Synthetic Pitch - is it time?

[Guest ScottMann]

I watched the English Championship, L1&2 highlights and there were loads of dubious looking pitches including a couple in the Championship. The best looking ones were the big clubs ones and/or those further south. We shouldn't be singled out for criticism.

[Hendo]

I wonder how feasible, as a longer term solution, it would be to have growing lamps, solar panels and a Tesla Powerpack-type setup? Probably prohibitively expensive in terms of setup.

 

[Cagey]

I wonder how feasible, as a longer term solution, it would be to have growing lamps, solar panels and a Tesla Powerpack-type setup? Probably prohibitively expensive in terms of setup.

 

you would think solar panels on Ormond would power heat lamps & leave enough to sell to grid.

Tommy more or less said no plastic pitch whilst he is here.

[Hendo]

you would think solar panels on Ormond would power heat lamps & leave enough to sell to grid.

Tommy more or less said no plastic pitch whilst he is here.

Aye, well you wonder if perhaps we couldn't get SSE to cover some of the cost and call it a technology demonstrator? 

Probably pie in the sky, but if you don't ask etc.

[andy rhodes fancy watch]

Anybody with hydroponics experience knows it'll take  serious pounds to get a football pitch growing.

[fazman1977]

Anybody with hydroponics experience knows it'll take  serious pounds to get a football pitch growing.

this made me chuckle.

[Aitchy]

After watching that game last night, I am convinced more than ever that we have to go down the artificial surface route. Regardless of how pish we are at the moment, you cant tell me the players enjoying playing on that pitch at the moment?

Interesting to read Jim McIntyre saying that his players were looking forward to playing at Rugby Park on Tuesday as the players were looking forward to getting the chance to play on a pitch that was not in a terrible condition.

[Edstar101]

I was on the pitch at Rugby Park on Sunday. It's feckin brick hard - would not fancy landing awkwardly after challenging for a header on it that's for sure

[Cagey]

After watching that game last night, I am convinced more than ever that we have to go down the artificial surface route. Regardless of how pish we are at the moment, you cant tell me the players enjoying playing on that pitch at the moment?

Interesting to read Jim McIntyre saying that his players were looking forward to playing at Rugby Park on Tuesday as the players were looking forward to getting the chance to play on a pitch that was not in a terrible condition.

Thistle played some good football on it in the first half last night.

[saint sid]

I wonder how feasible, as a longer term solution, it would be to have growing lamps, solar panels and a Tesla Powerpack-type setup? Probably prohibitively expensive in terms of setup.

LED lamps would be the cheapest to run option, they work very well for growing things.

[Jamie_Beatson]

I was on the pitch at Rugby Park on Sunday. It's feckin brick hard - would not fancy landing awkwardly after challenging for a header on it that's for sure

Is that not just a temperature thing though? Grass parks will be rock hard too when it's freezing?

I'd not be against the artificial route if the alternative is playing more than half our games every year on a pitch like we currently have.

[Guest ScottMann]

Perhaps the real question should be...Is it time to do away with undersoil heating as the sole means of making pitches playable given the damage it apparently does to the grass?

It obviously works in softening the ground up but is the cost to pitches too high? There are alternatives although admittedly not so effective. Still, is it not better to have a couple of games postponed, which happens anyway and not just because of the condition of the pitch these days, and have a better playing surface for most of the season than play them and pay the consequences?

[Saint Scott]

Grass. Every time.
I've played on good plastic pitches, and even they are no match for a shitty (say Hampden or Fir Park) pitch.

 

[RandomGuy]

Scobbie played a simple five yard pass to Swanson which bobbled constantly and ended up bouncing over Swansons foot. While the second goal took a huge bobble just before it reaches Mannus, who otherwise saves it.

Our pitch is a complete joke at the moment and the Partick manager commenting how he overheard Saints players saying they were happier to play at Firhill. 

Folk have this out-dated idea grass pitches are somehow perfect, despite the fact it costs us a fortune to try and save every Summer and by December every season its a complete tattie field. Its only a matter of time before we go synthetic.

[Center Half]

Scobbie played a simple five yard pass to Swanson which bobbled constantly and ended up bouncing over Swansons foot. While the second goal took a huge bobble just before it reaches Mannus, who otherwise saves it.

Our pitch is a complete joke at the moment and the Partick manager commenting how he overheard Saints players saying they were happier to play at Firhill. 

Folk have this out-dated idea grass pitches are somehow perfect, despite the fact it costs us a fortune to try and save every Summer and by December every season its a complete tattie field. Its only a matter of time before we go synthetic.

If the players worried less about the pitch and concentrated more on the pass then they may get on better, Also if Mannus is blaming the pitch for the second goal then it is time for him to take a back seat no doubt he will say it is the cause of his poor kicking and distribution also then, perhaps if he dived with his arms streached out to make his body as long as possible like most goalkeepers do especially to his left then a few shots that have sailed past him on that side may have been prevented, Also can I confidently Quote you on our players the pitch and the Thistle manager?  

Edited March 4, 2016 by Center Half

[rik2304]

The pitch didn't seem to bother the Partick Thistle players very much.

[andy rhodes fancy watch]

They've played shite on both this season. A few of them are shite at 6 yard passes on any surface. Back to basics is needed.

[HOODLUM65]

Looking at the Ross County pitch on Sportscene, it's even worse than the McD pitch.

[tucker]

time to start from scratch in the summer sort the drainage issues then relay the pitch

[Cagey]

time to start from scratch in the summer sort the drainage issues then relay the pitch

Think we have already tried that a few times.

[MySpazz]

Would rather a plastic pitch then summer football.

[croc]

The Pitch is Shite.! ten punters with Tridents will never make one divot of improvement at half time even when  poncing about wearing a Hibs Kit.! Remember it was not to long ago that good money was laid out to re-seed the playing surface.!

[Cagey]

Couldn't believe  they were watering the pitch . Surely a hard surface of better than a bog. 

[tucker]

pitch never cut up as.much will improve every week now weather is starting to get better

[Havana Saint]

Our pitch has been akin take to a tattle field for a few years, but I would argue this is a fairly recent problem. If you think back to the90's our pitch was top notch and Scottish weather has by and large been the same for decades. I would suggest the groundsman then was very good indeed.

if you even look at Firhill today, in spite of it not being great, both teams can certainly play the ball on the deck. For our players that is a lottery playing at home, hence a lot of punts up the park.