A new Pitch

[bangormaine]

This is a picture of Rangers pitch in Glasgow on the last day of the season.
It looks nice but about a dozen people assist the groundsman.
A fortune was spent on preparation and undersoil heating.
And upside down industrial sized sunbeds cost the club thousands of pounds in electricity to give the turf some sunshine.
They also do not play Rugby on it.
It seems obvious looking at our away performance versus our home form, we would do better with a quality pitch but how much of our transfer and wages budget can be sacrificed. I fear the answer is none.
Any one of our benefactors fancy having a pitch named after them

[silent majority]

Everybody is still missing the point. We haven't had many problems with the pitch since we moved to the Keepmoat, this winter has been different as it was colder and for longer than anybody anticipated. That meant the covers were thicker, and stayed longer, killing the grass.

The club have already committed to spending approx £42k on the pitch and will be using and storing the FA Desso machine for the foreseeable future. What Rangers pitch has to do with ours is beyond me.

[RoversAlias]

I'm fully behind this summer's plans for improvement but to say we've hardly had a problem with the pitch at the Keepmoat?

This is not the first season where the pitch has deteriorated into a royal mess a few months into the campaign. In fact, I'd say it's happened in each of the last 3-4 seasons, at least.

[The L J Monk]

Everybody is still missing the point.

Don't bring me into it.

[ExileRover]

But there are a lot of pitches that haven't been affected as much as ours has this season. It's been cold all over the country and all teams have had their pitch covered.

[bangormaine]

the point I am trying to make is that when a pitch is starved of natural sunshine it is difficult to recover from the beating it takes from both football and rugby.
The pitch we have now is so badly damaged by the things you mention it may need more than TLC and £42,000 to prepare it for another season.

[silent majority]

the point I am trying to make is that when a pitch is starved of natural sunshine it is difficult to recover from the beating it takes from both football and rugby.
The pitch we have now is so badly damaged by the things you mention it may need more than TLC and £42,000 to prepare it for another season.

Such as??

[silent majority]

But there are a lot of pitches that haven't been affected as much as ours has this season. It's been cold all over the country and all teams have had their pitch covered.

The club invited the FA to come and have a look and offer advice. They said the club had done the best it could. What is everybody searching for?

[ExileRover]

Not saying the club hasn't done everything they can. However, I don't think we can solely blame the weather as that affects everyone

[IDM]

We do what we can within resource limits.  Other clubs have greater resources for pitch maintenance, simples.

And I don't see an issue with the rugby as it has barely been used co-incident with the majority of the football season.

We've been beaten by the weather, the elongated time for pitch coverage. 

Some folks want the moon on a stick!

[mushRTID]

Brentfords pitch was in great condition, or looked it. How did theirs survive the weather so well?

[bedale rover]

Been to a few away grounds bury x2 Coventry and Crewe and all in a poor condition the problem with the KMS pitch is the bounce
But it didn't stop notts county or Carlisle playing well enough on it

[Spud]

It's tropical down there man...

Yes the pitch was in a state but does no-one on here watch the FLS ? We're certainly not alone.

[Drover]

the point I am trying to make is that when a pitch is starved of natural sunshine it is difficult to recover from the beating it takes from both football and rugby.
The pitch we have now is so badly damaged by the things you mention it may need more than TLC and £42,000 to prepare it for another season.

Bangormaine,Looking at that pitch at Rangers I see the perimiter of the pitch is in a poor state right upto the touchlines,only the inplay pitch is actually looking very good.Im no expert and maybe wrong,but that looks like the main playing area has been re-turfed recently? and I don't accept its down to the linesmen and subs running up because its all the area outside the lines that are effected.If it was down to natural sunshine being provide why has'nt it helped the perimeter areas?

[bangormaine]

I do not recall the pitch at Belle Vue looking like the current pitch in nearly fifty years.
It was laid on an ash tip and there was no fancy scientific potions in those days.
Importantly the pitch was not in the shadows.
The winter of 63 leaves our recent cold spell in the shade, Belle Vue survived.
It may be the artificial sunshine stands, used by many Premier and Championship clubs would be a big help.
They are expensive and would need a sponsor of some kind to pay the electricity.

[VivaRovers]

I think you're getting unecessarily defensive here SM.

Bangormaine wasn't having a go, merely showcasing the sort of investment that would need to be made to ensure the Keepmoat was lush green all year... investment that is beyond Rovers.

If (and only if, SM) there was funds available to make some extra-investment towards the pitch, then wouldn't the most practical solution be to alter the West Stand roof to allow some sunlight onto it, thus limiting the amount it had to it. I would imagine that's be more cost effective and giver greater all round benefit than heating lamps or undersoil heating

[Glyn_Wigley]

Brentfords pitch was in great condition, or looked it. How did theirs survive the weather so well?

By not being in Doncaster?

[bangormaine]

Bangormaine,Looking at that pitch at Rangers I see the perimiter of the pitch is in a poor state right upto the touchlines,only the inplay pitch is actually looking very good.Im no expert and maybe wrong,but that looks like the main playing area has been re-turfed recently? and I don't accept its down to the linesmen and subs running up because its all the area outside the lines that are effected.If it was down to natural sunshine being provide why has'nt it helped the perimeter areas?
[/quote]

The six yard box looks like it has had some attention but the pitch is what started the season.
Outside the pitch area it looks like something is stored there as the wear is not continuous.
However my main point is to do with the cost that would be involved at the Keepmoat.
There may be a perfect solution and there may be an acceptable solution. Each one will cost money that we can ill afford.
Is there someone or some company that would like to be associated with the solution.

[ravenrover]

Well lets face it it's been well fed with all the S""T teams that have played on it this season including the blue half of Glasgow
As a point of order SM not everybody has missed the point, in defence of Andy and his team I for one have said previously it was the covering pitch that caused the problem, on this very forum   

[DonnyBazR0ver]

The Womens FA Cup is being played at the Keepmoat later this month.

Take some time to have a look at the pitch and let's resume this thread then.

[Drover]

Bangormaine,Looking at that pitch at Rangers I see the perimiter of the pitch is in a poor state right upto the touchlines,only the inplay pitch is actually looking very good.Im no expert and maybe wrong,but that looks like the main playing area has been re-turfed recently? and I don't accept its down to the linesmen and subs running up because its all the area outside the lines that are effected.If it was down to natural sunshine being provide why has'nt it helped the perimeter areas?

The six yard box looks like it has had some attention but the pitch is what started the season.
Outside the pitch area it looks like something is stored there as the wear is not continuous.
However my main point is to do with the cost that would be involved at the Keepmoat.
There may be a perfect solution and there may be an acceptable solution. Each one will cost money that we can ill afford.
Is there someone or some company that would like to be associated with the solution.
[/quote]


Just realised your point was more,if you have enough money/find a reasonable price cure then you think it can be improved.As many say,its not just us,a combinaton of things makes some pitches worse than others then the other way round during different seasons.Even Ibrox has suffered before.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57511216@N04/7274647698/

[silent majority]

Well lets face it it's been well fed with all the S""T teams that have played on it this season including the blue half of Glasgow
As a point of order SM not everybody has missed the point, in defence of Andy and his team I for one have said previously it was the covering pitch that caused the problem, on this very forum   

When I say everybody I meant those that keep raising the point about how poor the pitch is, I obviously didn't mean everyone on this forum. I was just getting tired of this subject raising it head time and time again. What is the purpose? I do believe that somebody is looking to stick the knife into Andy or someone for not doing a good enough job.

[IDM]

I agree with SM, in that there is too much criticism, or implied criticism, on here of the state of the pitch, where it is fairly clear that a combination of a long cold frosty winter and less resources (compared to other clubs) means that Andy and his team are limited with what they could achieve. 

When we had a game called off for a frozen pitch, there were folks complaining that their garden was soft enough but the football pitch was not - so what?  if the pitch was unfit then it was unfit. Have opinions - fine, express frustrations - fine, but at least trust that the club is doing all they can to provide the best pitch surface they can.

BV had great drainage due to the ash base, with the drainage etc, and the greater exposure to light.

Folks should look back 30 years or so and remember the grassless quagmires that most pitches had turned into through most seasons. 

The club and the groundstaff will be doing all they can, within resources, to provide a better pitch for next season.  We've even had Andy suggesting folks can see the process itself, by organised visits.  How many other clubs would consider that?

[Chris Black come back]

I think you're getting unecessarily defensive here SM.

Bangormaine wasn't having a go, merely showcasing the sort of investment that would need to be made to ensure the Keepmoat was lush green all year... investment that is beyond Rovers.

If (and only if, SM) there was funds available to make some extra-investment towards the pitch, then wouldn't the most practical solution be to alter the West Stand roof to allow some sunlight onto it, thus limiting the amount it had to it. I would imagine that's be more cost effective and giver greater all round benefit than heating lamps or undersoil heating

Would a perspex lid do the trick though? Unless you shorten the roof and allow even more of the rows to get pissed on.

[VivaRovers]

CBCB

I was thinking replacing the necessary portion of existing 'solid' panels that shade the West side of the pitch for equivalent clear ones. I think this is the tactic they used at Old Trafford in the early/mid 90s when they faced similar problems.

I know Andy and his team do a hell of a job. Was just offering a potential long-term solution that might help them out if funds were made available

[ravenrover]

C'mon people, how many winters last from November till end of April?
We can expect bad winters in the future but there are usually decent spells of weather in amongst the bad, and by the way the winter of 63 started on Boxing Day and ended in March so not as bad as this year.

[the vicar]

Today is the Dons last game for quit a while cos of the pitch being done so work should start this week

[Filo]

Today is the Dons last game for quit a while cos of the pitch being done so work should start this week

It looked to me like work had already started on Monday, the pitch looked as if it had been scarified

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Andy has done refurb for the Womens FA Cup and as we saw last Monday the old soil layer has been stripped out. The next day they re-soiled and seeded and covered the pitch with black sheeting to accelerate the germination process.

With good weather, as we are having, and plenty of water it should be ok. Andy tells me after the game though, they are commencing the major refurbishment which will hopefully lead in to us having a lovely pitch come August.

[neil grainger]

Our pitch for the latter part of this season has been an utter disgrace.

It has killed any possibility of playing decent football and I'm sure our players must have dreaded playing on it.
As a spectator I've certainly not enjoyed the football served up on it, and that is no criticism of our players.

Whatever the cause of the problem, I sincerely hope the club and the Groundstaff have a solution to it for next season and beyond.

And I'm surprised that Silent Majority finds it tiresome that the subject keeps coming up - it is quite important.