The Green Green Grass Of Home

[David]

Okay, the pitch was far from ideal, but it was hardly an unplayable swamp, was it?

[Finlay]

Okay, the pitch was far from ideal, but it was hardly an unplayable swamp, was it?

 

No but the concern is that if it is like that just now what will it be like at the end of Feb after 4 home games and a CIS Cup Semi. Then we have March-May to get through. Very far from ideal.

[Steelmen]

Do we still hire our groundsmen on day release from the prisons... that might explain it.

 

I know the weather has been bad but there hasn't been a game since boxing day, so over use isn't an excuse. It seems we haven't learned our lesson, we destroyed the drains a few years back by using a tractor on the pitch and we are still doing it to this day.

 

Lee

[WishyWell]

It seems we haven't learned our lesson, we destroyed the drains a few years back by using a tractor on the pitch and we are still doing it to this day.

 

Lee

 

 

I think on that occasion it was more than a tractor - was it not a huge crane that they were using to hoist up bits of the South Stand when they were building it?

 

We were told at the start of the season to expect criticism over the winter from the media, who wouldn't have remembered that the club had said the pitch would not be great and woud cut up in its first winter but that it would be fine in subsequent years, as is normally the case when you seed a new pitch from scratch.

 

And Falkirk's surface looked pretty poor yesterday, too.

[Bigeeze]

I do have some reservations about what will be said after the CIS Semi. Not so much with the pitch but for those who'll be in the East Stand (Falkirk fans I think). There's already a thread about it so I'm not going to start another but whilst I've got no hassles with 'Well fans commenting on it - might be shit but its our shit and many of us love it - but it won't be nice to have to opposition fans walking in and meeting two dustbins collecting drips from the roof slating it and us.

 

It will not be a shock to either side as both teams have been in the stand when we shared with Gretna

[daver]

Spot on. The club were pretty open about the chances of the pitch cutting up in its first winter due to the grass having insufficient time to properly bed in. The suggestion is that it shouldn't be as much of a problem in future years.

[WishyWell]

I think on that occasion it was more than a tractor - was it not a huge crane that they were using to hoist up bits of the South Stand when they were building it?

 

We were told at the start of the season to expect criticism over the winter from the media, who wouldn't have remembered that the club had said the pitch would not be great and woud cut up in its first winter but that it would be fine in subsequent years, as is normally the case when you seed a new pitch from scratch.

 

And Falkirk's surface looked pretty poor yesterday, too.

 

 

And St Johnstone's surface looked pretty poor yesterday, too.

 

Sorry. Just started on my clootie dumpling and custard from the work's canteen, and my concentration disappeared...

[Onthefringes]

Spot on. The club were pretty open about the chances of the pitch cutting up in its first winter due to the grass having insufficient time to properly bed in. The suggestion is that it shouldn't be as much of a problem in future years.

Not spot on at all.

 

Pains me to say it, our nearest neighbours constructed a new pitch from scratch in 2008 and minor mishaps with their undersoil heating aside haven't had the same problems. We have access to training pitches with Grade A certification (akin to Hampden Park et all) with a maintenance budget far less than the one utilised to provide the same facility at the stadium. Why?

 

For the record, our lot played really well on a surface, albeit sticky in places, way above the level of Fir Park yesterday. 8-3 in our favour over Accies

[WishyWell]

Not spot on at all.

 

Pains me to say it, our nearest neighbours constructed a new pitch from scratch in 2008 and minor mishaps with their undersoil heating aside haven't had the same problems.

 

 

I don't know, and am just wondering, but did they lay turf rather than growing it from seed. If, so, they there would probably be a difference in the short term quality, whereas ours is supposed to be a better way of doing it in the long term. On the other hand, if they did it the same way as we did, then my argument is buggered!

[Andy_P]

It will not be a shock to either side as both teams have been in the stand when we shared with Gretna

 

True, but they likely wouldn't have been there in the same numbers as there will be at the Semi Final and the shiny water collecting dustbins are a relatively recent addition.

[weeyin]

Not spot on at all.

 

Pains me to say it, our nearest neighbours constructed a new pitch from scratch in 2008 and minor mishaps with their undersoil heating aside haven't had the same problems. We have access to training pitches with Grade A certification (akin to Hampden Park et all) with a maintenance budget far less than the one utilised to provide the same facility at the stadium. Why?

 

For the record, our lot played really well on a surface, albeit sticky in places, way above the level of Fir Park yesterday. 8-3 in our favour over Accies

never mind

[Steve Diggle]

I think we've been training on it

[mwellhighland]

[Finlay]

Is that from this week mwellhighland?

[mwellhighland]

yup...from the facebook page. Sorting out the goalmouths

[Finlay]

I suppose that is positive they are sorting out the pitch.......but did we really think they would HAVE to do this after all the work in the summer?

[nethertonwellfan]

I suppose that is positive they are sorting out the pitch.......but did we really think they would HAVE to do this after all the work in the summer?

Yes, well I did anyway as a colleague of mine said that the Killie pitch was the same. In fact he said the first 2 seasons it was poor in the winter and after that you saw a marked improvement. He told me that it's simple science and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

[Onthefringes]

Yes, well I did anyway as a colleague of mine said that the Killie pitch was the same. In fact he said the first 2 seasons it was poor in the winter and after that you saw a marked improvement. He told me that it's simple science and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Well, tell your colleague their nose will get bigger! Simple science maybe, but, our problem was totally avoidable. Can't see the pitch designers mischief making can you?

 

Forced into, rather than good to see remedial work being undertaken. At what cost? Further shrinking of the playing budget?

[Frazzie]

For the record, our lot played really well on a surface, albeit sticky in places, way above the level of Fir Park yesterday. 8-3 in our favour over Accies

 

Great weekend for the 'Well then as we won our Lanarkshire Derby (of sorts) 5-1 away to Clyde in Ferniegair, also on a surface far superior to Fir Park.

[siebsbarmyarmy]

Great weekend for the 'Well then as we won our Lanarkshire Derby (of sorts) 5-1 away to Clyde in Ferniegair, also on a surface far superior to Fir Park.

 

Not really that great of weekend i broke my foot in our 8-3 win. Still got MOTM though .

[SuperSteelman]

What was the reason we had to grow our own park rather than use turf was it the cost?

[Steve Diggle]

That's a fair point - apperently we went for the quality option!!!

 

all that pish about the percentage sand / soil mix and the special type of grass and the painstaking levelling of the ground.

 

Then we drive a tractor over it to feed it mid winter, rip up the baldy patches then go and clear B&Q out of bog standard turf and slap it on the park.

 

Very serious questions need to be asked IMHO

[steelboy]

might be a daft question but does anyone know if we have any type of warranty with the company that laid the pitch

[Ernie]

It never ceases to amaze me the knowledge of your average punter on this forum I never realised that the 'Well had so many horticulturalists supporting them.

[Big Stall]

might be a daft question but does anyone know if we have any type of warranty with the company that laid the pitch

 

 

Maybe warrantys go when they hear we had the US heating running for 3 weeks with pitch covers on top, even though we were only scheduled to be playing the one game on it anyway!

 

I've got to say that despite the warnings we had back in the summer that the pitch would get dodgy in the winter months, I am dissapointed at how bad it has become so quickly, without a game being played on it.

 

I had a walk round the pitches at Pollok Park on Sunday which have notoriously bad drainage. They were all pretty decent to be fair. They dont have paid groundsmen, US heating, pitch covers, etc. and had inches of snow lieing on them for a couple of weeks before it melted in.

 

A fucking public park with bad drainage outperforming a proffesional outfit which has had close to 400k spent on it! Not good!

 

On the positive side, it would be remis of my rant not to mention that Falkirks and St Johnstones didn't really seem much better from what I saw on the TV.