Playing surface

[Thomaso]

11 minutes ago, kila said:

The pitch wasn't great yesterday. December conditions aren't helping but it's a lot poorer than other Scottish clubs and it only just got relaid less than 10 months ago!

 

Still not convinced by whatever lot are looking after the pitch. It isn't as bad as a year ago but it's heading towards a similar state... baffling when they have all the tools to make it right.

 

 

Oliver Twist says it's perfect, so what do you know.................

[Jodami]

Hmmm, overreaction by many on the pitch for me. If we press teams and get in behind them like yesterday an imperfect surface we play on every other week can be an advantage. The pitch was really poor last season but the truth is it was just one in of a long list of excuses offered up as a reason for our failures. 

[18grantmc74]

1 hour ago, Thomaso said:

 

 

Oliver Twist says it's perfect, so what do you know.................

You seem to have a lot to say about the pitch. Maybe you should help them the next match day since you know all about it 

[Thomaso]

On ‎18‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 17:19, 18grantmc74 said:

You seem to have a lot to say about the pitch. Maybe you should help them the next match day since you know all about it 

 

Too late for that pitch - it's ****ed!

 

As for me "helping" I know FA about grass - but if you care to check my earlier posts you will see I was passing on the concerns of a Jambo pal of mine who does know about grass - he's a head greenkeeper at a Golf Club.

 

He said we were cutting the grass too short and too often for a relatively new pitch, and we were over watering it.  The result was that the turf would not thicken, nor would the roots go down into the soil to anchor it.

 

He reckoned the pitch would cut up badly and not give a firm footing - was he right??

 

Anyway glad to hear it looks like we are getting a hybrid pitch next season.

[kingantti1874]

I hope to god we will learn to look after it if we invest in a hybrid. The current situation needs looks at given the investment earlier in the year.. It's nearly back to the same condition 

[Thomaso]

2 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

I hope to god we will learn to look after it if we invest in a hybrid. The current situation needs looks at given the investment earlier in the year.. It's nearly back to the same condition 

 

You have to fear that by February it will be!

[johnking123]

It will have a few weeks break coming up. Will let it recover a bit and won't be so many games to play in such a short time.

[Jambof3tornado]

It was a medium term fix.

 

We will go hybrid, over the summer I think.

[Section G The Place To Be]

Considering the small amount of use the pitch is pretty bad. I think the majority of the problems are due to the building works plus the new stand. The height etc will all be making a difference in drainage and light. Of course weather doesn’t help but other teams have to cope with the same conditions. 

 

Rodgers and other Celtic players pathetic excuses about the pitch are nonsense. Both teams played in the same conditions. Players studs/blades make a difference as well. Clutching at straws to try and deflect from the pumping we dished out to them.

[sam?]

if a hybrid as Anne has suggested on the radio last night, is it feasible we could let Edinburgh Rugby play their home games there??

 

Myreside too small and Murrayfield is too big for them.... Id imagine that would be an excellent income revenue, think they play 20 games home per season.

 

[Thomaso]

18 minutes ago, johnking123 said:

It will have a few weeks break coming up. Will let it recover a bit and won't be so many games to play in such a short time.

 

 

Grass doesn't grow at this time of year.

[Thomaso]

17 minutes ago, Jambof3tornado said:

It was a medium term fix.

 

We will go hybrid, over the summer I think.

 

A very expensive medium term fix.   Really no good reason why the new pitch deteriorated so badly and so quickly. 

[Thomaso]

15 minutes ago, Section G The Place To Be said:

Considering the small amount of use the pitch is pretty bad. I think the majority of the problems are due to the building works plus the new stand. The height etc will all be making a difference in drainage and light. Of course weather doesn’t help but other teams have to cope with the same conditions. 

 

Rodgers and other Celtic players pathetic excuses about the pitch are nonsense. Both teams played in the same conditions. Players studs/blades make a difference as well. Clutching at straws to try and deflect from the pumping we dished out to them.

 

The pitch was fully isolated from any building work and Plant. The building work also did not effect the drainage of the pitch.

 

I do agree with you on your final comments - Celtic were looking for any excuse.

[kila]

1 minute ago, Thomaso said:

A very expensive medium term fix.   Really no good reason why the new pitch deteriorated so badly and so quickly. 

 

Apparently it is because the soil underneath is too old, so the turf was likely to go that way anyway in autumn as roots weakened. A full job will replenish the soil much deeper and take more than just a few days to complete, and that's what they'll do when we get the hybrid pitch.

 

Whether the pitch was cut too short and overwatered and if that contributed to making things worse, who knows for sure. Maybe.

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, kila said:

 

Apparently it is because the soil underneath is too old, so the turf was likely to go that way anyway in autumn as roots weakened. A full job will replenish the soil much deeper and take more than just a few days to complete, and that's what they'll do when we get the hybrid pitch.

 

Whether the pitch was cut too short and overwatered and if that contributed to making things worse, who knows for sure. Maybe.

 

 

There was a fair depth of new under soil brought in when they laid the new turf.

 

Anyway we are where we are - I'm just sharing what I was told a few months ago by a guy who does know a thing or to about grass - regretfully his concerns seem to have been justified.

[Section G The Place To Be]

5 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

 

The pitch was fully isolated from any building work and Plant. The building work also did not effect the drainage of the pitch.

 

I do agree with you on your final comments - Celtic were looking for any excuse.

 

 

Understand what you are saying about the pitch being isolated, however with all the new foundations and drilling etc that really are not that far from the pitch there will be some effect. 

 

Hopefully the Hybrid will be laid next year and will make a huge difference. 

[Thomaso]

Just now, Section G The Place To Be said:

 

 

Understand what you are saying about the pitch being isolated, however with all the new foundations and drilling etc that really are not that far from the pitch there will be some effect. 

 

Hopefully the Hybrid will be laid next year and will make a huge difference. 

 

The building works were far enough away to have no effect on the pitch or drainage.  Protection of the pitch was a top priority during the construction.

 

Fingers crossed we do lay a hybrid next season.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

40 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

 

Too late for that pitch - it's ****ed!

 

As for me "helping" I know FA about grass - but if you care to check my earlier posts you will see I was passing on the concerns of a Jambo pal of mine who does know about grass - he's a head greenkeeper at a Golf Club.

 

He said we were cutting the grass too short and too often for a relatively new pitch, and we were over watering it.  The result was that the turf would not thicken, nor would the roots go down into the soil to anchor it.

 

He reckoned the pitch would cut up badly and not give a firm footing - was he right??

 

Anyway glad to hear it looks like we are getting a hybrid pitch next season.

I think we were working to the time scale that the pitch would be ready for the original opening date against Aberdeen and the pitch was being cut short over the summer in readiness for that. However, once that was put back we should have let it grow more in September as growth above ground correlates to similar root growth and better binding.

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

Our pitch is very slippy, but it doesn't for the moment seem uneven. I think they have compacted the ground underneath, so its soft on top, cutting, and then underneath its firm. It bounces and runs well. Its not a quagmire. The job is in hand though and something better to follow this summer, so no real cause for alarm, unless you get absolutely ****ed on it by Hearty Harry

[XB52]

19 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

 

 

Grass doesn't grow at this time of year.

It does under the lamps

[Thomaso]

Just now, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

I think we were working to the time scale that the pitch would be ready for the original opening date against Aberdeen and the pitch was being cut short over the summer in readiness for that. However, once that was put back we should have let it grow more in September as growth above ground correlates to similar root growth and better binding.

 

Don't know where you are getting this, but it is not the case.

 

I was on site most days during August through to October, and the guy was cutting the grass 'to the wood' every day I was there - the grass was never allowed just to grow in September.  As I have said, my green keeping pal said the grass was being cut to often and too short which would prevent "root growth and better binding" as you have noted. 

[Thomaso]

2 minutes ago, XB52 said:

It does under the lamps

 

 

We have no where enough lamps to cover the pitch.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

1 minute ago, Thomaso said:

 

Don't know where you are getting this, but it is not the case.

 

I was on site most days during August through to October, and the guy was cutting the grass 'to the wood' every day I was there - the grass was never allowed just to grow in September.  As I have said, my green keeping pal said the grass was being cut to often and too short which would prevent "root growth and better binding" as you have noted. 

I am agreeing with you that we should have given the pitch a rest from cutting or at least raised the height of the blades around about September once we had an idea when the new completion date for stand would be.

[Thomaso]

4 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

Our pitch is very slippy, but it doesn't for the moment seem uneven. I think they have compacted the ground underneath, so its soft on top, cutting, and then underneath its firm. It bounces and runs well. Its not a quagmire. The job is in hand though and something better to follow this summer, so no real cause for alarm, unless you get absolutely ****ed on it by Hearty Harry

 

The pitch is slippy - caused by a poor root system anchoring the turf, meaning the turf gives way when players try to turn.  Right now the surface is pretty even and does run pretty well, however poor winter conditions could turn it into a "quagmire" as the grass is so sparse.

 

Obviously the Club are aware of all this - hence the urgent requirement for a hybrid version.

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

I am agreeing with you that we should have given the pitch a rest from cutting or at least raised the height of the blades around about September once we had an idea when the new completion date for stand would be.

 

With respect the turf needed to be allowed to thicken and bind together starting in June throughout the close season

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

1 minute ago, Thomaso said:

 

With respect the turf needed to be allowed to thicken and bind together starting in June throughout the close season

No need to have such a close cut in June and most of July so it does sound like a wee bit of mismanagement has taken place regarding the pitch!

[XB52]

11 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

 

 

We have no where enough lamps to cover the pitch.

True, just pointing out the pitch, or the main bad parts, can recover and the grass can grow during the break. I do hope we take the hit and lay a good-quality hybrid pitch this summer though

[kingantti1874]

2 minutes ago, XB52 said:

True, just pointing out the pitch, or the main bad parts, can recover and the grass can grow during the break. I do hope we take the hit and lay a good-quality hybrid pitch this summer though

 

And get some qualified ground staff to look after it. 

[Beast Boy]

We should just make Thomaso a director tbh; Glass, grass, body-language, psychology and football management. There are clearly no ends to the man's talents. He's an expert on absolutely everything.

[kingantti1874]

3 minutes ago, Ryder said:

We should just make Thomaso a director tbh; Glass, grass, body-language, psychology and football management. There are clearly no ends to the man's talents. He's an expert on absolutely everything.

 

Tbf on grass the points Thomaso has raised are on the money.. Nothing that you can't confirm on Google. 

[Beast Boy]

Just now, kingantti1874 said:

 

Tbf on grass the points Thomaso has raised are on the money.. Nothing that you can't confirm on Google. 

 

Seems a shame that our groundsman doesn't have access to Google.

[kingantti1874]

4 minutes ago, Ryder said:

 

Seems a shame that our groundsman doesn't have access to Google.

 

Clearly.. I got turf laid in my back garden and they explained to me that we should limit cutting for the first 6 months to alow the roots to strengthen.. You keep cutting it the energy goes into regrowing the leaf rather than allowing the roots to strengthen and knit. During the summer we should have been cutting it once a week tops.. We should go get the guy from motherwell.. Their pitch is mint

[Beast Boy]

1 minute ago, kingantti1874 said:

 

Clearly.. I got turf laid in my back garden and they explained to me that we should limit cutting for the first 6 months to alow the roots to strengthen.. You keep cutting it the energy goes into regrowing the leaf rather than allowing the roots to strengthen and knit. During the summer we should have been cutting it once a week tops.. We should go get the guy from motherwell.. Their pitch is mint

 

Seems like all we had to do was to give the groundsman Cathro's old lap top, and all of this could have been prevented. Out of interest however, do you have a network of pipes that move hot water around your garden just underneath the topsoil?

[kingantti1874]

Just now, Ryder said:

 

Seems like all we had to do was to give the groundsman Cathro's old lap top, and all of this could have been prevented. Out of interest however, do you have a network of pipes that move hot water around your garden just underneath the topsoil?

 

No. Do you think having pipes means it should be cut more often.. Do Motherwell and Dundee and all the other teams not have the same issue.. 

 

We have the worst pitch in the league despite significant investment.. The common denominator is clear. 

[adayinmay]

Delighted to hear that we lay a hybrid pitch. Have been hoping for that since the beginning of the redevelopment.

 

The obvious way forward. Will save us a fortune in the long term.

[Beast Boy]

6 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

 

No. Do you think having pipes means it should be cut more often.. Do Motherwell and Dundee and all the other teams not have the same issue.. 

 

We have the worst pitch in the league despite significant investment.. The common denominator is clear. 

 

It's not clear though, is it? That's the whole point. We have a professional groundsman who takes care of the thing and Thomaso and yourself are trying to tell me that through a combination of Google and your backyard, you have sussed what is wrong with our turf. I'm sorry, but I have massive doubts about that.

 

However, the fact that the soil underneath the topsoil is old and compacted and there are very visible 'S' and '8' shapes (pipe network) showing on the turf where it is most sparse, tends to suggest to me that the problem is not as simple as you guys have decided it is. Lets also bear in mind things like cranefly larvae, and other invertebrates which can destroy root systems, as I am sure I remember reading we had an issue with a few years back.

[Thomaso]

31 minutes ago, Ryder said:

We should just make Thomaso a director tbh; Glass, grass, body-language, psychology and football management. There are clearly no ends to the man's talents. He's an expert on absolutely everything.

 

Thanks. I am not an expert on sarcasm though...........I bow to your expertise on that one Ryder! 

[Thomaso]

26 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

 

Clearly.. I got turf laid in my back garden and they explained to me that we should limit cutting for the first 6 months to alow the roots to strengthen.. You keep cutting it the energy goes into regrowing the leaf rather than allowing the roots to strengthen and knit. During the summer we should have been cutting it once a week tops.. We should go get the guy from motherwell.. Their pitch is mint

 

Bingo!!!

[Thomaso]

15 minutes ago, Ryder said:

 

It's not clear though, is it? That's the whole point. We have a professional groundsman who takes care of the thing and Thomaso and yourself are trying to tell me that through a combination of Google and your backyard, you have sussed what is wrong with our turf. I'm sorry, but I have massive doubts about that.

 

However, the fact that the soil underneath the topsoil is old and compacted and there are very visible 'S' and '8' shapes (pipe network) showing on the turf where it is most sparse, tends to suggest to me that the problem is not as simple as you guys have decided it is. Lets also bear in mind things like cranefly larvae, and other invertebrates which can destroy root systems, as I am sure I remember reading we had an issue with a few years back.

 

I did not get my information from Google - I got my information from an experienced and qualified Head Greenkeeper - you seem to think you know better of course! 

[Dalstonjambo]

1 minute ago, Thomaso said:

 

I did not get my information from Google - I got my information from an experienced and qualified Head Greenkeeper - you seem to think you know better of course! 

Isn't it more a case of him trusting the staff HMFC have?

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, Dalstonjambo said:

Isn't it more a case of him trusting the staff HMFC have?

 

Nah....I think it's a case of I say "sugar" and Ryder will say "shite"     

[Seymour M Hersh]

1 hour ago, Thomaso said:

 

 

Grass doesn't grow at this time of year.

 

It does under those heat lamp things just not as well as a warm summer sun.

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

It does under those heat lamp things just not as well as a warm summer sun.

 

 

Already responded to that. We have nowhere near enough heat lamps - ONE when I was last at the ground a couple of weeks ago.   They were being used at goalmouth areas, however the pitch is sparse all over.

[Seymour M Hersh]

Just now, Thomaso said:

 

 

Already responded to that. We have nowhere near enough heat lamps - ONE when I was last at the ground a couple of weeks ago.   They were being used at goalmouth areas, however the pitch is sparse all over.

 

I thought we had two. How many do w we need to do a proper job on the grass using the lights?

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

I thought we had two. How many do w we need to do a proper job on the grass using the lights?

 

We may well have two now - they are very expensive to run.

 

There was a photo recently of the Man City pitch where it was covered with these heat lamp frames - must have been at least a couple of dozen.

[Seymour M Hersh]

9 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

 

We may well have two now - they are very expensive to run.

 

There was a photo recently of the Man City pitch where it was covered with these heat lamp frames - must have been at least a couple of dozen.

 

Clearly we need to speak to these folks! 

 

http://sglconcept.com/en/home.html

 

[Bull's-eye]

Pitch was absolutely stunningly prepared for the game on Sunday.

 

Magnificent work by the Groundstaff......Again.

[Thomaso]

4 minutes ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

Clearly we need to speak to these folks! 

 

http://sglconcept.com/en/home.html

 

 

 

So can see from this that you need numerous heat lamp contraptions to be effective.

[Thomaso]

Just now, Oliver Twist said:

Pitch was absolutely stunningly prepared for the game on Sunday.

 

Magnificent work by the Groundstaff......Again.

 

[Jeff]

3 minutes ago, Oliver Twist said:

Pitch was absolutely stunningly prepared for the game on Sunday.

 

Magnificent work by the Groundstaff......Again.

 

It worked superbly in the end.

 

KUDOS TO THE GARDENERS