Pitch Size at Tynecastle.

[upgotheheads]

This has bothered me for quite a while and I would welcome comments fom Kickbackers.

 

This is from data published in the SPL handbook for season 2011/12.

 

Hearts have the smallest pitch in the SPL and I think one of the smallest in senior football in Scotland.

Pitch dimensions are 100 x 64 metres at Tynecastle, the next smallest are D.utd at 101 x 66 and Motherwell at 102 x 65. Six of the current SPL teams have pitches which measure 105 x 68.

 

An additional 5 metres in length and 4 in width doesn't sound much but I think it is significant in the kind of football we see at Tynecastle. It's easier for teams to flood the midfield and and snuff out wingers who are operating in the wider areas and to kill the game. I think other coaches know this and set up their teams accordingly.

 

Now I'm not suggesting that this is why we were beaten on Saturday because we were sh*te but I have noticed this over the years.

[reaths17]

This has bothered me for quite a while and I would welcome comments fom Kickbackers.

 

This is from data published in the SPL handbook for season 2011/12.

 

Hearts have the smallest pitch in the SPL and I think one of the smallest in senior football in Scotland.

Pitch dimensions are 100 x 64 metres at Tynecastle, the next smallest are D.utd at 101 x 66 and Motherwell at 102 x 65. Six of the current SPL teams have pitches which measure 105 x 68.

 

An additional 5 metres in length and 4 in width doesn't sound much but I think it is significant in the kind of football we see at Tynecastle. It's easier for teams to flood the midfield and and snuff out wingers who are operating in the wider areas and to kill the game. I think other coaches know this and set up their teams accordingly.

 

Now I'm not suggesting that this is why we were beaten on Saturday because we were sh*te but I have noticed this over the years.

 

on that same pitch, we were also the hardest to beat at home for long periods "fortress tynie" blah blah.

 

i'd think both were more influenced by the fans. it's not that long ago that our support for our team intimidated other teams with the stands being right on top of the pitch but now were more likely to intimidate our own players with the barracking and whinging they get

[Maurice Moss]

I think there is something in that. Didn't stop McGlynn/Murray tucking out full backs in as much as possible though.

 

A large part of why we won the cup final was how well Driver and Suso played, and how much space they got on the bigger pitch. It's impossible quantify the difference pitch size makes because there are so many other factors to take into account, but Driver certainly seemed to play better on bigger pitches.

[Jambos_1874]

I'd tend to agree to a point. If you're playing in a big open stadium with a big pitch i.e. Hampden, I think it is going to affect the way you play compared to Tynecastle to an extent. However, I think it's more down to perception than anything else as Tynecastle is a compact stadium with steep stands which are close to the pitch and therefore it can seem more crowded on the pitch than it actually is. It would be interesting to see it from a players perspective.

[Gregory House M.D.]

The other teams have the disadvantage. They don't play on it every other week. Our players are just shite. Enough of the excuses.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

We had to shorten it to make up some pishy UEFA guidelines about tracks did we not?

 

Hibs managed to make it fairly big by Harris and Griffiths pulling out wide though.

[Tiberius Stinkfinger]

So all the other teams have figured out how to get the best out of playing at Tynecastle and the team that actually plays on it hasn't yet, is that what's being suggested here ?

[Gregory House M.D.]

Of course, the mega wide pitches of the SPL opposition have helped us express our flair wingers' talents. Just look at all the goals we've scored and games we've won since February 2011 on these fields of dreams.

 

Teams don't have to pack out the midfield and stop our wingers because our wingers are absolutely rancid and spend most of their games in the CM position. Our whole team of mediocre SPL players is focused right down the center of the pitch. There are no overlapping runs by full backs or no through balls that release wingers into the box because the terrible system we've been teaching from the first team to the youth teams. We have no width and until we stop teaching our young players to play a passing game in a narrow formation with wingers on the wrong side we never will have. ******* embarrassing that anyone at the club thinks these shite tactics will ever work in Scottish football. A completely new coaching system needs put in place because our wingers these days and the way we attempt to play is pathetic.

[upgotheheads]

So all the other teams have figured out how to get the best out of playing at Tynecastle and the team that actually plays on it hasn't yet, is that what's being suggested here ?

Nope, only that when you're playing away you are under less pressure to win, an away point is often quite acceptable and you can set up defensively,ie flood the midfield. At home however the fans expect an attacking display.

The point is that a narrow pitch makes it easier to do that.

[4marsbars]

I think there's something in that.

 

If Hearts get an advantage from playing at home on a narrow pitch, then other teams experience that disadvantage twice a season (max) when they visit Tynecastle.

 

If Hearts are disadvantaged when playing on normal dimensioned pitches, then Hearts experience that disadvantage in half of their matches.

[hmfcjamie]

We are shite. if we had a bigger pitch we would still be shite.

[chimpos]

We are shite. if we had a bigger pitch we would still be shite.

 

But at least some of the shite would be further away from us!

[Diadora Van Basten]

I played at tynecastle and thought it was a great pitch to play on.

[hmfc_liam06]

Spurs managed to find plenty space to play...

[FTH]

We had to shorten it to make up some pishy UEFA guidelines about tracks did we not?

 

I thought we took a row or 2 out of the school end to increase the length of the pitch (or as you say increase the gap, or maybe a combination of both) slightly to at least move closer to Europa League rules (along with the additional media space etc) I don't think we actually fulfilled all of them but these changes allowed us a "special dispensation" rather than having to play at Murrayfield.

[upgotheheads]

Spurs managed to find plenty space to play...

 

 

Yup, but if they played in my back garden they would still have beaten us.

 

 

And we don't play Spurs very week

[Hansel]

I've always found it strange that all the pitches are different sizes anyway.

 

Why isn't there a rule which states the proper pitch size that every club must have?

[topcat]

It might be that a bigger pitch would produce more of the games where players get a bit more space and time on the ball rather than playing ping pong but whether this extra space and time would benefit us more than our opponents in terms of results is a different matter.

[4marsbars]

I thought we took a row or 2 out of the school end to increase the length of the pitch (or as you say increase the gap, or maybe a combination of both) slightly to at least move closer to Europa League rules (along with the additional media space etc) I don't think we actually fulfilled all of them but these changes allowed us a "special dispensation" rather than having to play at Murrayfield.

 

We increased the length, and in so doing had to narrow the pitch to leave a big enough gap between the corner flags and floodlight supports.

[Francis Albert]

We increased the length, and in so doing had to narrow the pitch to leave a big enough gap between the corner flags and floodlight supports.

 

Correct, although the pitch was pretty narrow even before this alteration.

 

Before Tynecastle was redeveloped with the new stands it had one of the widest pitches in Scotland - wider than Hampden, Ibrox and Parkhead. I remember glancing at one of the Celtic "Lisbon Lions" autobiographies (McNeil, Gemmell?) in which he said he loved playing at Tynecastle because of its feeling of spaciousness. Changed days.

 

I don't think the narrowness of the pitch is conducive to good football. Having said that it would help if we more often used what width there is.

[Caspian Primrose]

I played at tynecastle and thought it was a great pitch to play on.

 

all the best Fraser.

[skinnybob72]

We could play in a telephone box and we'd still be lucky to find a teammate with a pass.

[John mcCartney]

after todays shambles i sincerely hope a resizing in width of the club`s pitch is on the cards with the redevelopment

happening soon

the midfield congestion in this sphell came to the fore today from where i was in section n

surely neilson and his phassing game needs all the ****ing help it can if the clubs budget cant buy another level of quality

[amadjambo]

This has bothered me for quite a while and I would welcome comments fom Kickbackers.

 

This is from data published in the SPL handbook for season 2011/12.

 

Hearts have the smallest pitch in the SPL and I think one of the smallest in senior football in Scotland.

Pitch dimensions are 100 x 64 metres at Tynecastle, the next smallest are D.utd at 101 x 66 and Motherwell at 102 x 65. Six of the current SPL teams have pitches which measure 105 x 68.

 

An additional 5 metres in length and 4 in width doesn't sound much but I think it is significant in the kind of football we see at Tynecastle. It's easier for teams to flood the midfield and and snuff out wingers who are operating in the wider areas and to kill the game. I think other coaches know this and set up their teams accordingly.

 

Now I'm not suggesting that this is why we were beaten on Saturday because we were sh*te but I have noticed this over the years.

Why are we so shite away from home on bigger pitches?

[Jambof3tornado]

Haha, we lost today because of the size of the pitch!!!!!

 

What a hibs-esque thing to say.

 

We lost because they worked harder.

[Francis Albert]

St Johnstone seemed to cope OK, both in defence and attack.

[kila]

after todays shambles i sincerely hope a resizing in width of the club`s pitch is on the cards with the redevelopment

 

happening soon

 

the midfield congestion in this sphell came to the fore today from where i was in section n

 

surely neilson and his phassing game needs all the ******* help it can if the clubs budget cant buy another level of quality

 

 

Pitch size will not change during the main stand rebuild. The leaked designs showed the existing pylons remaining. Though if, years ahead, we rebuilt the Wheatfield (with cantilever roof) we could address the pitch then.

 

But I really doubt a pitch a couple of metres wider would've made any difference to the 'congested' midfield today...

[H2]

The pitch size is within the Laws of the game..... so what's the problem?

[Cast No Shadow]

surely neilson and his phassing game needs all the ******* help it can if the clubs budget cant buy another level of quality

:rofl:

[graves2002]

This has bothered me for quite a while and I would welcome comments fom Kickbackers.

 

This is from data published in the SPL handbook for season 2011/12.

 

Hearts have the smallest pitch in the SPL and I think one of the smallest in senior football in Scotland.

Pitch dimensions are 100 x 64 metres at Tynecastle, the next smallest are D.utd at 101 x 66 and Motherwell at 102 x 65. Six of the current SPL teams have pitches which measure 105 x 68.

 

An additional 5 metres in length and 4 in width doesn't sound much but I think it is significant in the kind of football we see at Tynecastle. It's easier for teams to flood the midfield and and snuff out wingers who are operating in the wider areas and to kill the game. I think other coaches know this and set up their teams accordingly.

 

Now I'm not suggesting that this is why we were beaten on Saturday because we were sh*te but I have noticed this over the years.

 

   That sound like an additional 740 square metres.  Or 11.5% larger.   Any side that plays with wingers or is trying to attack would be handicapped if you reduced their normal pitch size by that amount.

 

    Unfortunately some people on here will not accept that there is anything problem at Tynecastle that couldn't be solved by Neilson out.