I disregarded @Hartleypete comments further back as light hearted until I got told this…
Would it come as a surprise, if when Burger boy was placed on gardening leave he was given projects to keep him occupied (for 6 months) while off site?
Guess what one of them was and who gave him the gig?
Isn't our pitch getting double the football played on it? I wonder if maybe it should have had more than a summer before being used for both the Men and Women
I can’t believe that a game played by the women has the same amount of wear than a game played by men. The men has bigger (heavier) and faster than the women.
Isn't our pitch getting double the football played on it? I wonder if maybe it should have had more than a summer before being used for both the Men and Women
I can’t believe that a game played by the women has the same amount of wear than a game played by men. The men has bigger (heavier) and faster than the women.
The women’s team have played about 7 or 8 games on it, wouldn’t have made a massive difference, however the game in the league cup against Lewes during Storm Darragh seems to have caused a ton of damage. we have also played U21 games as well at the Valley for some reason.
if it is a drainage issue, then it would have gone to shit against Bolton, where it rained a ton during the game yet held up really well, but it hasn’t coped with the constant rain in autumn, and I would have expected White Horse to have checked the drains before the rebuild.
Had a close look at the surface of the pitch for the last game of the season in May as I couldn't believe how well it had stood up over the season. And close up, it really was more or less as good for the last game as it was for the first! I was stunned when the club said it was going to rip it up a couple of weeks after the final whistle.
Here we are half way through the season and the playing surface is a disappointment to say the least. Hope it holds together for the home games in January.
It's not as if it's been overplayed on in the autumn, as we had very few home games, or was destroyed by bad weather. The pitches at Welling and Dartford look much better, and they both have lots of games played on them.
Something has definitely gone wrong with the installation. After the 4th January the men don't have a home game until the 25th, and the women until the 26th, so that's 3 weeks to do some serious work on it.
Needs plenty of attention and plenty of sun lamps. My mate is a cabbie and regularly drives past Brentfords ground,he said yesterday that every time he goes past there, the sunlamps are covering the pitch. Im no expert but this time of year is more or less cloud and gloom all day isnt it,not great growing weather for a new surface
Back in December 2017 I took this photo of sunlamps on the pitch
"Methven has revealed that external advice has been sought over the playing surface at The Valley.
A new Desso GrassMaster pitch was laid in the summer.
But Charlton manager Nathan Jones recently talked about the surface being difficult to play on in recent weeks.
Asked about that, Methven said: “We have played many, many more matches on that pitch than has been been the case in the last two years. That is a fact.
“On top of the men’s first-team matches, there has also been something like eight or nine women’s matches and three or four U21 matches.
“There has been a lot of football played on it.
“The performance of the pitch overall, thus far, has disappointed us. The expectation with these type of pitches is that you get your best years in year two, three and four – certainly three and four. The first year tends not to be your best year as it beds down and knits in.
“Nonetheless we are disappointed in the performance of it and we are taking quite a bit of advice from experts at the moment on how to make sure that come next summer we get it into as good a place as it can possibly be.”
Zooming in on the pitch in that link @Henry Irving posted and, to me, it looks a bit patchy then and presumably that’s when it had just been finished and had the benefit of sunny weather.
The women’s team have played about 7 or 8 games on it, wouldn’t have made a massive difference, however the game in the league cup against Lewes during Storm Darragh seems to have caused a ton of damage. we have also played U21 games as well at the Valley for some reason.
if it is a drainage issue, then it would have gone to shit against Bolton, where it rained a ton during the game yet held up really well, but it hasn’t coped with the constant rain in autumn, and I would have expected White Horse to have checked the drains before the rebuild.
Every club has to play 5 home games in a season at their main ground
According to the club website there have been seven women’s matches and two U21 games (there may have been other matches that are unlisted).
I think there have been 15 men’s first team matches. There could easily have been more in previous years with League and FA Cup home games, including in the past replays.
The issues with the pitch were commented on some months ago and have got worse. Given the pitch was specifically promoted (and funded) as providing for extra fixtures, it seems unlikely the “other” matches alone account for the obvious issues with it.
According to the club website there have been seven women’s matches and two U21 games (there may have been other matches that are unlisted).
I think there have been 15 men’s first team matches. There could easily have been more in previous years with League and FA Cup home games, including in the past replays.
The issues with the pitch were commented on some months ago and have got worse. Given the pitch was specifically promoted (and funded) as providing for extra fixtures, it seems unlikely the “other” matches alone account for the obvious issues with it.
Mount Pleasant played one of the academy sides there too so that’s 10 more than just first team (assuming that wasn’t on the OS)
Plus pre season games for both first teams, so pushing 30 games already. Sure it'll be fixed, but good the pitch is the attention and not the first team.
How many games has the Park View Road pitch had played on it, considering that Erith & Belvedere also play there?
I can understand that a new pitch might take a year to "settle in", but I don't remember seeing such threadbare pitches elsewhere. The goalmouths aren't as worn as the rest of the surface, so it's not the usual wear and tear you get with traditional pitches in winter.
Reads to me as we went for the cheap option , played more games on it to save costs elsewhere and are just going to hope next year it’s a bit better.
We have to play the women's games on it as that was the reason why we got the 750k grant. Think that is the case for a fair few number of seasons. And I don't think 1.2m can be called the cheap option.
Reads to me as we went for the cheap option , played more games on it to save costs elsewhere and are just going to hope next year it’s a bit better.
We have to play the women's games on it as that was the reason why we got the 750k grant. Think that is the case for a fair few number of seasons. And I don't think 1.2m can be called the cheap option.
Really?
Do we know definitively how much we spent versus previous year spend? I’ve said before I’m cynical about it as we haven’t (I don’t think) seen a clear articulation of how much cash the owners gave to this when it would be good and easy PR.
Likewise is the £1.2m (if correct) comparable to other teams spend in a new / top rate pitch?
Also I recognise the grant is conditional on us hosting the women BUT I make the point that also implies less cash being spent to other venues.
Yes I’m being cynical again but really the state of the pitch generates that.
The pitch is truly awful for this way through the season and will likely get worse through to March. Not much more football has been played on it and not as much as other clubs play on it so there must be an issue
The pitch is truly awful for this way through the season and will likely get worse through to March. Not much more football has been played on it and not as much as other clubs play on it so there must be an issue
Then NJ will no choice but to resort to playing hoof ball again.
I don't have experience of similar pitch systems personally, but I do recall Fisher Athletic having problems with a 100% sand pitch many years ago.
The issues we have seem be to be across the whole pitch, rather than a specic wear area. Without knowing more, my guess would be that the main problem is lack of time for the roots to establish. Having good drainage when employing a sand raft pitch means that more watering is needed to help keep the surface from kicking out. It's also far more expensive on fertilisers, because of the extra watering and that readily washes out nutrients from sand.
Whitehorse Contractors are a very established business in the sports pitch world, so I'd be disappointed if they hadn't alerted Charlton to the potential extra costs and time involved. Of course, that never stops a bean counter/manager who 'knows better' than the groundsman getting involved, I was once told 'it's only fucking grass!' when making a request.
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Would it come as a surprise, if when Burger boy was placed on gardening leave he was given projects to keep him occupied (for 6 months) while off site?
Dont shoot the messenger!
if it is a drainage issue, then it would have gone to shit against Bolton, where it rained a ton
during the game yet held up really well, but it hasn’t coped with the constant rain in autumn, and I would have expected White Horse to have checked the drains before the rebuild.
"Methven has revealed that external advice has been sought over the playing surface at The Valley.
https://x.com/whitehorsecontr/status/1849038257192943848
I think there have been 15 men’s first team matches. There could easily have been more in previous years with League and FA Cup home games, including in the past replays.
The issues with the pitch were commented on some months ago and have got worse. Given the pitch was specifically promoted (and funded) as providing for extra fixtures, it seems unlikely the “other” matches alone account for the obvious issues with it.
The whole justification for laying the new pitch, and the reason we got the £750k grant, was to make playing more games at the Valley possible.
I can understand that a new pitch might take a year to "settle in", but I don't remember seeing such threadbare pitches elsewhere. The goalmouths aren't as worn as the rest of the surface, so it's not the usual wear and tear you get with traditional pitches in winter.
Do we know definitively how much we spent versus previous year spend? I’ve said before I’m cynical about it as we haven’t (I don’t think) seen a clear articulation of how much cash the owners gave to this when it would be good and easy PR.
The issues we have seem be to be across the whole pitch, rather than a specic wear area. Without knowing more, my guess would be that the main problem is lack of time for the roots to establish. Having good drainage when employing a sand raft pitch means that more watering is needed to help keep the surface from kicking out. It's also far more expensive on fertilisers, because of the extra watering and that readily washes out nutrients from sand.
Whitehorse Contractors are a very established business in the sports pitch world, so I'd be disappointed if they hadn't alerted Charlton to the potential extra costs and time involved. Of course, that never stops a bean counter/manager who 'knows better' than the groundsman getting involved, I was once told 'it's only fucking grass!' when making a request.