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THAT PITCH!!!!

is just shocking.... There are rumours- unsubstantiated it has to be said- that when the club asked for volunteers before the Sheff Weds game, that the damage was done by fans removing the top of the grass as well as all the snow. Anyone heard anything about this? Surely, the club has to think about returning it for the final few games- because I can't see us getting another point on that surface.
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Comments

  • is just shocking.... There are rumours- unsubstantiated it has to be said- that when the club asked for volunteers before the Sheff Weds game, that the damage was done by fans removing the top of the grass as well as all the snow. Anyone heard anything about this? Surely, the club has to think about returning it for the final few games- because I can't see us getting another point on that surface.

    Returning what ?

  • is just shocking.... There are rumours- unsubstantiated it has to be said- that when the club asked for volunteers before the Sheff Weds game, that the damage was done by fans removing the top of the grass as well as all the snow. Anyone heard anything about this? Surely, the club has to think about returning it for the final few games- because I can't see us getting another point on that surface.

    Returning what ?

    The grass
  • It's the worst I've seen it since we returned to The Valley.

    That said, both teams have to play on it so it's a poor excuse for our home form.
  • edited March 2013
    Ok the pitch is bad, other teams have bad pitches. The away teams don't seem to find it an issue therefore from what I can see the pitch is not to blame for our recent run.
  • Glovepup said:

    Ok the pitch is bad, other teams have bad pitches. The away teams don't seem to find it an issue therefore from what I can see the pitch is not to blame for our recent run.

    Agree. Blackpools is much worse than ours
  • Sorry I meant returfing- bloody predictive text....
  • Our home troubles are not down to the pitch.

    When I was young I was always Colin Powell in the playground 5 a sides. When i debuted for the school team on the right wing I was Colin Powell and today, all these years later, when cutting the lawn for the first time this year, I was, for a brief moment Colin Powell. We all have our heroes, Colin was and is my own.

    Our Valley pitch is no where near what we have come to expect, mostly due to the excellent surface we have seen in recent seasons. We don't know what has happened this season in relation to funding for the pitch but I suspect the resources available to Paddy and his team this year may have played a part.

    The fantastic pitch produced over many Valley years tells me that the current situation is not down to any shortcomings in our ground staff. It's not what we have come to expect but the pitch each weekend is the same for 22 professionals. While we would all hope to see an immaculate surface week in week out, as many others have said, it hasn't proven to be detrimental to the opposition.

    So the solution is clear, we don't like Saturdays, switch all our home games to a Friday under the lights, the points will flow and a late run at the playoffs will follow. In C Powell we trust.



  • It is a disadvantage. The opposition have to play on it once, we have to play on it every other week. However nothing can be done about it until the end of the season so we just have to get on with it.
  • edited March 2013
    Surely a disavantage to the away team then as we should have a feel for it now. They turn up and play on it for 90 mins a season
  • JohnnyH2 said:

    It is a disadvantage. The opposition have to play on it once, we have to play on it every other week.



    Then you could argue we should've got used to it and adjusted to it better than away sides who turn up, play on it for just 90 minutes and leave with 3 points.

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  • We also have the opportunity for some light training during the week
  • Ayy in the old days the pitches were 10x as bad as it is now !
    Stop finding pathetic excuses and play football ! Its the same for both teams.
  • I don't really see any problem with the pitch. There are no bobbles, and no parts where the ball doesn't bounce correctly or slows along the ground.

    It looks bad sure, but it doesn't affect play as much as you might think.
  • why not go synthetic?
  • Maidstone one step ahead
  • It certainly has seen better days. Its obviously affecting the players somewhat, i mean look at the football they were playing last season in the summer, on the carpet that was the valley! Hopefully be alot better next season, it's not nice to look at especially when the team in red on it aren't no better.
  • edited March 2013

    It certainly has seen better days. Its obviously affecting the players somewhat, i mean look at the football they were playing last season in the summer, on the carpet that was the valley! Hopefully be alot better next season, it's not nice to look at especially when the team in red on it aren't no better.

    But have you been to a game this season when it's been green? ;-)

  • I was told it's down to the club using a different type of turf/seed this season, which has obviously not worked out. If this is the case then I'm sure all will be restored to natural beauty next season................
  • why not go synthetic?

    I'm having the implants fitted this Wednesday...

  • They should do what they did to the pitches in the ACON, and just spray it green!
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  • What about that cloth they put on snooker tables?
  • As I pointed out on the previous thread on the subject, the weather must have a lot to do with it. Look at Leyton Orient, their groundsman has won the groundsman of the year many times. This year their pitch is in the same state as ours.
  • Doesn't matter whether it's a dis-advantage or not....it's making the games a nightmare to watch. It needs to be sorted but I doubt whether much can be done until the close-season.
  • is there not a pitch somewhere on the Greenwich Peninsula we can move to temporarily?
  • The whole "the other team doesn't have any problems" argument is not as straight forward as it seems to me.

    That is meant to be our home pitch, where our players feel the most comfortable. The away side come to The Valley, seeing that our players don't know how to use that absolute disgrace of turf and it gives them that extra confidence. As the away side, they don't have any real pressure on them anyway so the last thing we, as a club, should be doing is giving them additional reasons to feel as though the home team is going to struggle.
  • why don't we just train on it, get used to the crappy surface and turn it into an advantage? it's not like the extra use is going to ruin the pitch, it can't get much worse unless we train on it after heavy rain
  • We had to buy those safety nets to put up behind the temporary goals, probally came out of the pitch budget.
  • When the ball is in orbit 90% of the time the state of the pitch doesn't make a scooby!
  • edited March 2013
    Saracens RUFC in their brand new stadium have a hybrid grass and plastic playing area. Reports suggest that the pitch is a great success and the players report little difference compared to playing on turf. This is the way forward especially as in the future, multi use stadia (various sports, concerts etc) will be the norm
  • My only problem with the pitch is that it reflects badly and makes the club look sh*t. It shouldn't be an excuse for losing though. Powell should just give the players a day out to Margate for some extra training.
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