stick. that will make him play better.

That's a good point, i'm gonna boo my mum the next time she makes dinner for me, hopefully that'll make her cook better.

 

[tiger666]

Gonna boo the missus when she gives me a blowjob then.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

Not sure I quite buy the argument that tense and quiet fans are affecting the team that much. Granted, it's been a poor atmosphere this season, but do any clubs have a brilliant home atmosphere when not winning?

That makes one of us then.

 

[DiscoD1882]

Im gonna boo the milkman when he lives my house today after servicing my missus.....


No wait.......

 

[RButch]

For all these kind of things I usually use a basic stress theory, where at home there is too much pressure on the players to pick up 3 points and to win in style from the crowd causing them to enter into a state of distress.

Edit: Not sure if this image is CR or not if it is i'll remove.

 

[Blake Griffin]

because they have bigger pitches

no but seriously, it's because our players work better when we have space, you get more of that away from home generally.

 

[biscuitbeck]

Gonna boo the missus when she gives me a blowjob then.

Easy tiger

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I don't know how it's going to pan out under Sherwood, so far away performances have been erratic (but yielded points) but under AVB we won more away games than we ever have in the league since the EPL's inception. And that continued this season.

Combination of things. I don't think we generally played better away, but the home team generally has to commit to some kind of football game, as opposed to just parking a bus, and our ability to control the ball away turned the pressure and tension from the home support onto their own team instead of the reverse at WHL, where you have a ground of fuckwits demanding you play "the spurs way" and booing you if you aren't 3-0 up at half time.

The only ground that doesn't work so well is Everton, where they inject the fans with ADHD as the walk in the ground.

 

[mil1lion]

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that home teams are a bit more open and we tend to find more space. We don't have the intelligence at the top end of the pitch to break teams down when they get bodies behind the ball. White Hart Lane is a pretty small pitch as well so that makes it more difficult. We still seem to benefit most from counter attacking football when teams come out to score against us. At home it's the opposite way around and it seems opposition teams actually benefit when they counter attack us.

What is evident from those away games is that we've only lost to teams who are better with the ball than us. We've kept the ball well against a lot of away teams this season but we've found more space to get in on goal. Although I wouldn't be surprised if we've had more shots at home than we have away from home, it just seems our chances are more clear cut away from home.