Pitch Under Investigation

[Special aka]

Not surprised by this news, but hopefully the Club will be able to prove that they undertook the repair work according to the relevant guidelines, however, absolutely no-one can legislate for the winter weather we've experienced this year ................. the new pitch didn't stand a chance.

[Chris]

I'm also going to throw it out there.

 

I think the pitch gives us an unfair advantage. There. I said it.

[trafficlight]

Not surprised by this news, but hopefully the Club will be able to prove that they undertook the repair work according to the relevant guidelines, however, absolutely no-one can legislate for the winter weather we've experienced this year ................. the new pitch didn't stand a chance.

 

 

So it's just down to the severe winter on the new pitch, big man? A milder winter and all would have been fine? Sounds reasonable, so why the need for an investigation?

[mfc]

driving a tractor over the pitch seems madness and it mustve done some damage surely

[Brazilian]

So it's just down to the severe winter on the new pitch, big man? A milder winter and all would have been fine? Sounds reasonable, so why the need for an investigation?

 

Self Preservation League, new boys at the top looking to make a name for themselves

 

always someone out to mischief make within the SPL itself, always better to have the heat on other teams to help look after their own

 

and media pressure loves to dictate that the pressure regularly returns to Motherwell

[fat_tony]

'That's in ref 2-0 to the Well' "No it wasnae it clearly went over the sleeve of Granpa Broons cardy so still only 1-0"

 

We'd need another couple of officials if we're playing the "rebound" rule to throw the ball back over their head when it hits the "post".

[Kylie]

Can MFC not tell the c***s that done it that it's not suitable & get them tae fix it or get the money back

[Pepper]

What, like we just did?

 

Eh? We were forced into the work during the summer! Now that's went tits up we're half arsing around patching up bits of the pitch here and there, and that was only done because of the cup semi. Like everything at Motherwell it's done in half measures and to the minimum requirements. How many times are we gonna have to go through this in order to learn? The pitch is only going to get worse so lets rip it up at the first opportunity and completely relay it. Of course it will be costly but what are the alternatives?

[GazzyB]

Eh? We were forced into the work during the summer! Now that's went tits up we're half arsing around patching up bits of the pitch here and there, and that was only done because of the cup semi. Like everything at Motherwell it's done in half measures and to the minimum requirements. How many times are we gonna have to go through this in order to learn? The pitch is only going to get worse so lets rip it up at the first opportunity and completely relay it. Of course it will be costly but what are the alternatives?

I think spending £300,000ish on a new pitch isn't really doing it in a half measure or to the minimum requirement. It's been said before that we've had a really cold winter and that it'd take a year before we see the true potential of the pitch. When you combine these factors it points to a poor playing surface for the first year. Aye it's a bit of a shiter at the moment but comments like the one I've bolded are, in my opinion, uninformed and unneccessary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to be "in the know", but saying that it has been done to the minimum requirements just because it's not as good as we'd hoped for doesn't help.

 

I'd also be curious to see a list of all the other things that Motherwell do that is done in "half measure" or to the "minimum requirement"?

[Pepper]

As far as I'm aware the spec of the pitch was cut back because it was costing too much, and in my opinion that is the only reason why we went down the re-seeding route in the first place - money. If we had returfed after the ground work was done rather than re-seed the pitch would have had a better chance of making it through even this winter - again only my opinion.

 

I'm not suggesting £300,000 is an insignificant amount of money but it was only spent after years of neglect and shirking of the problem by the Club. And the half measures and minimum requirements I was talking about was actually in reference to our feeble attempts so far to patch up the pitch last month when it was obvious to everyone that the only way to solve the problem was a complete re-turf. If you're looking for other examples of half measures and minimum requirements you just have to look at the upkeep of the stadium, and in particular the East Stand. I know, I know this is all about money but are they gonna let the place fall apart around our ears before they do something. Bins in the middle of the walkway are hardly decisive and effective solutions to a leaking roof, a bit like our attempts at fixing the pitch.

[Moe_Green]

Why all the suggestions about ripping it up and returfing it, the SPL knew it was a seeded pitch that would take time to bed in, the weather has almost murdered it, when the worst of the winter is past the pitch will grow, long term it will be fine.

 

Fannies like Keevins and his cronies can go and Fuck themselves, they go on about the pitch like they are experts, blowhards to man.

[Steve Diggle]

Why all the suggestions about ripping it up and returfing it, the SPL knew it was a seeded pitch that would take time to bed in, the weather has almost murdered it, when the worst of the winter is past the pitch will grow, long term it will be fine.

 

Fannies like Keevins and his cronies can go and Fuck themselves, they go on about the pitch like they are experts, blowhards to man.

 

I think everybody agrees on the time to bed in aspect, and the effect of the weather, and most think that left to grow it will recover.

 

The massive problem is that we need to stage top level football matches on it right now and no-one can argue that it's good enough for what folk pay at the gate.

[scottr]

Fannies like Keevins and his cronies can go and Fuck themselves, they go on about the pitch like they are experts, blowhards to man.

 

 

They're not the only ones....

[Steve Diggle]

They're not the only ones....

 

Yeah - the concept of grass growing and soil draining and frost thawing is complicated as fuck

[Catweazles ring piece]

After substantial funds have been paid towards rectifying our pitch, its obvious something has drastically gone wrong.

Irrespective of previous information. that stated that the pitch would take a first winter hammering, I don't believe that this current state was remotely considered.

Questions will be asked of Greentech and the ground staff to determine the cause or fault.

This to Motherwell F.C. is a major issue!

My concern on saturday was watching ground staff raking sand in front of the P.O.D. while others were levelling areas with their feet.

To an untrained turf specialist, it looked majorly unprofessional. Enough said at the minute!

 

 

As far as the SPL goes, they can saber rattle as much as they like.

They are aware of the work carried out and of the financial costs met by Motherwell Football Club.

I don't believe its in their interest to fine us or dock points - as that would be counter productive to all concerned, especially in this economy.

Hopefully questions will be answered and the pitch rectified, so we can move on and focus on the main priority of playing football.

[weeyin]

Yeah - the concept of grass growing and soil draining and frost thawing is complicated as fuck

It's not the concepts that are difficult, it's the implementation. The same reason as kicking a ball is simple, but somehow you're not playing professional football.

[Ernie]

Yeah - the concept of grass growing and soil draining and frost thawing is complicated as fuck

 

Yeah its the same as the concept of teaching. Complicated as fuck because everybody has been to school at some point in their life so they all know how to teach By the way you forgot to put in the concept of boiling the roots with your undersoil heating that is also complicated.

It is time that we allowed games to be put off because the weather is bad and the pitch is frozen.

[Steve Diggle]

It's not the concepts that are difficult, it's the implementation. The same reason as kicking a ball is simple, but somehow you're not playing professional football.

 

As far as you know

 

The point is - if the only time anyone could ever comment on here was if they were an expert then I'd guess there would be about 10 posts on here since this site actually started - and that includes yerself, f'ont of all knowledge' and 'master of wit and repartee' - weeyin.

 

people care about their club and they have opinions That's exactly waht this site is about - unless I'm missing something. What I'm saying is that perhaps they're not 'experts' although a few appear to be not too far of and some have a really sound knowledge.

 

Personally I feel I can grasp what's been explained to me by the club through the summer and can relate it to what I already know and my opinion isn't that far removed to some of the guys that have qualifications and expertise (i.e. OTF).

 

So put yer tuppenceworth in. Have the debate and let it roll on.

[El Grew]

There is no doubt that the club did everything necessary to get the pitch sorted out and at cconsiderable cost. There was one glaring mistake though and that was the decision to seed the pitch instead of laying turf. Seeding grass is notoriously difficult to do even under ideal growing conditions and to believe that it would be ready to play football on by August and stand-up to the winter was optimism of the crazy variety. What you are seeing now is the result of that decision severely excarcerbated by one of the worst winters for decades and poor groundsmanship and grounds maintenance.

 

Players are actually playing on the planting medium that was laid for seeding (a mixture of sand, loam and soil) which without grass roots to bind it just cuts up exactly the way it is doing. The sensible option was to have laid turf, which had already had its grass root system already established -evidenced by how well the two areas that were recently turfed are doing.

 

And any talk of grass growing when the weather improves is fantasy as anyone who has seen the pitch should no as there is precious little grass to grow.

 

The only thing the club can be faulted for was for taking advice to seed instead of laying turf and we are now paying for that.

[fatcalf]

The only thing the club can be faulted for was for taking advice to seed instead of laying turf and we are now paying for that.

 

Well they could be blamed for deciding not to undertake the necessary repairs the previous summer. Calculated gamble gone horribly wrong and we're still paying for it now 18 months later.