PITCH

[Malabus]

With Gloucester destroying the former award winning pitch and the with 36/37 games already played up to January 13th then there are no shocks that the fine green grass is now a mixture of soil and sand. Will need to be relaid in places come March but we wouldn't be able to finance it.

#GLOUCESTERCITYOUT

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

You say we won't be able to finance it. Didn't Mr Baker say the rent was being increased to cover the cost of pitch repair? Seemingly not. If we can't afford to maintain and repair the pitch it proves the groundshare is a false economy.

What will it take for the groundshare apologists to change their mind? The last 5-10 home games having to be played at FGR or Swindon because WR is no longer useable? That must be a genuine fear for the club now given the volume of games to come during the next month.

[Reliant Robin]

As mentioned in another thread, we've scored 9 goals and 1 against on that pitch this week.

Maybe the sand and soil mix is giving us the same advantage as an artificial pitch benefits the home sides that have them

[art vandalay]

In theory it should give us an advantage but that doesn't excuse the detrimental effect it has on the quality of games and the continued contempt that the board have for paying customers.

[Hubert Parry]

The pitch was a disgrace. I'd love to see what Winchester could do with a proper pitch.

[confused.com]

Can't imagine that pitch will last a season, especially as winter has yet to come! We should be playing samba football with all that sand!!!

[Reliant Robin]

Two of our outstanding performances this season have come this week.

Maybe some fans don't like the pitch ... but it doesn't seem to bother the players. And I have really enjoyed the way the Team has played in both games this week. I don't feel the pitch had a detrimental effect on the quality of either of those games. It's winter, we don't have undersoil heating, there are plenty of Lower League pitches in a similar condition. I think some people have to find fault with something the Club does. But I thank gawd it's not directed at the players now

[Robin]

I would hardly call today an outstanding performance, for sixty minutes it was largely uneventful and boring! Granted we played well second half but the pitch is an absolute disgrace. I know as a club we want to help Gloucester but the pittance we charge them is simply not worth it and I feel we desperately need to beat Bradford on Tuesday because the £40k on offer will be needed for a new pitch.

[andgarod]

I cannot be bothered going back to see the figures that I suggested would be involved in getting a decent pitch installed

I can remember that the club said there was a massive investment and it turned out to be £25K - 40K
I seem to remember that my figures were £90K to £125K
The company that did the pitches /seed for EURO16 is based less than 100 miles away
Assuming that we can stay above 23rd perhaps we need to do crowd funding for the pitch, with the biggest complainers putting the most in

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

If there is a crowdfund I will pledge three times the amount I pledged for the scoreboard (Ruby Gary), on two conditions. 1) That the 500 Club and CTFC match fund and 2) the Groundshare is not continued beyond this season.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Two of our outstanding performances this season have come this week.

Maybe some fans don't like the pitch ... but it doesn't seem to bother the players. And I have really enjoyed the way the Team has played in both games this week. I don't feel the pitch had a detrimental effect on the quality of either of those games. It's winter, we don't have undersoil heating, there are plenty of Lower League pitches in a similar condition. I think some people have to find fault with something the Club does. But I thank gawd it's not directed at the players now

Are you disagreeing with Gary and saying his views on the pitch are wrong? Last week you were praising him!

[Sprout Picker]

Two of our outstanding performances this season have come this week.

Maybe some fans don't like the pitch ... but it doesn't seem to bother the players. And I have really enjoyed the way the Team has played in both games this week. I don't feel the pitch had a detrimental effect on the quality of either of those games. It's winter, we don't have undersoil heating, there are plenty of Lower League pitches in a similar condition. I think some people have to find fault with something the Club does. But I thank gawd it's not directed at the players now

Yes, I'm sure the players absolutely love playing on a cabbage pitch where it is nigh on impossible to play any sort of one-touch passing without risking the ball flying off for a throw-in. Must be particularly fun if you're the goalkeeper receiving a back-pass.

The lads did well today and there's obviously some ability in the squad, would be nice to see them playing on a decent surface and showing what they are really capable of.

[confused.com]

RR, Gary complained about the pitch today and on Tuesday. Do you think if he thought it was playing any part in the positive side of the performances, he would be complaining about it. But yes you are right, he always finds something to complain about the club

[Jerry St Clair]

You're all soft buggers. This is a properly terrible pitch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9uAH1QLJb4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Malabus]

You're all soft buggers. This is a properly terrible pitch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9uAH1QLJb4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lol [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND TIGHTLY-CLOSED EYES]... remember that.

[vickeryc]

It's true that our pitch has been ruined, but check out Newport's playing 'surface' - it resembles Weston-Super-Mare at low tide! Their game followed ours on Channel 5 tonight and by comparison, Whaddon Road looked like Wembley.

That said, two wrongs don't make a right. Despite our last two results, the bobbly pitch really doesn't encourage a decent footballing side to play the ball on the ground.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

It's true that our pitch has been ruined, but check out Newport's playing 'surface' - it resembles Weston-Super-Mare at low tide! Their game followed ours on Channel 5 tonight and by comparison, Whaddon Road looked like Wembley.

That said, two wrongs don't make a right. Despite our last two results, the bobbly pitch really doesn't encourage a decent footballing side to play the ball on the ground.

Newport share with two rugby clubs, and have too many games postponed.

[vickeryc]

It's true that our pitch has been ruined, but check out Newport's playing 'surface' - it resembles Weston-Super-Mare at low tide! Their game followed ours on Channel 5 tonight and by comparison, Whaddon Road looked like Wembley.

That said, two wrongs don't make a right. Despite our last two results, the bobbly pitch really doesn't encourage a decent footballing side to play the ball on the ground.

Newport share with two rugby clubs, and have too many games postponed.

That's right - surely an untenable situation.

[confused.com]

And nothing will destroy an already suspect pitch with scrums up and down the pitch

[Alf]

As mentioned in another thread, we've scored 9 goals and 1 against on that pitch this week.

Maybe the sand and soil mix is giving us the same advantage as an artificial pitch benefits the home sides that have them

Put a layer of ice on the pitch, that should give us a real advantage!

[horlickfanclub]

The pitch was cutting up in August in tufts. The groundshare does not help but the grass didn't bind at all so its not surprising in comes up in clumps now.

[everyman]

As mentioned in another thread, we've scored 9 goals and 1 against on that pitch this week.

Maybe the sand and soil mix is giving us the same advantage as an artificial pitch benefits the home sides that have them

Put a layer of ice on the pitch, that should give us a real advantage!

Daniel O`Shaughnessy would be very happy to play on ice ?

[everyman]

The pitch was cutting up in August in tufts. The groundshare does not help but the grass didn't bind at all so its not surprising in comes up in clumps now.

NEWPORT County AFC are awaiting the results of a report into the drainage problems with the playing surface at Rodney Parade.

According to BBC Wales Sport, the English Football League (EFL) has stepped in to help the club because of ongoing issues with waterlogging.

It is understood that a specialist company was sent by the EFL to inspect the pitch last week.
Could we seek similar help from EFL. ?

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

It won't be long until the FL have to take action with our pitch too.

[asl]

Newport share with two rugby clubs

Their bar takings must make it all worthwhile?

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Newport share with two rugby clubs

Their bar takings must make it all worthwhile?

Totally. Make much more money being a non-league side selling beer to rugby fans than you do being a league side with your own pitch.

[Reliant Robin]

The pitch is what it is and is unlikely to improve this season and therefore we have to adapt to it. It's had a hell of a lot of rain on it this week and it was even being watered before midday on match day v Accrington, so hardly surprising it was soft. Not quite sure why it needed watering???

We've scored 9 goals on it this week, so I'm not unhappy about the way our Team has adapted to it. I just don't see the point of people going on and on about it and moaning about the ground share all the time. It's the negativity that gets to a lot of people and is one of the chief criticisms many of our fans say about this Forum.

[confused.com]

Mods, please add this to the list of topics we are not allowed to discuss

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

The pitch is what it is and is unlikely to improve this season and therefore we have to adapt to it. It's had a hell of a lot of rain on it this week and it was even being watered before midday on match day v Accrington, so hardly surprising it was soft. Not quite sure why it needed watering???

We've scored 9 goals on it this week, so I'm not unhappy about the way our Team has adapted to it. I just don't see the point of people going on and on about it and moaning about the ground share all the time. It's the negativity that gets to a lot of people and is one of the chief criticisms many of our fans say about this Forum.

Gary Johnson and the players are always "moaning" about the pitch. Just please answer one question: would you be happy for the groundshare to continue next season, yes or no?

[Reliant Robin]

Put it this way RCS, if we were to go for an artificial pitch (which might be the way forward for lower Leagues now the technology is improving to an acceptable level), then the money GCFC pay into CTFC would be very welcome indeed.

I really don't think GCFC have been the problem with the pitch this season, the ground seems to be very loose about 4 inches below the surface, as though the roots of the grass have not bedded down far enough. That could be as a result of water draining out too quickly below the first 4-6 inches, and so when it does receive water, it sits on the surface, and the roots will head up instead of down. I don't know how the playing surface has been prepared, but it might have been laid on a thick layer of sand and that may have discouraged deep root growth, hence the very loose effect it has on the surface grass.

A few short years ago, our reserve team always played at Whaddon Road - and season ticket holders were able to get in for free - so in times gone by the pitch had to put up with two games per week. And no one moaned then.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Put it this way RCS, if we were to go for an artificial pitch (which might be the way forward for lower Leagues now the technology is improving to an acceptable level), then the money GCFC pay into CTFC would be very welcome indeed.

I really don't think GCFC have been the problem with the pitch this season, the ground seems to be very loose about 4 inches below the surface, as though the roots of the grass have not bedded down far enough. That could be as a result of water draining out too quickly below the first 4-6 inches, and so when it does receive water, it sits on the surface, and the roots will head up instead of down. I don't know how the playing surface has been prepared, but it might have been laid on a thick layer of sand and that may have discouraged deep root growth, hence the very loose effect it has on the surface grass.

A few short years ago, our reserve team always played at Whaddon Road - and season ticket holders were able to get in for free - so in times gone by the pitch had to put up with two games per week. And no one moaned then.

Is that a yes or a no?

[confused.com]

LMAO RCS, there was me thinking I had missed the answer somewhere

[Reliant Robin]

I will let the Chairman make that decision, RCS. It's nothing to do with me. I will wholeheartedly support whatever Paul Baker decides.

[Reliant Robin]

LMAO RCS, there was me thinking I had missed the answer somewhere

Like you missed the complete bias from Gabriel in his summary of the Accrington 'Neutral Thought On The Stanley Game" confused.com, in which you described his report as "a pretty fair assessment" LMFAO

[Reliant Robin]

LMAO RCS, there was me thinking I had missed the answer somewhere

Like you missed the complete bias from Gabriel in his summary of the Accrington 'Neutral Thoughts On The Stanley Game" confused.com, in which you described his report as "a pretty fair assessment" LMFAO