Kicking towards the Holte

[Chris Smith]

Emery clearly wants us to start games quickly rather then give the impetus to the opposition. Hard to prove one way or the other what difference it makes but if the players think it helps kicking towards the Holte then they should stick with it.

[aldridgeboy]

I hadn’t considered it was our own choice. I’d assumed we’d lost the toss, and opposing captains did it to “ get at us “

As an aside, what’s the reason subs,  for the last few years,  warm up in the North Stand half ? All my lifetime it was the Holte. If it’s due to the linesman, why did that change ?.

And whilst I think about it, why did the dugouts swap sides ?

[OCD]

Didn't Gerrard swap the dugouts around?

Danks was the first one to attack the Holte End first half and we made a fantastic start to the game. Interesting that Emery's continued that tactic. I wonder if he's done the same at his previous clubs?

I think what's more interesting is that for all the times we've attacked the Holte in the second half, there must have been times where the opposition won the coin toss and didn't change ends. It's been very rare for opposition teams to do that.

[Beard82]

Didn't Gerrard swap the dugouts around?

Danks was the first one to attack the Holte End first half and we made a fantastic start to the game. Interesting that Emery's continued that tactic. I wonder if he's done the same at his previous clubs?

I think what's more interesting is that for all the times we've attacked the Holte in the second half, there must have been times where the opposition won the coin toss and didn't change ends. It's been very rare for opposition teams to do that.

So I was thinking about this - and I might be wrong.  But is it Emi that has done it - as hes been captain since then?

[Bully2345]

I hadn’t considered it was our own choice. I’d assumed we’d lost the toss, and opposing captains did it to “ get at us “

As an aside, what’s the reason subs,  for the last few years,  warm up in the North Stand half ? All my lifetime it was the Holte. If it’s due to the linesman, why did that change ?.

And whilst I think about it, why did the dugouts swap sides ?

On the dugouts, our bench would always sit closer to the tunnel. It was possibly Lambert who changed it as there is a school of thought that you stand on the right to have a quiet word with the assistant referee because he'll obviously start giving you decisions when you're calling him names. I think it was then Steve Bruce that switched back to the left (presumably because he had some genius tactical ideas he needed to quickly get back to the changing rooms to communicate at half time). It hasn't changed since.

Substitutes warming up is to get out of the assistant referee's way I presume. I don't know when it changed but must have been post O'Neill as Sidwell managed to help a quick throw in while warming up that led to a goal at the Holte End

[Lastfootstamper]

I think it comes down to Martinez. My brother and I both think there's no more to it than him wanting the Holte at his back for the second half. As one of the many decrying the seeming paucity these days of players in it for the adulation and the more intangible elements of the glory the game has to offer, I'm not going to knock him for it. He knows that one day he'll pull off a worldy in the dying seconds to secure the points, and he wants to be able to turn round and bask in the love showered down on him.

[London Villan]

Lambert swapped the dugouts - but I'm not sure who swapped them back. Bruce definitely used the current home one.

[OCD]

It happened against Liverpool too when Olsen was in goal. And when McGinn has played, Martinez hasn't been captain.

[Lastfootstamper]

It happened against Liverpool too when Olsen was in goal. And when McGinn has played, Martinez hasn't been captain.

We didn't win the toss against Liverpool.

[olaftab]

I think it comes down to Martinez. My brother and I both think there's no more to it than him wanting the Holte at his back for the second half. As one of the many decrying the seeming paucity these days of players in it for the adulation and the more intangible elements of the glory the game has to offer, I'm not going to knock him for it. He knows that one day he'll pull off a worldy in the dying seconds to secure the points, and he wants to be able to turn round and bask in the love showered down on him.

Nice try. He can do that just as well in the first half. It happened against Brentford first. I think they won the toss and as all small teams do decided to disrupts us by changing ends. We rammed in 3. Since than our players want to attack HE in the first half. It’s a bit small time. Sustained success is not based on this sort of stuff.

[eamonn]

I think it comes down to Martinez. My brother and I both think there's no more to it than him wanting the Holte at his back for the second half. As one of the many decrying the seeming paucity these days of players in it for the adulation and the more intangible elements of the glory the game has to offer, I'm not going to knock him for it. He knows that one day he'll pull off a worldy in the dying seconds to secure the points, and he wants to be able to turn round and bask in the love showered down on him.

Selfish cnut.

[Lastfootstamper]

I think it comes down to Martinez. My brother and I both think there's no more to it than him wanting the Holte at his back for the second half. As one of the many decrying the seeming paucity these days of players in it for the adulation and the more intangible elements of the glory the game has to offer, I'm not going to knock him for it. He knows that one day he'll pull off a worldy in the dying seconds to secure the points, and he wants to be able to turn round and bask in the love showered down on him.

Selfish cnut.

Me or Martinez? I sit near the half way line, so I don't really give that much of a toss, if I'm totally honest.

[OCD]

It happened against Liverpool too when Olsen was in goal. And when McGinn has played, Martinez hasn't been captain.

We didn't win the toss against Liverpool.

Didn't we? I was going off chrisw's post. McGinn will still have been captain for some of those games. I don't think Martinez would have decided what he wanted to do. You only have to see how much detail Emery goes into.

[eamonn]

I think it comes down to Martinez. My brother and I both think there's no more to it than him wanting the Holte at his back for the second half. As one of the many decrying the seeming paucity these days of players in it for the adulation and the more intangible elements of the glory the game has to offer, I'm not going to knock him for it. He knows that one day he'll pull off a worldy in the dying seconds to secure the points, and he wants to be able to turn round and bask in the love showered down on him.

Selfish cnut.

Me or Martinez? I sit near the half way line, so I don't really give that much of a toss, if I'm totally honest.

Was only half-joking but I meant the Argentinian chap.

[Rory]

I always thought O'Neill requested to swap the dugouts at around the same time we moved the away fans from the North to the Witton?