[Archived] Kicking Towards The Bbe In The First Half

[grizfoot]

There always seems to be this psychological matter when we kick towards the Blackburn End in the first half, we rarely seem to come away with a win. Pompey we lost, Larissa although we did actually win, we didn't play as well as you'd expect.

It would be instersting to see figures about the percentage of games won when kicking towards the BBE first because i'm pretty sure it would be under 25%. It's not just this season, it has been like this for many seasons now. Other teams must look at this and use this as some sort of tactic against us.

Thoughts?

[blue phil]

Maybe our players prefer to kick toward an end that makes some noise in the second half .....apart from the drummer , of course ....

[Ben-2000]

Strange one... even though I sit on the half way line I like to see us kicking off towards the Darwen End in the first half, it just doesn't feel right somehow when we kick off towards the Blackburn End.

[gumboots]

Other clubs obviously try to unsettle us by getting us to kick towards the BBend if they win the toss and of course it gives them the same advantage of kicking towards their fans in the second half. I've always wondered why we don't stick away fans in the Jack Walker upper outer and see what impact they have from there.

[thenodrog]

Other clubs obviously try to unsettle us by getting us to kick towards the BBend if they win the toss and of course it gives them the same advantage of kicking towards their fans in the second half.

.... No it doesn't.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I have never understood it myself - but I always fear for the worst when we attack the BBE in the first half. Historically I feel we do worse - though it could only be superstition. I would be very interested if anyone had a set of stats to back up the theory.

[gumboots]

.... No it doesn't.

Sorry I didn't say what I meant to say there. They have the choice don't they of kicking towards their fans in the first half which means we kick towards the Blackburn end first or they can let us kick towards the blackburn end in the second half which means they kick towards the Darwen end and their own fans. They have to decide whether it unsettles us to make us do things the wrong way round and whether that gives them a greater advantage than kicking towards their own fans in the second half. Does that make sense now?

[Alan75]

I remember a period, during Howard Kendals days when we just couldnt score in the Darwen End, it seemed to go on for months.

[Guest fernhurstblue]

Other clubs obviously try to unsettle us by getting us to kick towards the BBend if they win the toss and of course it gives them the same advantage of kicking towards their fans in the second half. I've always wondered why we don't stick away fans in the Jack Walker upper outer and see what impact they have from there.

the darwen end side of the top teir of the jack walker stand holds 3,000 ..... most clubs bring more than that, it amazes me that people dont think things through before they post on here

[Neil Weaver]

I remember a period, during Howard Kendals days when we just couldnt score in the Darwen End, it seemed to go on for months.

Aye, remember that too Alan. Would have been about 1979? Think we ended up that season scoring something daft like 30 goals in the BBE and 5 goals in the Darwen End. Don't remember anyone trying to explain it.

[Ben-2000]

Let's hope normality is resumed against Big Club tomorrow by kicking towards the Bburn End in the second half!

[bblue]

Maybe it's a Feng Shui thing?

[Plastic Head]

The sand was deeper at the Darwen End....

[gumboots]

the darwen end side of the top teir of the jack walker stand holds 3,000 ..... most clubs bring more than that, it amazes me that people dont think things through before they post on here

Birmingham certainly didn't today. I was only asking anyway. Most clubs shove away fans in out of the way seats if they can and I wondered if we could find somewhere less influential than the Darwen end to put them.

[Guest fernhurstblue]

the away fans should be housed in the top tier of the darwen end first ..... out of the way

[92er]

Attacking the BBE in the first half has always been seen as being the wrong way round and causes some disconcertion amongst fans. However, I guess when we play away, we also like the Home team to attack the area holding the most vociferous section of their fans in the first half rather than in the second half.

[KimberleyBRFC]

There always seems to be this psychological matter when we kick towards the Blackburn End in the first half, we rarely seem to come away with a win. Pompey we lost, Larissa although we did actually win, we didn't play as well as you'd expect.

It would be instersting to see figures about the percentage of games won when kicking towards the BBE first because i'm pretty sure it would be under 25%. It's not just this season, it has been like this for many seasons now. Other teams must look at this and use this as some sort of tactic against us.

Thoughts?

I had the same conversation with the lad next to me a few games ago and I agree completely. It's a bit strange but the only thing I can think of it's the main stand (don't want to upset any JW Standers or Riversiders) and everyone wants to make more of an impression towards that stand. It's like liverpool facing the Kop or Villa facing the Holte End. Ok maybe not as IMPRESSIVE as the Kop but it is if your a Rover

[thenodrog]

Ok maybe not as glamorous as the Kop but it is if your a Rover

I think I'd have replaced the word 'glamerous' with 'impressive'.

[KimberleyBRFC]

I think I'd have replaced the word 'glamerous' with 'impressive'.

Edited

[SAS]

i remember this in our first division days,

i think it was wimbledon who once beat us with us shooting at bbe first, and im sure their 15 strong army didnt influence much

[savage8]

Dunno why it is, but when I think of opposition teams scoring at Rovers, its always at the BBE. I sit in the JW lower near the away fans and always seem to think the away team will score, its not a great view, and I have to put up with looking at the away fans going mad (though I did kinda enjoy watching the Larissa fans at times). It also appears from where we sit that Rovers have so much more space on the Riverside touchline with Emo overlapping, maybe i'm losing the plot. Or i've already lost it.

[grizfoot]

Since I posted this thread in October we've won against both Sunderland & Bolton kicking towards the BBE first.

[gumboots]

Since I posted this thread in October we've won against both Sunderland & Bolton kicking towards the BBE first.

It's probably because the players think it's the second half and actually play from the start of the game instead of only starting in the second half. If you think about it, Bolton's best spell was early second half when we were kicking where we'd normally be in the first half, if that makes sense

[grizfoot]

It's probably because the players think it's the second half and actually play from the start of the game instead of only starting in the second half. If you think about it, Bolton's best spell was early second half when we were kicking where we'd normally be in the first half, if that makes sense

True, we usually play much better in the second half of games but against Bolton I thought we played our best football in the first half despite scoring three of our four goals in the second. Also as you mentioned the good spell Bolton had was when we were kicking towards the Darwen End which we usual do in the first half.

We also kicked towards the BBE first half against Chelsea and although we didn't get anything from that game we certainly started brightly in the first half.

[Plastic Head]

At times this season I thought we were kicking towards the Riverside....