Pitch Under Investigation

[Steve Diggle]

So it's no longer the referee's decision on whether a park is playable or not? regardless of my opinion or anyone elses opinion on the state of the park, every referee this season has said that it is in a good enough condition to play a match. So where the fuck do the SPL get the right to decide that it is not? what exactly is a pitch of a "certain standard"

 

It's a fair point about the inspections - however I think it's purely down to the fact that we (Scottish Football) are that thick we'll say 'game on' if its dry, thawed and flat(ish) before kick off.

 

The point about moving goalposts and an ad hoc rule book are correct also.

 

However I think our pitch merits all the criticism it's getting. No-one should be playing on it.

[postiejim]

http://www.motherwell-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/...212/index.shtml this guy makes more sense than you lot put together.

[Richie]

Albeit the pitch is a mess... I find it ridiculous that the pitch is being investigated if Ref's are deeming it playable.

[Squirrelhumper]

So Killies will be getting looked at tae?

 

thats just as bad.

 

Yer arse.

 

Our is poor due to recent weather but yours is fucking terrible!

 

We don't have fucking players falling down holes during games!

[Wellfan1984]

That is actually a very good read.

[Welldel]

Yer arse.

 

Our is poor due to recent weather but yours is fucking terrible!

 

We don't have fucking players falling down holes during games!

 

 

Aye but to be fair, you have no fucking players

[weeyin]

http://www.motherwell-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/...212/index.shtml this guy makes more sense than you lot put together.

Have you even read this thread? That article pretty much sums up the majority of responses on here.

[postiejim]

Must be playing Killmarnock this week ,the one who humps squirrels has arrived to cheer us all up, problem is squirrell it dosnt matter where Motherwell play you lot, firpark or rugbypark we hump you .

[fatcalf]

Have you even read this thread? That article pretty much sums up the majority of responses on here.

[Optimus Prime]

http://www.motherwell-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/...212/index.shtml this guy makes more sense than you lot put together.

 

+1

 

The SPL appointed an independent assessor to oversee the pitch refurbishment and he/she was satisfied that we took the correct course of action. Is the SPL therefore going to investigate itself? Too many armchair groundsmen on here.

 

Given our pitch is the newest in the SPL and we had the worst winter for perhaps 25/30 years is it a surprise? Other pitches are very poor although not as bad as ours. So what does that tell you? Media pressure from Jim Traynor and Chic Young.

 

I would expect the SPL to give us a clean bill of health. If it doesn't, questions need to be asked of the SPL and independent assessor.

[Motherwell Football Club]

Yer arse.

 

Our is poor due to recent weather but yours is fucking terrible!

 

We don't have fucking players falling down holes during games!

 

If ye don't have players falling down holes how do you explain them going missing during matches?

[gullane]

I share what appears to be the majority view on this thread - and Firparkcorner. An SFA investigation should be welcomed. A fine or points deduction should be imposed if the club have indeed failed to maintain a suitable playing surface. However, it would appear we have done everything we can. Also, as has been pointed out, each referee who has officiated at Fir Park over the last 2 months has passed the surface playable. The state of the pitch comes down to our geographical situation and appalling weather over December and January. We can't be penalised for natural causes.

 

I know it's awful and frustrating, but I don't see any good can come out of looking for someone to blame. So I propose we all get off the backs of the groundsmen, John Boyle, Gretna and the SFA and see what occurs.

 

Let's see what the investigation concludes. It shouldn't bring any big surprise since the SFA have been consulted throughout the pitch renovations in 2009. The question is what now? Is Fir Park in such a predicament that the only options are to either lay an artificial surface, or move away altogether?

[Richie]

I've said this a few times... but if we do get hit with sanctions then every single one of us should write to the authorities and ask why the issue of sectarianism has been swept under the carpet, despite it happening every single week.

They will say that the club (Rangers) are doing their best to deal with it... but the very same could be said about Motherwell and the pitch.

 

... Rant over.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I still maintain the undersoil heating is the biggest factor in everyone's pitch problems so when the SPL start their inquiry they might want to look inwards at their 'membership criteria' first, which incidentally now seems to have changed to "deliver a pitch of a certain standard." That's a new yin. Methinks they make it up as they go along that mob.

 

Pretty much. SPL need to make up their mind on whether they want pitches that are playable albeit in poor condition or games called off if the pitch isn't able to come up to a certain standard. You can't have both at this time of year, especially when the weather is particularly bad. It's a complete nonsense to think otherwise.

 

We had 6 weeks + of lying snow in Motherwell this winter and plenty more hard frosts during what is regarded as one of the worst winters in the last 50 years and yet as someone else said not one match was postponed due to the pitch. Presumably the undersoil heating had to be kept on at considerable cost to the club throughout that whole period (even now there is a hard frost in the ground). Sure it's not in good condition but it is playable so for christ sake just grin and bear it until the pitch starts to recover in the spring/summer.

 

Given the circumstances (new pitch laid at huge expense to the club, extreme winter conditions, major problems at many other SPL clubs like Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, St. Johnstone etc) then I'd be pretty unhappy if we get pulled up about this.

 

As far as I can see we've made a serious attempt to repair the pitch last season and not had any pitch related call offs so is it doing to come down to a ruling on how many blades of grass an SPL pitch should have?

[fatcalf]

I've said this a few times... but if we do get hit with sanctions then every single one of us should write to the authorities and ask why the issue of sectarianism has been swept under the carpet, despite it happening every single week.

They will say that the clubs (Celtic & Rangers) are doing their best to deal with it... but the very same could be said about Motherwell and the pitch.

 

... Rant over.

 

Fixed that for ye, wouldn't want you accused of showing bias to one side or t'other now would we?

[Richie]

Fixed that for ye, wouldn't want you accused of showing bias to one side or t'other now would we?

 

 

Completely agree with you mate. Was going to mention Celtic as well, but Rangers have been investigated warned about their conduct before (like us with the pitch) whereas Celtic haven't (I don't think anyway) so thought they were a better example.

[fat_tony]

I certainly don't think there's anything more that the club could have done to improve the pitch. They spent the money, relaid the pitch and put considerable effort into sorting out the drainage problems. We certainly haven't had any problems with the pitch flooding, have we? I'm sure there was an article at the time the work was carried out that said the first winter would be difficult as the pitch wouldn't be properly bedded in. Unfortunately, the extreme cold we've had, so much worse than usual, has forced the club to run the undersoil heating virtually non-stop which has churned up the pitch and turned it into a complete mess. It's very unfortunate but I fail to see what else could have been done.

 

On top of that, the referees have the power to call off a match if they feel the surface is unsafe and there has been no mention of that happening at all.

[mfc]

does anybody think we shouldve changed our groundstaff when the pitch got done over the summer or would it no have made any difference

[Chris]

Albeit the pitch is a mess... I find it ridiculous that the pitch is being investigated if Ref's are deeming it playable.

 

It's barely playable- thats why it's being investigated.

[Steve Diggle]

I think the time has long since passed that the club should have issued a statement on what the way forward is.

 

Not that we're poor wee souls that have experienced any number of calamities and natural disasters and we've tried our best and it all hasn't quite worked out etc etc etc etc. That actually fixes nothing.

 

I for one dont think that anything grass like is gonna grow on that pile of dead roots and sand anytime this decade.

 

As supporters we all want to know what's gonna be done to fix it and when.

[WilliePettigrew]

Heard a wee whisper that the Head Groundsman was sacked last week!

 

Can anyone confirm or deny?

[biggayal0]

I certainly don't think there's anything more that the club could have done to improve the pitch. They spent the money, relaid the pitch and put considerable effort into sorting out the drainage problems. We certainly haven't had any problems with the pitch flooding, have we? I'm sure there was an article at the time the work was carried out that said the first winter would be difficult as the pitch wouldn't be properly bedded in. Unfortunately, the extreme cold we've had, so much worse than usual, has forced the club to run the undersoil heating virtually non-stop which has churned up the pitch and turned it into a complete mess. It's very unfortunate but I fail to see what else could have been done.

 

On top of that, the referees have the power to call off a match if they feel the surface is unsafe and there has been no mention of that happening at all.

 

What Motherwell should have did was close fir park till the pitch had bedded in and hired accies or airdries grounds on a ground share. The costs of this would have worked out cheaper that the repair bill we are going to have or the cost of re turfing the pitch and the fine we are going to end up with.

[weeyin]

What Motherwell should have did was close fir park till the pitch had bedded in and hired accies or airdries grounds on a ground share.

I doubt that would have been practical as I can't imagine the SPL and SFL scheduling for our benefit.

[East_Stand_Al]

I don't hold sway with all the talk of fines and punishments, at every step of the way we have complied with the SPLs instructions and rules and be mindful that the pitch has never been deemed unplayable.

 

Also Leeann instigated the communication with the authorities in this matter.

 

The official line is that the improved undersoil heating (which is an SPL requirement) has been a major contributing factor as has the improved drainage, all of which was supervised by the SPL.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Also the scheduling has to be looked at.

 

5 matches in a month on a pitch in February is hardly going to help maintain a good standard of pitch.

 

OK one of them was the League Cup Semi Final and one was rescheduled but that's still 4 SPL matches within a month.

 

If the SPL is really concerned about the quality of pitches at this time of year what about scheduling matches with a bit more common sense - say no more than two home matches per month.