Tonight’s pitch... | Vital Football

Tonight’s pitch...

Since moving into the Elite Training ground, we appear to have got worse, especially technically speaking, with simple basic passes going astray on match days?

The bumpy old pitch off Burton Road at the Barracks maybe wasn’t that bad after all, as I see little or no signs of any development? ?
 
Since moving into the Elite Training ground, we appear to have got worse, especially technically speaking, with simple basic passes going astray on match days?

The bumpy old pitch off Burton Road at the Barracks maybe wasn’t that bad after all, as I see little or no signs of any development? ?

It is virtually always windy on the top at Scampton, also those pitches have a broadly west - east orientation rather than Sincil Bank's broadly north - south orientation. Cannot think those factors make too much difference though.

We looked so lethargic last night. Could particularly our older players be fitness trained to the point they are knackered before they start games? Are a few carrying injuries, so are not pushing themselves to the limit?
 
It is virtually always windy on the top at Scampton, also those pitches have a broadly west - east orientation rather than Sincil Bank's broadly north - south orientation. Cannot think those factors make too much difference though.

We looked so lethargic last night. Could particularly our older players be fitness trained to the point they are knackered before they start games? Are a few carrying injuries, so are not pushing themselves to the limit?
Think you’re looking to deep Ed, we had a bad 60 minutes. Nothing wrong with the fitness for the last 30 minutes, Exeter were knackered, we pummelled them with no finesse just effort and willpower. Another 2 minutes and we would have won that
 
Think you’re looking to deep Ed, we had a bad 60 minutes. Nothing wrong with the fitness for the last 30 minutes, Exeter were knackered, we pummelled them with no finesse just effort and willpower. Another 2 minutes and we would have won that
But it's an interesting point nonetheless. We have a small squad (through Cowley's choice) and a number of those players are the wrong side of 30 and several have chequered injury records. We play (according to the manager) a high tempo, high intensity game and so it will take it's toll at some stage. However as you say, last night those last 10-15 minutes became the irresistible force against the immovable object.

I just worry that we are heading the same way as both our last 2 seasons where we have started well and then in performance terms have ended up virtually limping and hobbling over the line, winning games with scrappy goals and looking fortunate to do so. I appreciate we have no distractions of cup football this season, yet the same pattern seems to be emerging again.

Don't forget when we travelled to Luton on New Year's Day last year we were either 2nd or 3rd in the league and ended up barely scraping into a play-off place. Whilst I am not saying that will happen this time around, both the parallels and warnings from the last 2 seasons are there.
 
Think you’re looking to deep Ed, we had a bad 60 minutes. Nothing wrong with the fitness for the last 30 minutes, Exeter were knackered, we pummelled them with no finesse just effort and willpower. Another 2 minutes and we would have won that

When you are not 100% fit you play within yourself up to the point you know you can get to the end of a game. That particularly applies if you are tired to start with, or are carrying a slight injury.

I do a weekly 5K summer race series. If I am tired, or start a race with a muscle or tendon strain, it is the first 2-3K I slow for; certainly not the final K, unless it becomes unbearable.