Alfreton...

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by jjljks » Sun Nov 22, 2020 8:20 am

There was I thinking our good away form was something to do with our lucky green away shirts and it is down to the pitches

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by Wiseacre » Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:18 am

So on this subject I'll throw this out there, but does anyone think we'd have benefitted more from playing at the Arena than Blackwell for home matches in terms of playing style and atmosphere in the current climate, it just seems to me that they don't seem as comfortable at Blackwell and more so without supporters or do you think it has no effect? :think:

I think there's a valid point here and I noted Mr E making a similar one in an earlier thread, however, with AA getting such good performances I can see things clearing up at home. Really good management under difficult circumstances.

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loan_star
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by loan_star » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:02 am

I would reckon the pitch at the arena is worse than Blackwell.
I'd rather play on familiar territory than play in the arena for no valid reason since fans aren't allowed in there either.
Whats around the pitch shouldn't have any impact on what happens on it.

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Alfreton...

Post by Darlogramps » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:42 am

I don’t think it’s an issue with playing at Blackwell as such. We’ve won three FA Cup games there this season.

We won those against lower quality opposition of course, and I think that’s more the problem. Sides in our division, who are better, more disciplined and stronger tactically cause us more issues.

Sides away from home are more inclined to play a little more defensively, putting more men back and closing down the space we need if we’re to be at our best. And we’ve struggled to come up with plans to break that down.

Plus, the two league games we’ve lost, Kidderminster and Telford, were to sides who are currently in the top four, while Boston would surely be higher up if they’d played more matches. I know all the postponements mean some sides are in a false position, but Kidderminster and Telford have both clearly started strongly.

So I think it’s more to do with the teams we’ve played and their tactics, rather than an issue at Blackwell.
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by lo36789 » Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:20 pm

Better opposition as home v away for me.

The pitches we play on away are worse than BM - exception being Curzon Ashton.

I hope that O'Neill adds to our options plus Maguire return. Might mean we given them more to worry about and reduce defensive exposure.

I do still wonder if going two up top would be an option. Last time we had O'Neill we used to play with him and Campbell upfront together (can't wait for response to this...)

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by en passant » Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:12 pm

I don't think we are alone in having an issue about playing at home in the current season. Looking at the table, taking out the top two who have been exceptional at home, very few teams have the kind of results that home advantage normally brings, whereas there are more teams who appear to be having a better time away from home. So the state of the pitch is probably less important than the effect of losing the positive effects that a home crowd can bring in creating atmosphere and putting a little psychological pressure on the away side and the officials. Managers and players often refer to the crowd as a positive factor that can re-energise them during a game and this seems to have more than a little truth if current results are anything to go by. It makes a clear case for the need to get crowds back into grounds as soon as possible. Football is a lot less of a thrill without the atmosphere that only fans can generate.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by Yarblockos » Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:26 pm

Who has even suggested that the real reason we are doing worse at home is due to the pitch?

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:28 pm

I read today about O.G.S. bemoaning the lack of fans at Old Trafford. Man Utd's home form is poor at present.

Re The Arena, I'm reliably told that the players are keen to play there.
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by PierremontQuaker03 » Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:04 pm

theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:28 pm
I read today about O.G.S. bemoaning the lack of fans at Old Trafford. Man Utd's home form is poor at present.

Re The Arena, I'm reliably told that the players are keen to play there.
If I was a player I would want to play at the Arena, its a proper stadium, Blackwell is a proper non league ground.
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by Old Git » Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:17 pm

PierremontQuaker03 wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:04 pm
theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:28 pm
I read today about O.G.S. bemoaning the lack of fans at Old Trafford. Man Utd's home form is poor at present.

Re The Arena, I'm reliably told that the players are keen to play there.
If I was a player I would want to play at the Arena, its a proper stadium, Blackwell is a proper non league ground.
Works just the same for opposing teams if not more so. If you played in NLN it could feel like your FA Cup final.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by Yarblockos » Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:52 pm

Old Git wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:17 pm
PierremontQuaker03 wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:04 pm
theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:28 pm
I read today about O.G.S. bemoaning the lack of fans at Old Trafford. Man Utd's home form is poor at present.

Re The Arena, I'm reliably told that the players are keen to play there.
If I was a player I would want to play at the Arena, its a proper stadium, Blackwell is a proper non league ground.
Works just the same for opposing teams if not more so. If you played in NLN it could feel like your FA Cup final.
just like playing in the Nou Camp must give visiting teams a lift. This is why Barcelona get beat at home every week.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by lo36789 » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:12 pm

Yarblockos wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:26 pm
Who has even suggested that the real reason we are doing worse at home is due to the pitch?
Yarblockos wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:47 pm
Not sure what the pitch is like at the Arena, but Blackwell is very bobbly and given our style of play we definitely benefit from a good surface.
This is suggestive. Especially as it was in response to this.
real_darlo_85 wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:24 pm
Seems like we have the right balance playing away from home which is curious just hope we can start producing that at home soon. So on this subject I'll throw this out there, but does anyone think we'd have benefitted more from playing at the Arena than Blackwell for home matches in terms of playing style and atmosphere in the current climate, it just seems to me that they don't seem as comfortable at Blackwell and more so without supporters or do you think it has no effect?
TL;DR in response to question asked around reasons why we are doing worse at home than away the immediate response is to mention that at home we play on a bobbly pitch and that it isn't beneficial to us.

You said a lot more after it but that is where it was suggested it could be down to the pitch.

I'm reality I don't know why the arena even comes up a) we can't afford to play there now without crowds and b) we wouldn't be able to play there without crowds - we asked for an exception on crowd safety grounds remember.

We would be as well discussing the benefits of playing our home games at Old Trafford heard the pitch there is pretty decent.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by don'tbuythesun » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:27 pm

If we can beat Bristol Rovers we might get a chance to play at Old Trafford and see our passing game at its finest.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:41 pm

lo36789 wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:12 pm
Yarblockos wrote:
Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:26 pm
Who has even suggested that the real reason we are doing worse at home is due to the pitch?
Yarblockos wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:47 pm
Not sure what the pitch is like at the Arena, but Blackwell is very bobbly and given our style of play we definitely benefit from a good surface.
This is suggestive. Especially as it was in response to this.
real_darlo_85 wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:24 pm
Seems like we have the right balance playing away from home which is curious just hope we can start producing that at home soon. So on this subject I'll throw this out there, but does anyone think we'd have benefitted more from playing at the Arena than Blackwell for home matches in terms of playing style and atmosphere in the current climate, it just seems to me that they don't seem as comfortable at Blackwell and more so without supporters or do you think it has no effect?
TL;DR in response to question asked around reasons why we are doing worse at home than away the immediate response is to mention that at home we play on a bobbly pitch and that it isn't beneficial to us.

You said a lot more after it but that is where it was suggested it could be down to the pitch.

I'm reality I don't know why the arena even comes up a) we can't afford to play there now without crowds and b) we wouldn't be able to play there without crowds - we asked for an exception on crowd safety grounds remember.

We would be as well discussing the benefits of playing our home games at Old Trafford heard the pitch there is pretty decent.
I never brought up The Arena in this thread but (lo) the reason it gets mentioned is that there is a possibility that we may still play some games there.
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by lo36789 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am

When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by bga » Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:51 am

Interesting "explanation" by AA as to why our keepers sometimes kick the ball out for a throw in. Said something like " we are not going to win any headers with our midgits up front so we let them have the throw in and build from there!" Whilst the odds on us winning the ball in a heading dual are not great, I wonder if they are still higher than trying to win the ball from a throw in which nearly always stays in possession of the team who throws it in?

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by Quakers83 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:42 pm

bga wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:51 am
Interesting "explanation" by AA as to why our keepers sometimes kick the ball out for a throw in. Said something like " we are not going to win any headers with our midgits up front so we let them have the throw in and build from there!" Whilst the odds on us winning the ball in a heading dual are not great, I wonder if they are still higher than trying to win the ball from a throw in which nearly always stays in possession of the team who throws it in?
I think the whole idea of giving the opposition a throw-in is that it allows us to get into a compact shape higher up the pitch, whilst trying to pen in the opposition and win the second phase.

Typically at this level a lot of the throw ins are thrown down the line with someone trying to flick it on, so to answer your question, yes we have a much better chance of winning back the possession through this method when we have smaller forwards on the pitch.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by banktopp » Mon Nov 23, 2020 2:00 pm

Quakers83 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:42 pm
bga wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:51 am
Interesting "explanation" by AA as to why our keepers sometimes kick the ball out for a throw in. Said something like " we are not going to win any headers with our midgits up front so we let them have the throw in and build from there!" Whilst the odds on us winning the ball in a heading dual are not great, I wonder if they are still higher than trying to win the ball from a throw in which nearly always stays in possession of the team who throws it in?
I think the whole idea of giving the opposition a throw-in is that it allows us to get into a compact shape higher up the pitch, whilst trying to pen in the opposition and win the second phase.

Typically at this level a lot of the throw ins are thrown down the line with someone trying to flick it on, so to answer your question, yes we have a much better chance of winning back the possession through this method when we have smaller forwards on the pitch.
Even better chance of retaining possession if we pass it out from the back.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by al_quaker » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:05 pm

lo36789 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am
When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.
Might not be too far off. Maybe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/55010011

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by Yarblockos » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:15 pm

al_quaker wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:05 pm
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am
When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.
Might not be too far off. Maybe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/55010011
2,000 in tier 2. would we stay at BM?

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by al_quaker » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:18 pm

Yarblockos wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:15 pm
al_quaker wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:05 pm
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am
When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.
Might not be too far off. Maybe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/55010011
2,000 in tier 2. would we stay at BM?
I presume the allowed number of fans will still need to adhere to social distancing regulations, so if Darlington is tier 2 then we wouldn't be allowed 2000 in at BM. So at a guess we will be off to the Arena

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by darlobaz791 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:23 pm

Yarblockos wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:15 pm
al_quaker wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:05 pm
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am
When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.
Might not be too far off. Maybe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/55010011
2,000 in tier 2. would we stay at BM?
It’s 2000 or 50% of capacity so 1500 at BM or 2000 (potentially moving up to 4000) at the arena.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by lo36789 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:28 pm

I suspect it would be back to the Arena.

Regardless what DCMS say in terms of 50% capacity etc. it is the LA who are legally relevant. As I understand is the LA have assessed the safe capacity of BM to be below 1500.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by al_quaker » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:30 pm

No way am I attending a game with 1500 capacity at BM at the moment. There'd be hadly any social distancing going on. I'll be very surprised if the need for social distancing is removed from the guidelines, but I'm sure we will find out soon enough.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by QUAKERMAN2 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:37 pm

al_quaker wrote:No way am I attending a game with 1500 capacity at BM at the moment. There'd be hadly any social distancing going on. I'll be very surprised if the need for social distancing is removed from the guidelines, but I'm sure we will find out soon enough.
Has to be the Arena surely, we will be far too close at BM and the Arena ticks all the boxes.Cannot wait to get back.


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Re: Alfreton...

Post by onewayup » Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:05 pm

Yep I believe that the arena will be used to allow social distancing, I also think because of no fans being allowed for so long the numbers wanting to attend would outstrip the numbers allowed into blackwell meadow, fans itching to get back.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by bga » Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:21 pm

Quakers83 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:42 pm
bga wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:51 am
Interesting "explanation" by AA as to why our keepers sometimes kick the ball out for a throw in. Said something like " we are not going to win any headers with our midgits up front so we let them have the throw in and build from there!" Whilst the odds on us winning the ball in a heading dual are not great, I wonder if they are still higher than trying to win the ball from a throw in which nearly always stays in possession of the team who throws it in?
I think the whole idea of giving the opposition a throw-in is that it allows us to get into a compact shape higher up the pitch, whilst trying to pen in the opposition and win the second phase.

Typically at this level a lot of the throw ins are thrown down the line with someone trying to flick it on, so to answer your question, yes we have a much better chance of winning back the possession through this method when we have smaller forwards on the pitch.
Regards your first point it also give the opposition time to get into shape as well whereas a quick clearance from our keeper that stays in play might catch them out?
Regards your second point I shall be counting tomorrow night during the match see if you're correct!

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:52 pm

lo36789 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am
When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.

What a strange reply. The Arena thing is a completely relevant, especially after todays news.

This whole forum is where we get together and discuss Darlo related stuff, and that includes important things that may or may not happen in the future.
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Re: Alfreton...

Post by lo36789 » Mon Nov 23, 2020 7:22 pm

theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:52 pm
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:23 am
When fans are allowed in some capacity. It is entirely irrelevant until they are.

What a strange reply. The Arena thing is a completely relevant, especially after todays news.

This whole forum is where we get together and discuss Darlo related stuff, and that includes important things that may or may not happen in the future.
Yes because fans are now allowed in?

But we won't be returning there because the BM pitch is bobbly. It will be because of fan safety.

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Re: Alfreton...

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Nov 23, 2020 7:33 pm

It’s coming lo, maybe next month - I can’t see your point tbh.
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