How can we improve at home?

[Johnboy]

We've only won 1 game at home in the league so far this season and that was against a team in terminal decline.

Virtually the same 11 players who performed so well against Rangers last Saturday looked decidedly out of sorts yesterday. Why?

How should TB and MM address this problem? It really is becoming a major headache.

Suggestions please.....

[SMEE]

this might sound silly....but i would try and make the Home matchday experience as close to the away day one as poss. I would get the players all to meet up, bus them to the stadium, have a meal together etc...basically do everything they do with away games (apart from the travelling) and see if that relaxes em.

Remember the days when TCS was a fortress, they seem to be doing it topsy turvy now!

[12th Man]

To break that down we have been beaten at home by Celtic(champions league contenders)Hearts and Motherwell(contenders for the European spot) and Hamilton- even it the kitchen sink was a sub we would have thrown that at them as well, supprised we didnt score that day.

Motherwell have got some pretty good players and it just goes to show that our players have to work really hard and then some more to stay in the top half of the table and the starting 11.

I think slack passing let us down on Saturday but I still had a genuine belief that we could score before the final whistle. How often can ICT take off a couple of our regular players bring on a couple of youngsters and improve the team performance.

[Georgeios]

I'm with 12 here, yesterday well were the better team, cast your mind back this time last year..... oh and the year before and that one before that our home form has always been pants especially at the start of the season, it worked out last season. It'll take time for the new guys to mellow.

[Joe DiMaggio]

To break that down we have been beaten at home by Celtic(champions league contenders)Hearts and Motherwell(contenders for the European spot) and Hamilton- even it the kitchen sink was a sub we would have thrown that at them as well, supprised we didnt score that day.

Sorry but that means what?

Break it down we beat Dundee utd (3rd place and cup winners) drew with Rangers (league winners). The home form is a poor reflection on the away form and we need to sort it out asap

[ict123]

I agree with the theory of trying to recreate the "away day" atmosphere around the team. I think this should be implemeted by forcing all fans to drink for around 4 hours before the game starts to help generate a better atmosphere at home games.

[Georgeios]

And draft in Sir IHE.

[12th Man]

To break that down we have been beaten at home by Celtic(champions league contenders)Hearts and Motherwell(contenders for the European spot) and Hamilton- even it the kitchen sink was a sub we would have thrown that at them as well, supprised we didnt score that day.

Sorry but that means what?

Break it down we beat Dundee utd (3rd place and cup winners) drew with Rangers (league winners). The home form is a poor reflection on the away form and we need to sort it out asap

Your dead right I've had a wee think about this and your right, we should have beaten Hamilton,ST Johnstone and Well at home, which would have put us 5 points clear in third spot but even thats rubbish, were never going to win the champions league at this rate

[Yngwie]

Remember the days when TCS was a fortress

It's been more of a bouncy castle in recent years.

I read in a paper this morning that Motherwell have won 8 of their last 9 trips to TCS. Incredible!

[MissICT]

Simple solution: drive them all to avimore before the match and then drive them back again

[TopSix]

Could the width of the pitch have anything to do with our results at home? Fifa laws stipulate the goal line can be a minimum of 45 m (50 yds) and a maximum of 90m (100 yds). These measurements are for international matches though - but I assume the SPL must have similar regulations?

How wide is the pitch at the moment? Is it not one of the biggest in the UK? When we were at ibrox last week the playing area seemed a lot smaller than the TCS one. (Perhaps because of the size of the stadium though.) The wide pitch at TCS suited our style of play under Pele - especially when we had Robson and Wilson playing.

[SMEE]

Remember the days when TCS was a fortress

It's been more of a bouncy castle in recent years.

I read in a paper this morning that Motherwell have won 8 of their last 9 trips to TCS. Incredible!

Yet, for the most part...they have been an average team at best, and one we should be taking points off. But...it goes to show you, that like aberdire, there are certain teams, in ALL leagues, that have teams they historically struggle with! For ex: Us going to the Hunnery, on paper, should be a stroll in the park each time for Rangers, yet, history tells us, for some reason, they struggle against us

Edited November 7, 2010 by SMEE

[SMEE]

The way i see our home form is....we really should have been looking to take full points agains St J and Hamilton and maybe one other point along the line. Apart from that...am not too shocked by how results have gone. And we are more than making up for our poor home form with our incredible away from, we are picking up points where i wouldnt have expected to..so...its kinda ying and yang and evens itself out!

Edited November 7, 2010 by SMEE

[Ronaldo]

Two things, go gung ho with three at the back and a very attacking formation

And also shoot into home fans in the first half

[+DoofersDad]

The interesting thing is that this is not just an ICT problem - it seems to be something peculiar to the SPL. This season 24 SPL matches have been home wins but 32 have been away wins. This weekend there were 5 away wins out of the 6 matches.

God only knows what the score would have been had Aberdeen been playing at home!

[caley100]

Remember the days when TCS was a fortress

Yet, for the most part...they have been an average team at best, and one we should be taking points off. But...it goes to show you, that like aberdire, there are certain teams, in ALL leagues, that have teams they historically struggle with! For ex: Us going to the Hunnery, on paper, should be a stroll in the park each time for Rangers, yet, history tells us, for some reason, they struggle against us

Dont agree with that me man, Motherwell are 3rd for a reason, by not being 'average' they were a lot better than us yesterday, whether our key players had an off day or did well see what the danger was and sort it.

I would say Well were the best team i've seen here this season.

But it is a worry that the players dont seem up for the matches at home, and i'm sure Tel is just as mistified.

[Yngwie]

Dont agree with that me man, Motherwell are 3rd for a reason, by not being 'average'

True, but over the course of the last 6 years or so? I think that's what SMEE was referring to, and there's no reason why they should dominate us at TCS far more than either of the Old Firm have.

[AJS]

All teams seem to be struggling at home this season, us, Hearts, Kilmarnock, Motherwell too. I can't really put my finger on it. I think we should just do our bit by supporting the team.

I was really pleased to hear the backing the team got when we went 2-0 down yesterday. I don't think we will concede 2 goals as bizarre as that in a while, especially in the one game. We were unlucky yesterday.

The Hibs game will be an intresting watch in 2 weeks time.

[caley100]

Lets look at this season though, Well have been pretty good since gramps tookover, and yesterday they were better than us. But i cant fathom out why our players have a good game/bad game scenario on the go.

The lack of depth in our squad was apparent yesterday, Shinnie was left exposed every time, where was the cover? when Jonny got the ball they had two players on him in a flash, i think the kid will do ok against average players, Humphrey got so much freedom we should have just given him a key to Inverness while he was here..

Just have to wait and see what happens on tuesday.

[Johnboy]

Lets look at this season though, Well have been pretty good since gramps tookover, and yesterday they were better than us. But i cant fathom out why our players have a good game/bad game scenario on the go.

The lack of depth in our squad was apparent yesterday, Shinnie was left exposed every time, where was the cover? when Jonny got the ball they had two players on him in a flash, i think the kid will do ok against average players, Humphrey got so much freedom we should have just given him a key to Inverness while he was here..

Just have to wait and see what happens on tuesday.

That sums up yesterday pretty well.... They were aware right from the start of the threat that would come from Hayes, and they were ready for it. Homework and all that....

If we could have taken care of Humphrey we might have taken something from the game. As I mentioned on another thread someone (Tokely perhaps) should have put in a couple of meaningful tackles on him - it would have been worth a yellow card.

Back on topic how can we improve our performances at home?

One thing I've noticed is how little advantage we gain from any set pieces. Just about every throw in,corner kick, free kick, results in us giving away possession. That fact just has to be addressed - much more time needs to be spent on this on the training ground.

[gingerjaggy]

I was at the game yesterday and i dont feel worried about our home form. I do feel frustrated but not worried. under Brewster our home form was retched and i was worried because we looked out our depth and never looked like scoring. Yesterday and the home games in general i have seen us create chances and yesterday i thought we were abit rushed in our play and abit sloppy but we created chances and if the second motherwell goal which was a fluke we may have won that game. Im not worried and i think butcher and malpas have got it right at home just we need abit more luck. Maybe we should go 4-4-2 as we looked dangerous with 2 up front .as long as we create then i feel the home wins will come does anyone else agree

[HumbersideDude]

Simple solution: drive them all to avimore before the match and then drive them back again

What have they done so bad that they should be banished to Aviemore? Carrbridge would be far enough

[PullMyFinger]

Looking at the games/results; Celtic was a tight game for the first half and they probably deserved the win for the second half performance; Hamilton again was a tight game which was decided by an Imrie stonker in the first minute; Hearts I didn't make but they have the third biggest wage budget in Scotland, no disgrace to lose that; Motherwell another tight game decided on a freak goal.

I see little in the performance of the team needing improved other than maybe a little bit of the luck we have been seeing on the road.

Maybe it's just getting a bit cold for the lads fishing trips, stick to the pre-match quizzes.

[Harry Chibber]

Could the width of the pitch have anything to do with our results at home? Fifa laws stipulate the goal line can be a minimum of 45 m (50 yds) and a maximum of 90m (100 yds). These measurements are for international matches though - but I assume the SPL must have similar regulations?

How wide is the pitch at the moment? Is it not one of the biggest in the UK? When we were at ibrox last week the playing area seemed a lot smaller than the TCS one. (Perhaps because of the size of the stadium though.) The wide pitch at TCS suited our style of play under Pele - especially when we had Robson and Wilson playing.

It's not often I agree with your posts but you defintely have a point. Been saying this for a while I think if we had a tighter pitch it would definitely suit our style of play.

Big parks are conducive to possession football. At the moment we are set up to counter attack, breaking with pace as soon as we win possession, this is why we have such a successful away record. If we make the pitch more compact then it makes it a lot easier for us to win the ball back and set ourselves on the counter

I don't think this is the sole reason, Butcher should also be working with the team to have more patience on the ball but it takes a different sort of player...

[TopSix]

..., a player like Russell Duncan perhaps?