Hartys Herald comments! 28/05/09

[Acker79]

Withdean Stadium IS a factor.

The fact is once you go up into the Championship home attendances average just under 18,000, as opposed to 7,500 in League 1. Therefore, whilst our home attendances are roughly comparable to other League 1 sides they'll be in the bottom 3, if not bottom, of the Championship.

That fact, coupled with the lack of cover, means the place is not intimidating. Stoke City have shown this season how much of a difference vocal support in a largely full, covered stadium can make to results.

Look at all the league one/championship sides that have scored upset victories. Part of that upset is the experience of the big teams used to impressive stadiums coming to shitholes like withdean, teams used to nice full stadiums coming to low rent places and so taking the opposition lightly.

Granted there is the added factor of weakened teams, but we beat a man city side that featured a mostly first team line up. Withdean affected them, the crowd got behind the albion, and withdean worked in our favour. It worked in our favour against leicester.

Withdean can have a positive impact as much as it can have a negative impact, but the impact it has is decided by the fans, by the players, by the management team etc., and because the impact is decided by other factors I think it's easy to blame withdean, but wrong.

 

[BensGrandad]

The Withdean factor has now gone as teams used to come to defend and hope to get a point they now come expecting at least a draw.