The Pitch

[rfcjoe]

Okay, well I admit I am using this argument to vent my view on the shite fest, which is known as rugby. They could play up Prospect park ffs! You don't need a good flat pitch to play rugby, but you do need that for football.

[Stranded]

Okay, well I admit I am using this argument to vent my view on the shite fest, which is known as rugby. They could play up Prospect park ffs! You don't need a good flat pitch to play rugby, but you do need that for football.

Actually you do need a flat, certainly decent pitch. It's no surpise that Bath have stuggled this year given the shocking state of the Rec at the mo.

[handbags_harris]

Well when Jimmy K gets back in the team, we need to make sure the South and North Stands are playable.

I think this thread may be of more relevance to Jimmy Kebe: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=95103

[Terminal Boardom]

It's the worst I have seen it at this stage of the season since we have been at the Mad Stad. A combination of egg chasers and terrible weather. It needs re laying in the summer but that can cost up to £250,000 Can you see the club doing that?

Yep, as it will be in the LI contract that the pitch is in playable condition. Perhaps the answer would be to extend the Stadium, then they could get more light into the grassed area.

Wow! Just what I always wanted. ANOTHER thread about the state of the pitch

Or to replace part of the stadium roof with transparent panels in the South and West stands in order that more light can get onto the pitch. There are plenty of stadia with this type of design.

[rabidbee]

Okay, well I admit I am using this argument to vent my view on the shite fest, which is known as rugby. They could play up Prospect park ffs! You don't need a good flat pitch to play rugby, but you do need that for football.

It's a guaranteed revenue stream for when the stadium is not in use, which is good. I wonder whether we also get any money from the sale of food and beer in the concourse, and merchandise in the shop.

[Gloria Gooner]

I agree the pitch was terrible but luckily the air quality was still moderate, which is where most of the football gets played.

All around people sound as if they are doing James Brown impersonations.

[Terminal Boardom]

I think I heard that it is 7 weeks since London Irish played at the Mad Stad. SO YOU CANT oxf*rd BLAME THEM!!!

HTH

[working class hero]

It's the worst I have seen it at this stage of the season since we have been at the Mad Stad. A combination of egg chasers and terrible weather. It needs re laying in the summer but that can cost up to £250,000 Can you see the club doing that?

If we stopped playing football too the grass would be perfect... what we need is a surface like the 70s Baseball Ground to help us.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Since the pitch has got bad, our home form has been excellent. Why all the moaning?

Or maybe youd prefer a Brendo style passing fest of a billiard table?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I think I heard that it is 7 weeks since London Irish played at the Mad Stad. SO YOU CANT oxf*rd BLAME THEM!!!

HTH

They've played twice around Christmas, and once at the end of January.

[Muskrat]

London Irish will play 8 fixtures during the grass non-growing season (Mid November to end of March) and have so far played seven of them.

That's 640 minutes, or over ten and a half hours of 30, 15 stone men kicking and rolling around on the pitch. None of this damage can be repaired without bringing in expensive lighting rigs, which we can't afford to do.

So before people start saying "it can't be the Rugby that's ruining the pitch", er yes actually, it can and it is.

[working class hero]

London Irish will play 8 fixtures during the grass non-growing season (Mid November to end of March) and have so far played seven of them.

That's 640 minutes, or over ten and a half hours of 30, 15 stone men kicking and rolling around on the pitch. None of this damage can be repaired without bringing in expensive lighting rigs, which we can't afford to do.

So before people start saying "it can't be the Rugby that's ruining the pitch", er yes actually, it can and it is.

RFC will play 15 games in the same period.
So 22.5 hours of 22 men kicking and sliding on the pitch.
Is it any wonder the pitch is so poor when LI want to use it?

Is it a coincidence that as the pitch deteriorates this season our results improve?

[Sun Tzu]

That's 640 minutes, or over ten and a half hours of 30, 15 stone men kicking and rolling around on the pitch. None of this damage can be repaired without bringing in expensive lighting rigs, which we can't afford to do.

If we can't afford to then how come these very rigs have been used this winter ?

We've borrowed them in the past from the Millenium Stadium at (I believe) zero cost as they have them but don;t use them much and had nowhere to store them. We offered to find a place to keep them in return for being able to use them. Not sure if the arrangement has been repeated this season.

The debate is all a bit stupid though, of course any use of the pitch will have an effect. If LI did not use the pitch it would get less wear and tear. However the consistent message is that the fairly small number of games played by them is not a big factor in the state of the pitch and as has been said, we seem to have been playing a lot better of late anyway so maybe we should stop chasing this red herring round the barrel.....

[Muskrat]

London Irish will play 8 fixtures during the grass non-growing season (Mid November to end of March) and have so far played seven of them.

That's 640 minutes, or over ten and a half hours of 30, 15 stone men kicking and rolling around on the pitch. None of this damage can be repaired without bringing in expensive lighting rigs, which we can't afford to do.

So before people start saying "it can't be the Rugby that's ruining the pitch", er yes actually, it can and it is.

RFC will play 15 games in the same period.
So 22.5 hours of 22 men kicking and sliding on the pitch.
Is it any wonder the pitch is so poor when LI want to use it?

Is it a coincidence that as the pitch deteriorates this season our results improve?

Right, so instead of playing 15 games on the pitch during the period, we allow 23 - 53% more, and people still think this doesn't affect the pitch? Yes you can reverse the argument, but LI are RFC's tenants, not the other way round
And the improved results are in spite of the pitch, not because of it - at least I'd wager that's how McD would see it...

[working class hero]

LI are RFC's tenants, not the other way round

And without the rent from our tenants we would be even more strapped than at present...

In fact we would probably have to sell again. So the loss of a few divots is well worth it.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

And without the money fro LI RFC would not have s much to spend on the pitch. Trouble is that RFC keep trying to take the short option. Repairs after the event, what is needed is more light and air to the pitch, not a simple solution to that, other than to let more light in, which might involve replacing parts of the roof with transluscent panels instead of the current panels, cost, no idea, but it won't be cheap.

Longer term it might be cheaper than to have to keep replacing the pitch almost every summer.

[Wycombe Royal]

which might involve replacing parts of the roof with transluscent panels instead of the current panels, cost, no idea, but it won't be cheap.

Like Coventry's Ricoh Arena. They have solid roof panels at one end, but at the other end (the southern end of their stadium, they have clear panels to let the sunlight in. Such a simple thing incorporated into the design that the designers of our stadium overlooked.

[West Stand Man]

which might involve replacing parts of the roof with transluscent panels instead of the current panels, cost, no idea, but it won't be cheap.

Like Coventry's Ricoh Arena. They have solid roof panels at one end, but at the other end (the southern end of their stadium, they have clear panels to let the sunlight in. Such a simple thing incorporated into the design that the designers of our stadium overlooked.

Oh how wrong you are.

The original design of the stadium had transparent panels on the roof, bringing it in closer to the pitch. They have never been fitted, for cost reasons I believe. If you look at the front edge of the roof you can see the holes where the next supports were to have joined the existing ones. Result, more light (even clear panels stop some) and a soaking for the front few rows in each stand when it rains.

[Wycombe Royal]

which might involve replacing parts of the roof with transluscent panels instead of the current panels, cost, no idea, but it won't be cheap.

Like Coventry's Ricoh Arena. They have solid roof panels at one end, but at the other end (the southern end of their stadium, they have clear panels to let the sunlight in. Such a simple thing incorporated into the design that the designers of our stadium overlooked.

Oh how wrong you are.

The original design of the stadium had transparent panels on the roof, bringing it in closer to the pitch. They have never been fitted, for cost reasons I believe. If you look at the front edge of the roof you can see the holes where the next supports were to have joined the existing ones. Result, more light (even clear panels stop some) and a soaking for the front few rows in each stand when it rains.

You obviously don't understand what I am talking about then. I'm not talking about extending the roof out a bit further, I'm talking about having a clear roof instead of a solid roof above the south stand and south west corner. You can see it in this image.



So no I am not wrong and you can shove your "know-it-all" comment up your arse.

[Comfortably Numb]

^