I think the pitch was higher, possibly by a couple of foot - around the time the ground was redeveloped.
There was a significant drop off once over the touchlines which could be a bit dodgy for the players and made taking corners difficult.
So if the pitch is now lower, it would explain why we are seeing more problems than we used to. Water table is now higher.
It could be put right with some engineering and owners prepared to pay for it. But we all know the problem there.