Locked into a losing mentality at Withdean

[Horney]

For five and a bit seasons now, the Withdean faithful have had to endure an appalling run of home results.
04/05.....played 23 lost 9
05/06.....played 23 lost 11
06/07.....played 23 lost 11
07/08.....played 23 lost 5
08/09.....played 23 lost 11
09/10.....played 6 lost 4

The full results are : - played 121 won 36 drawn 34 lost 51

I believe that home fans have become so conditioned to not winning regularly at home, that, however upbeat we all try to be, tension and nerves quickly set in. Whether this transmits itself to the players...I don't know...but it certainly doesn't help.
Knowing that we are only winning 3 home games out of every 10 tests everyone's loyalty to the limit and does nothing to increase attendances.
How deep-set is this losing mentality ?
Winning at home these days seems to be accompanied by a sense of relief not expectation.
With plenty of decent teams still to visit Withdean this season, it would not be unrealistic to expect the number of home defeats to approach double figures again.

 

[Easy 10]

I make that pretty much spot on Horney.
Good post.

 

[tedebear]

Good post - how can you relay your love across a 6 lane running track... defies belief...

 

[Brighton M]

Good work - I've wanted to know our home record for aages but could never be arsed to count it up.

36 wins in 121 games @£24.50 per match.

That is truly f***ing SHITE.

 

[Mendoza]

Good work - I've wanted to know our home record for aages but could never be arsed to count it up.

36 wins in 121 games @£24.50 per match.

That is truly f***ing SHITE.

that makes it £82 per Withdean WIN


This year we have played a few of the "easier" teams at home already, and have still got a piss poor record, and this when there was a good vibe (loadsa money and falmer on the way) as well as the sun shining on a Saturday afternoon

Now its cold, the rain will pour and the results may be the same, POOR

 

[Silent Bob]

04/05.....played 23 lost 9

Pretty shocking considering we went up!
You make some very good points. Also it doesn't help that the atmosphere is even deader now than in the past... I think the fact Falmer is on the horizon now means people struggle to get any enthusiasm about games at Withdean, if they ever could. Also I think spirits were somewhat broken by how dreadful last season was and the fact it was inflicted on us by Adams who a lot of people invested a lot of their faith in.

The atmosphere has never been great but now you're lucky if there's anything more than a couple of raggedy chants of 'seagulls' in a game.

 

[Kenhead]

Season 04/05 was the season when we stayed up in The Chammpionship Silent Bob.

£82 per Withdean win is pretty shocking, but id be intressted to know if theres much differance with only useing the League One home win's since 2006. If anyone can be bothered to work it out...

 

[Horney]

Season 04/05 was the season when we stayed up in The Chammpionship Silent Bob.

£82 per Withdean win is pretty shocking, but id be intressted to know if theres much differance with only useing the League One home win's since 2006. If anyone can be bothered to work it out...

Ok...here goes
06/07.........w5 d7 l11
07/08.........w12 d6 l5
08/09..........w6 d6 l11
09/10..........w2 d0 l4

Total...........w25 d19 l31

Played 75 won 25......win% = 33% ( very marginal improvement on 30% )
The figures are boosted by the ' Wilkins ' season of 07/08 when we only lost 5 games ! Interesting to note that we won the first 3 home games that season and managed to maintain a bit of momentum at Withdean.

 

[Bigtomfu]

The win margin certainly seems to have had a drag factor on attendances and atmosphere.

Would be really interesting to see where we rank across all the league clubs for home form in a similar timescale. Then we would have some true idea about the nature of the Withdean effect.

I wonder whether the club have been following the trend of visiting fans as well - whether or not, for example, Club 'a' has bought a smaller away following the more they visit Withdean.

Really and truly cannot wait for us to roll out into Falmer that first season, its going to be such a massive boost, a return to a proper identity.

 

[Silent Bob]

Season 04/05 was the season when we stayed up in The Chammpionship Silent Bob.

I read it as 03/04 for some reason. I didn't think I remembered us losing that many games.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

For five and a bit seasons now, the Withdean faithful have had to endure an appalling run of home results.
04/05.....played 23 lost 9
05/06.....played 23 lost 11
06/07.....played 23 lost 11
07/08.....played 23 lost 5
08/09.....played 23 lost 11
09/10.....played 6 lost 4

Wilkins was utter shit, wasn't he or was it an easy league that year?

 

[We're the Stripes]

As Gary Hart (of all people) said on the ST DVD, if we don't start winning games at home, we won't do anything in this league (other than get relegated). Needs to improve, but it seems most are just playing the waiting game until Falmer opens, with a fresh start 'n all.

 

[Scotty Mac]

Wilkins was utter shit, wasn't he or was it an easy league that year?

easier league that season certainly, but the facts dont lie which denote that wilkins obviously had some clue about what he was doing - certainly more than the joker that took over from him anyway

 

[Horney]

The win margin certainly seems to have had a drag factor on attendances and atmosphere.

Would be really interesting to see where we rank across all the league clubs for home form in a similar timescale. Then we would have some true idea about the nature of the Withdean effect.

I wonder whether the club have been following the trend of visiting fans as well - whether or not, for example, Club 'a' has bought a smaller away following the more they visit Withdean.

Really and truly cannot wait for us to roll out into Falmer that first season, its going to be such a massive boost, a return to a proper identity.

With a 30% strike rate at home over 5 and a bit seasons, I would imagine that we would rank pretty low across all league clubs. This is a real stab in the dark but I would suggest bottom 5. Most seasons our away form has kept us afloat, whereas a lot of ' struggling ' clubs tend to pick up more home points than away.
I've now had a gutful of Withdean and can't wait for Falmer.

 

[Icy Gull]

What we all forget is that alternative to Withdean would have been Gillingham and the almost certain death of the club. The players have to take a massive proportion of the blame for the results at home, I don't buy the oft trotted out excuse that it's because of Withdean that we are shit. The other team has exactly the same conditions when they play there.

I don't hate Withdean as such, I have just hated watching the team on the pitch for most of the last few years. This season, when I've been, I've actually quite enjoyed it. When the team give us something to cheer about the atmosphere is OK if not great. I can remember clearly what a morgue the Goldstone was when we had a shit team, and that is what we have had 90% of the time since relegation from the Championship.

 

[Danny-Boy]

For five and a bit seasons now, the Withdean faithful have had to endure an appalling run of home results.
04/05.....played 23 lost 9
05/06.....played 23 lost 11
06/07.....played 23 lost 11
07/08.....played 23 lost 5
08/09.....played 23 lost 11
09/10.....played 6 lost 4

The full results are : - played 121 won 36 drawn 34 lost 51

I believe that home fans have become so conditioned to not winning regularly at home, that, however upbeat we all try to be, tension and nerves quickly set in. Whether this transmits itself to the players...I don't know...but it certainly doesn't help.
Knowing that we are only winning 3 home games out of every 10 tests everyone's loyalty to the limit and does nothing to increase attendances.
How deep-set is this losing mentality ?
Winning at home these days seems to be accompanied by a sense of relief not expectation.
With plenty of decent teams still to visit Withdean this season, it would not be unrealistic to expect the number of home defeats to approach double figures again.

Are you resident in Eastbourne, Horney? Seen Stofer lately?

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

For five and a bit seasons now, the Withdean faithful have had to endure an appalling run of home results.
04/05.....played 23 lost 9
05/06.....played 23 lost 11
06/07.....played 23 lost 11
07/08.....played 23 lost 5
08/09.....played 23 lost 11
09/10.....played 6 lost 4

Sorry guys, you can blame me. That coincides almost exactly with when I moved to Spain and stopped going to every game at Withdean!

No, hang on a minute, when I was a regular we had an excellent home record so it's not my fault, it's yours! What have you been doing since I left?

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

It looks like another.Gillingham and Wycombe must be kicking themselves.