The pitch

[Monts]

Looks terrible, but I assume the groundsman was on explaining it. I missed what he was saying. What was he saying?

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Its awful, deteriorated alarmingly since last game.

[Jones28]

It’s January. Grass doesn’t grow in January. I imagine.

[weecounty hibby]

Groundsman was saying that due to the covid situation they couldn't do the usual renovations in the pitch in the summer. It does look as bad as I can ever remember

[Lago]

QUOTE=Jones28;6422498]It’s January. Grass doesn’t grow in January. I imagine.[/QUOTE]
Yes but that is horrendous. Not a good look for a top class football club.

[Glory Lurker]

It'll be like the 1970s if we have to play on that in the rain.

[marinello59]

It'll be like the 1970s if we have to play on that in the rain.

I watched a Polish mid season friendly this morning being played in a blizzard. Swept lines and an orange ball, fair took me back. :greengrin

[Ozyhibby]

Pitch is a disgrace. Given our home form, it’s likely costing us points. Shambles.


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[Glory Lurker]

I watched a Polish mid season friendly this morning being played in a blizzard. Swept lines and an orange ball, fair took me back. :greengrin

Proper fitba!

[Jones28]

QUOTE=Jones28;6422498]It’s January. Grass doesn’t grow in January. I imagine.
Yes but that is horrendous. Not a good look for a top class football club.[/QUOTE]

What are they supposed to do?

[gbhibby]

Could always go for an artificial surface. 😁😁😁

[tonyrougier123]

Football should be banned in the winter!! Dearly me😏.
Modern football isn’t cut out for a cut up park.

[Keith_M]

We criticise other club's pitches, especially the artificial ones, but I haven't seen any as bad as that.

Maybe a contributing factor to our poor home record.

[Andy74]

We criticise other club's pitches, especially the artificial ones, but I haven't seen any as bad as that.

Maybe a contributing factor to our poor home record.

Very much so. We try to have footballers at the club which forever has meant we play very badly on poor pitches.

[Chorley Hibee]

If that was any other pitch we'd all be calling it a disgrace.

It's embarrassing for a club at our level, and can't be conducive to any sort of good football.

[Callum_62]

If that was any other pitch we'd all be calling it a disgrace.

It's embarrassing for a club at our level, and can't be conducive to any sort of good football.I guess we need to compare it to the rest of Scottish top flight pitches

Weather has been pretty rank the last 3 weeks

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[calumhibee1]

Yes but that is horrendous. Not a good look for a top class football club.

What are they supposed to do?[/QUOTE]

Do we not have, or at least have access to they lamp things?

I’m fairly certain they’ve been out on our pitch before.

[Stevie Reid]

Pitch was our biggest opponent when we looked half decent earlier in that first half.

Really poor surface.

[hibbysam]

Said it before, lends itself to teams who just want to battle and kick and play for territory. So many decent footballers in our team but the ball bobbling all over the place results
In extra touches and more chance of the opposition getting behind the ball. Means games end up just shelling the ball back and forth hoping for second balls.

[Callum_62]

To be fair, both Perth and Dingwalls pitches look far bettwr

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[Jones28]

What are they supposed to do?

Do we not have, or at least have access to they lamp things?

I’m fairly certain they’ve been out on our pitch before.[/QUOTE]

We’ve got a couple for the goalmouths.

[Jones28]

To be fair, both Perth and Dingwalls pitches look far bettwr

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They have smaller stands and less shadow cast on the pitch. There will be areas of our pitch that don’t see sunlight for weeks.

[Keith_M]

I made this suggestion on another thread but this one suits it better.


I've picked Cabbages in fields that looked better than that..... so I think we should rename our pitch 'The Cabbage Patch'.

[dp00]

Why would Covid stop them doing work on the pitch ? Surely that would have been the exact time to do it ?


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[Stanton Spence]

The pitch is a bit of a shocker to be honest. It's easy to say that the grass doesn't grow in January. Then what are all these fancy lighting rigs you see over most pitches at this time off year? I can understand the pitch being threadbare if the technology wasn't available but it is

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[Andy74]

The pitch is a bit of a shocker to be honest. It's easy to say that the grass doesn't grow in January. Then what are all these fancy lighting rigs you see over most pitches at this time off year? I can understand the pitch being threadbare if the technology wasn't available but it is

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You don't see them at most pitches at our level - they are expensive.

I'm not sure it is just growth. Didn't catch all of what the groundsman said but looks like we missed carrying out some work that would have been required in the summer.

[Iggy Pope]

Looks to me like the pitch has suffered due to the lack of cash coming in. It won’t maintain itself and the maintenance contractor will cost money. It’s very poor and it’s been a very long time since it was in nick like this. . Round about the time Deek and Petrie had a wee fall out about it.
Needs sorting though.

[GreenCastle]

Was our ground staff on furlough? Not sure how many we have but sure I heard that a while back but was last year.

I think it’s a bit of everything...bad weather..few games quite close together and basically we need to get a better hybrid pitch with lights but comes at a cost - think I’ve seen Hibs with just x2 lights before but not enough to cover more of the pitch.

[Stonewall]

Groundsman was saying that due to the covid situation they couldn't do the usual renovations in the pitch in the summer. It does look as bad as I can ever remember

Well I’m sure Clacmannann CCCCs pitch was well maintained, Linlithgow certainly was. Green keepers/ Groundsmen were allowed to work. Maybe because Hibs use contractors?

[Vault Boy]

It's usually one of the better surfaces in Scotland, which makes the current state seem rather stark. Hopefully we can get it in a better place soon enough, but that sounds like a tough ask.

Fair play to the groundsman for talking about it before the game. I like that kind of transparency from the club.

[Jones28]

Well I’m sure Clacmannann CCCCs pitch was well maintained, Linlithgow certainly was. Green keepers/ Groundsmen were allowed to work. Maybe because Hibs use contractors?

These places don’t have massive stands blocking the light getting to the pitch.

[weecounty hibby]

Well I’m sure Clacmannann CCCCs pitch was well maintained, Linlithgow certainly was. Green keepers/ Groundsmen were allowed to work. Maybe because Hibs use contractors?

Nae idea about the use of contractors at ER. But aye, The Arns was looking fabulous this year as we're the local golf clubs. Probably due to the fact no one was playing on them

[Peevemor]

These places don’t have massive stands blocking the light getting to the pitch.Light and air circulation make a huge difference.

[cabbageandribs1875]

watching the Glasgow v Edinburgh rugby just now, whatever that surface is GET IT :agree: it looks great

[lord bunberry]

Well I’m sure Clacmannann CCCCs pitch was well maintained, Linlithgow certainly was. Green keepers/ Groundsmen were allowed to work. Maybe because Hibs use contractors?
The staff required to relay the pitch in the summer weren’t available. The teams you mentioned won’t have played anywhere near as many games on their pitch as hibs have.

[NAE NOOKIE]

We are back to the mantra being preached when Leeann Dempster first came to the club, but which seems to be backslid on at times.

That was, if you take care of the little things as carefully as the big obvious things all of these small fractions end up making a difference. As others have pointed out, this club for the most part signs footballers, it's no accident we go for folk like Allan, Murphy and Newell. We spend 5 million quid on somewhere for them to train and no doubt spend a fortune every year running the place.

What's the point of all that when you then provide them with a ploughed field to play on that immediately turns every game into a physical long ball battle where their superior ability is taken out of the equation? It's too late for this season, but before the next one our seemingly never ending pitch issues really need to be addressed, either that or we save a pile of money and just sign a whole load of journeymen bruisers more suited to football on a quagmire.

[Chorley Hibee]

We are back to the mantra being preached when Leeann Dempster first came to the club, but which seems to be backslid on at times.

That was, if you take care of the little things as carefully as the big obvious things all of these small fractions end up making a difference. As others have pointed out, this club for the most part signs footballers, it's no accident we go for folk like Allan, Murphy and Newell. We spend 5 million quid on somewhere for them to train and no doubt spend a fortune every year running the place.

What's the point of all that when you then provide them with a ploughed field to play on that immediately turns every game into a physical long ball battle where their superior ability is taken out of the equation? It's too late for this season, but before the next one our seemingly never ending pitch issues really need to be addressed, either that or we save a pile of money and just sign a whole load of journeymen bruisers more suited to football on a quagmire.

Absolutely agree, we're our own worst enemy at times.

[bigwheel]

Don’t people think it’s the weather of late ?? We’ve had snow, ice and rain dominant for the last 2-3 weeks - this last week it’s been murder - brutally cold and overnight we had torrential rain in edinburgh. The pitch looked horrible, but it’s not really surprising I don’t think ..

Let’s see what it looks like in the next month ..

[Jones28]

We are back to the mantra being preached when Leeann Dempster first came to the club, but which seems to be backslid on at times.

That was, if you take care of the little things as carefully as the big obvious things all of these small fractions end up making a difference. As others have pointed out, this club for the most part signs footballers, it's no accident we go for folk like Allan, Murphy and Newell. We spend 5 million quid on somewhere for them to train and no doubt spend a fortune every year running the place.

What's the point of all that when you then provide them with a ploughed field to play on that immediately turns every game into a physical long ball battle where their superior ability is taken out of the equation? It's too late for this season, but before the next one our seemingly never ending pitch issues really need to be addressed, either that or we save a pile of money and just sign a whole load of journeymen bruisers more suited to football on a quagmire.

The thread is full of reasons as to why the pitch in the state it is.

- essential work wasn’t done in the summer due to the furlough. For as long as I can remember Hibs have ripped up and re-seeded the whole pitch in the summer.

- the atrocious weather we have had over the last week or so.

- this time of year we don’t get light to the pitch due to the height of the stands and we don’t have the massive lighting rigs they have down south that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This isn’t penny pinching or mismanagement, it is purely down to circumstances out with the clubs control.

[lord bunberry]

We are back to the mantra being preached when Leeann Dempster first came to the club, but which seems to be backslid on at times.

That was, if you take care of the little things as carefully as the big obvious things all of these small fractions end up making a difference. As others have pointed out, this club for the most part signs footballers, it's no accident we go for folk like Allan, Murphy and Newell. We spend 5 million quid on somewhere for them to train and no doubt spend a fortune every year running the place.

What's the point of all that when you then provide them with a ploughed field to play on that immediately turns every game into a physical long ball battle where their superior ability is taken out of the equation? It's too late for this season, but before the next one our seemingly never ending pitch issues really need to be addressed, either that or we save a pile of money and just sign a whole load of journeymen bruisers more suited to football on a quagmire.
That’s a pretty poor and uniformed opinion given that the groundsman came on hibs tv before the game to explain exactly why the pitch was the way it was.

[Chorley Hibee]

The thread is full of reasons as to why the pitch in the state it is.

- essential work wasn’t done in the summer due to the furlough. For as long as I can remember Hibs have ripped up and re-seeded the whole pitch in the summer.

- the atrocious weather we have had over the last week or so.

- this time of year we don’t get light to the pitch due to the height of the stands and we don’t have the massive lighting rigs they have down south that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This isn’t penny pinching or mismanagement, it is purely down to circumstances out with the clubs control.

Whilst today is by far the worst I've seen it, I don't think our pitch has been of a particularly good standard for at least a few years. I've remarked upon it to others for the last couple of seasons prior to this.

[bigwheel]

That’s a pretty poor and uniformed opinion given that the groundsman came on hibs tv before the game to explain exactly why the pitch was the way it was.

What were the headlines ??

[Jones28]

Whilst today is by far the worst I've seen it, I don't think our pitch has been of a particularly good standard for at least a few years. I've remarked upon it to others for the last couple of years.

I’ve said this on the thread before: grass doesn’t grow in January. It’s very difficult to make something that takes the punishment of a football pitch look pretty when it doesn’t regrow.

[lord bunberry]

What were the headlines ??
They weren’t able to relay the pitch in the summer due to covid

[Pretty Boy]

Is our pitch maintenance contracted out or do we employ a couple of people to look after it full time?

I'd be curious to know what the difference in cost would be for each option and which provides better results. What do other clubs in Scotland do?

[bigwheel]

They weren’t able to relay the pitch in the summer due to covid

Cheers [emoji106]


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[Kaff]

I always think Easter Road seems to be particularly affected when undersoil heating is needed, it harms all pitches but I think we seem to just have a bigger deterioration than others?
It's maybe perception just with watching more games on it?

[Jones28]

I always think Easter Road seems to be particularly affected when undersoil heating is needed, it harms all pitches but I think we seem to just have a bigger deterioration than others?
It's maybe perception just with watching more games on it?

It means the pitch continually has moisture in the soil because it’s preventing the water from freezing: more water means the pitch cuts up more.

I’m only guessing now but I’d imagine the cooler temperatures hinder the drainage too, freezing up and preventing water from draining off.

[Billy Whizz]

It means the pitch continually has moisture in the soil because it’s preventing the water from freezing: more water means the pitch cuts up more.

I’m only guessing now but I’d imagine the cooler temperatures hinder the drainage too, freezing up and preventing water from draining off.

Be interesting to see the other pitches on Sportscene tonight

[Helensburghhibs]

Yes but that is horrendous. Not a good look for a top class football club.

What are they supposed to do?[/QUOTE]

Invest in a hybrid pitch. If we want to play good football could be as good an investment as any player

[hibsbollah]

It’s gone downhill since Tam McCourt stopped doing it. That man had horticultural magic running through his veins.

[NAE NOOKIE]

The thread is full of reasons as to why the pitch in the state it is.

- essential work wasn’t done in the summer due to the furlough. For as long as I can remember Hibs have ripped up and re-seeded the whole pitch in the summer.

- the atrocious weather we have had over the last week or so.

- this time of year we don’t get light to the pitch due to the height of the stands and we don’t have the massive lighting rigs they have down south that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This isn’t penny pinching or mismanagement, it is purely down to circumstances out with the clubs control.

I'm not denying the costs mate, I just think with proper ground staff in place we could have done better and if it's a fact that furlough affected us because we use a contractor perhaps that's one of the issues we need to address.

Of course once again we are back to the merits of summer football, there's a muckle big light in the sky that's brilliant for growing pitches from April to September.

[1875Sean]

watching the Glasgow v Edinburgh rugby just now, whatever that surface is GET IT :agree: it looks great

Sure it’s Astroturf

[SChibs]

What are they supposed to do?

Invest in a hybrid pitch. If we want to play good football could be as good an investment as any player[/QUOTE]

I cant see us paying for a hybrid pitch when we are making budget cuts all over the club due to covid.

[Brooster]

I think the sand made it look worse than it actually was. The ball seemed to travel along the surface ok.

[hibbysam]

The thread is full of reasons as to why the pitch in the state it is.

- essential work wasn’t done in the summer due to the furlough. For as long as I can remember Hibs have ripped up and re-seeded the whole pitch in the summer.

- the atrocious weather we have had over the last week or so.

- this time of year we don’t get light to the pitch due to the height of the stands and we don’t have the massive lighting rigs they have down south that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This isn’t penny pinching or mismanagement, it is purely down to circumstances out with the clubs control.

Why would we furlough ground staff when we knew we would need the pitch for the new season?

The pitch has been awful most of the season, it’s not just the last week. And every year is the same around now, we shouldn’t just accept that.

I’d question if it really cost ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ for the lights, however, we shouldn’t just neglect the pitch because of costs. One place in the league is hundreds of thousands of pounds and we are making it hard for ourselves. We want entertainment, we want fast free flowing attacking football, we want our undoubtedly better footballers to be able to play football, not worry about the next bobble or slip.

I’d be extremely surprised if it isn’t something Ron is looking at, it’s a huge part of the way we play and as such should be given the money required to keep it in shape all year round.

[marinello59]

I think the sand made it look worse than it actually was. The ball seemed to travel along the surface ok.

I was thinking the same. I was expecting to see the ball bobbling about all over the place. It wasn’t that bad.

[dp00]

It looks terrible on sportscene , there will be junior grounds in better condition


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[Scooter]

I guess these UV lights that man city etc use are expensive

[Jones28]

What are they supposed to do?

Invest in a hybrid pitch. If we want to play good football could be as good an investment as any player[/QUOTE]

A hybrid pitch is only worth the money if we can afford to maintain it. They cost millions to lay and still require upkeep the same way a grass pitch does.

[MrRobot]

Pitch was utterly brutal.

[lucky]

We are back to the mantra being preached when Leeann Dempster first came to the club, but which seems to be backslid on at times.

That was, if you take care of the little things as carefully as the big obvious things all of these small fractions end up making a difference. As others have pointed out, this club for the most part signs footballers, it's no accident we go for folk like Allan, Murphy and Newell. We spend 5 million quid on somewhere for them to train and no doubt spend a fortune every year running the place.

What's the point of all that when you then provide them with a ploughed field to play on that immediately turns every game into a physical long ball battle where their superior ability is taken out of the equation? It's too late for this season, but before the next one our seemingly never ending pitch issues really need to be addressed, either that or we save a pile of money and just sign a whole load of journeymen bruisers more suited to football on a quagmire.

Hard to argue with any off this. The pitch is an embarrassment

[Robbo6-2]

I'd much rather we spent money on a pitch than a giant screen anyway

[Golden Bear]

Its Scotland, its winter, the weather has been really crap, grass doesn't grow with the temperatures we've been having, its difficult to fight against mother nature, the pitch is what it is so we roll up our sleeves and get on with it.

Apologies for all the commas.

[Greenbeard]

I think the sand made it look worse than it actually was. The ball seemed to travel along the surface ok.
Exactly. Can anyone point out a passage in play where the pitch had a significant detrimental effect. Looked bad but seemed to play ok and apart from Irvine slip early doors, no-one seemed to be constantly losing their footing.

[Jones28]

Why would we furlough ground staff when we knew we would need the pitch for the new season?

The pitch has been awful most of the season, it’s not just the last week. And every year is the same around now, we shouldn’t just accept that.

I’d question if it really cost ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ for the lights, however, we shouldn’t just neglect the pitch because of costs. One place in the league is hundreds of thousands of pounds and we are making it hard for ourselves. We want entertainment, we want fast free flowing attacking football, we want our undoubtedly better footballers to be able to play football, not worry about the next bobble or slip.

I’d be extremely surprised if it isn’t something Ron is looking at, it’s a huge part of the way we play and as such should be given the money required to keep it in shape all year round.

You’re asking the wrong person.

I’d like to think it’s something that will be invested in, I just wouldn’t want to be the person that had to tell supporters that we couldn’t bring in players because we spent it on lights for the pitch. Plus we would need a huge space to store them in or around the stadium.

[hibbysam]

You’re asking the wrong person.

I’d like to think it’s something that will be invested in, I just wouldn’t want to be the person that had to tell supporters that we couldn’t bring in players because we spent it on lights for the pitch. Plus we would need a huge space to store them in or around the stadium.

I’d rather a consistently good pitch would be at the top of our infrastructure list rather than screens, indoor pitches and the like. No reason for it to impact playing budgets but even if it did have a slight impact, I’d rather that than bring in even more quality footballers that are unable to showcase skills due to the mud bath they’re playing on.

[Jones28]

I’d rather a consistently good pitch would be at the top of our infrastructure list rather than screens, indoor pitches and the like. No reason for it to impact playing budgets but even if it did have a slight impact, I’d rather that than bring in even more quality footballers that are unable to showcase skills due to the mud bath they’re playing on.

I really don’t think the quality of the pitch is going to impact player signings like this. Players will sign for the club on a salary they are happy with and with playing targets they are happy with.

Why wouldn’t playing budget be impacted if we have to spend half a million quid on lights for the pitch, or invest over a million in a hybrid pitch that still has to be maintained like a regular pitch.

The bottom line is that grass doesn’t grow in the winter, it really is that simple, and a hybrid pitch won’t solve that unless we have big pitch lamps to make the stuff grow.

[NAE NOOKIE]

That’s a pretty poor and uniformed opinion given that the groundsman came on hibs tv before the game to explain exactly why the pitch was the way it was.

I don't recall going into why the pitch is the way it is, so I'm not sure why I've expressed an uninformed opinion. Explaining it is fine and I'm sure the explanation is perfectly valid ... the question is what do we do about it and if that involves a million quid pitch and heat lamps, how do we go about making it happen.

[The Harp Awakes]

Looked like a ploughed field.

[hibbysam]

I really don’t think the quality of the pitch is going to impact player signings like this. Players will sign for the club on a salary they are happy with and with playing targets they are happy with.

Why wouldn’t playing budget be impacted if we have to spend half a million quid on lights for the pitch, or invest over a million in a hybrid pitch that still has to be maintained like a regular pitch.

The bottom line is that grass doesn’t grow in the winter, it really is that simple, and a hybrid pitch won’t solve that unless we have big pitch lamps to make the stuff grow.

Because it would be instead of other infrastructure projects rather than instead of players.

[GreenCastle]

Remember the yams pitch being awful - like really bad during a few derbies and games.

This seem very compact but just not much grass.

About 12 days till next game against Rangers to improve.

Not sure rest of fixtures but not sure we will have a gap.

How’s put nearly all staff on furlough last year - think only Leanne and maybe couple others weren’t put on furlough.

[hibbysam]

Remember the yams pitch being awful - like really bad during a few derbies and games.

This seem very compact but just not much grass.

About 12 days till next game against Rangers to improve.

Not sure rest of fixtures but not sure we will have a gap.

How’s put nearly all staff on furlough last year - think only Leanne and maybe couple others weren’t put on furlough.

It’s just been 2 weeks since our last home game and no difference. I doubt the weather will improve that much, and we don’t have the equipment to improve it just now. It’ll be as bad in 2 weeks as it was today, we’ll have to get on with it this season but it needs rectified for future seasons.

[lord bunberry]

I don't recall going into why the pitch is the way it is, so I'm not sure why I've expressed an uninformed opinion. Explaining it is fine and I'm sure the explanation is perfectly valid ... the question is what do we do about it and if that involves a million quid pitch and heat lamps, how do we go about making it happen.
He literally stated why it was the way it was. You talked about the little things not being right and used that as a criticism when there was a clear reason for the pitch being the way it is. There is very little that can be done until the grass starts to grow again unfortunately. We don’t have the money for hybrid pitches and heat lamps, we’re just going to have to put up with it for now.

[hibbysam]

He literally stated why it was the way it was. You talked about the little things not being right and used that as a criticism when there was a clear reason for the pitch being the way it is. There is very little that can be done until the grass starts to grow again unfortunately. We don’t have the money for hybrid pitches and heat lamps, we’re just going to have to put up with it for now.

Your last couple of sentences, we need to get away from that line of thinking. We need to redirect money from other projects, or work on new lines of income to ensure we can afford a quality surface all year round. Ron always talks about being ‘best in field’ in every area, and this has to be one of those areas. After this season we shouldn’t be ‘putting up with it’ otherwise on the field results will suffer.

[King Cosell]

If it doesn't get any better we could play at Ainslie Park. W5 D0 L0 on artificial surfaces this season.

[Hibby Bairn]

Loads of grassy areas in Edinburgh that seem just fine. My back garden. Golf course fairways. Parks.

What do we do to our pitch to make it so bad?

Looks like we cut it and spike it almost everyday. Mental.

[JimBHibees]

The weather in the last few weeks has been awful including last night very heavy rain. Hopefully get a number of drier days to improve. Do get the impression the pitch gets much worse when very cold and heating on.

[Jones28]

Loads of grassy areas in Edinburgh that seem just fine. My back garden. Golf course fairways. Parks.

What do we do to our pitch to make it so bad?

Looks like we cut it and spike it almost everyday. Mental.

None of these areas are overshadowed by 4 stands that block the sunlight getting to the pitch.

[ian cruise]

Why would we furlough ground staff when we knew we would need the pitch for the new season?

The pitch has been awful most of the season, it’s not just the last week. And every year is the same around now, we shouldn’t just accept that.

I’d question if it really cost ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ for the lights, however, we shouldn’t just neglect the pitch because of costs. One place in the league is hundreds of thousands of pounds and we are making it hard for ourselves. We want entertainment, we want fast free flowing attacking football, we want our undoubtedly better footballers to be able to play football, not worry about the next bobble or slip.

I’d be extremely surprised if it isn’t something Ron is looking at, it’s a huge part of the way we play and as such should be given the money required to keep it in shape all year round.

We're assuming it was because the Hibs groundstaff were furloughed, it could have been anywhere along the supply chain the issues occurred. A lot of industries and areas have had issues because their suppliers were unavailable.

[raeburnhibs]

Loads of grassy areas in Edinburgh that seem just fine. My back garden. Golf course fairways. Parks.

What do we do to our pitch to make it so bad?

Looks like we cut it and spike it almost everyday. Mental.

golf course fairways? have you tried walking on Carrick Knowe? it has been like a badly drained swamp since Autumn

[Jones28]

Because it would be instead of other infrastructure projects rather than instead of players.

I would be behind that to an extent, but Ron Gordon’s big focus is on improving the match day experience for the supporters, and I would be surprised if they decided to ditch all the ideas they announced in favour of pitch equipment. There’s also the issue of storing it. These things are big, I don’t where they would go.

[hibbysam]

I would be behind that to an extent, but Ron Gordon’s big focus is on improving the match day experience for the supporters, and I would be surprised if they decided to ditch all the ideas they announced in favour of pitch equipment. There’s also the issue of storing it. These things are big, I don’t where they would go.

The biggest entertainment on a match day is on the pitch, I’d be surprised if it isn’t right at the top of Ron’s short term infrastructure improvements to be fair. The rest are long term projects that will take time to implement.

[Iggy Pope]

Just had a close up of the surface at Elland Road on MOTD, We’re not alone, although it looks greener.

[Peevemor]

Given that the pitch wasn't played on from March onward, maybe they thought that the turf would recover enough without being renewed in the summer? This would represent a much needed cash saving with the guys being furloughed anyway.

The pitch was bad but will start to recover in a few weeks.

Given the precarious nature of football and it's finances at the moment, it's pretty good going if a dodgy pitch (and a cheesy presenter) are all we have to moan about.

Our pitch is ordinarily pretty good, with maybe 3-4 matches per season (around this time of year) where it's less than perfect. Maybe we can trust the people who run the club to decide where money needs to be spent?

In case you haven't noticed, they've done a pretty good job of it in recent years.

Of course, there will always be people on here who know better, or are looking for something to be outraged about.

[Iggy Pope]

That’s everyone telt then!

[hibbysam]

That’s everyone telt then!

Can’t talk about team selections as that’s the managers job, can’t talk about financial decisions as that’s the money men’s job, can’t talk about the pitch as that’s the groundsmans job, can’t criticise a referees performance as he’s the expert... Be a very quiet place here shortly.

[Jim44]

If this thread is anything to go by, there’ll be plenty of applicants for the job when the head groundsman gets his P45 on Monday.

[Peevemor]

Can’t talk about team selections as that’s the managers job, can’t talk about financial decisions as that’s the money men’s job, can’t talk about the pitch as that’s the groundsmans job, can’t criticise a referees performance as he’s the expert... Be a very quiet place here shortly.You're going OTT again.

All I'm suggesting is that maybe the people who made the decision not to returf in the summer know their stuff and had good reasons to do so.

People are very quick to criticise without having all the information or even enough knowledge to do so credibly.

And once again, you cover the board with your opinions but I'm not allowed mine?

Aye right!

[hibbysam]

You're going OTT again.

All I'm suggesting is that maybe the people who made the decision not to returf in the summer know their stuff and had good reasons to do so.

People are very quick to criticise without having all the information or even enough knowledge to do so credibly.

And once again, you cover the board with your opinions but I'm not allowed mine?

Aye right!

‘Of course, there will always be people on here who know better, or are looking for something to be outraged about’

There is having your opinion (totally fine) but that line suggests no one else can criticise the state of the pitch or the decisions made because we either don’t know better or were outraged.

Looking at the Nick of the pitch over the last 5 home games, and expecting that it won’t improve dramatically in the next 3 weeks so 7 home games minimum with a bare, bobbly and muddy pitch conducive to battles rather than football games then it’s going to have a negative impact on our results and performances.

If the ground staff were furloughed rather than supplier issues and its resulted in the mess of the pitch then it’s a poor decision and the fans should be able to comment on that.

[Peevemor]

‘Of course, there will always be people on here who know better, or are looking for something to be outraged about’

There is having your opinion (totally fine) but that line suggests no one else can criticise the state of the pitch or the decisions made because we either don’t know better or were outraged.

Looking at the Nick of the pitch over the last 5 home games, and expecting that it won’t improve dramatically in the next 3 weeks so 7 home games minimum with a bare, bobbly and muddy pitch conducive to battles rather than football games then it’s going to have a negative impact on our results and performances.

If the ground staff were furloughed rather than supplier issues and its resulted in the mess of the pitch then it’s a poor decision and the fans should be able to comment on that.All fair enough.

I just get annoyed when I come on to a Hibs' supporters' forum to find people who, whenever something isn't quite right, their default position is to criticise the club, often very vociferously, while appearing to make no attempt to understand how the situation may have arisen in the first place and no allowances for people having to deal with a global crisis that's a first time for everyone.

[hibbysam]

All fair enough.

I just get annoyed when I come on to a Hibs' supporters' forum to find people who, whenever something isn't quite right, their default position is to criticise the club, often very vociferously, while appearing to make no attempt to understand how the situation may have arisen in the first place and no allowances for people having to deal with a global crisis that's a first time for everyone.

Very little criticism, more so saying we need to do better in the future, and if that means putting money into it then so be it. If the club did furlough the ground staff though and this is the result of that then they deserve some criticism for that in my opinion. The board get praised for all their good work, like the manager and the players, and equally deserve some criticism if they make poor decisions that impact our performance. It’s all relative and the whole point of a forum.

[Peevemor]

Very little criticism, more so saying we need to do better in the future, and if that means putting money into it then so be it. If the club did furlough the ground staff though and this is the result of that then they deserve some criticism for that in my opinion. The board get praised for all their good work, like the manager and the players, and equally deserve some criticism if they make poor decisions that impact our performance. It’s all relative and the whole point of a forum.Very little criticism? We obviously have a different idea of scale.

[TheSouthMoroccan]

Very little criticism? We obviously have a different idea of scale.

But hibbysam's views and comments were fair and balanced and contributed to the discussion. I don't know anything about pitch management so I read this thread hoping to understand a bit more. I tend to widen my band width on my scale and focus my feedback on the more extreme QAnon type views :wink:

[Brightside]

I’d happily divert money away from other stadium improvements to work on the pitch. A hybrid model is needed. Can’t exactly complain about poor football when the pitch looks like jack kane on a wet Sunday.

[bigwheel]

Very little criticism? We obviously have a different idea of scale.

Jack Ross has been talking about how poor the pitch is ..how it is effecting his tactics and how the players play. Talking about the need for more resources if possible to help it improve ..it’s not criticism with no reason. it’s just facing into an issue that has an impact on our football..

[hibbysam]

Very little criticism? We obviously have a different idea of scale.

What I meant was very little criticism of the people either working on it or making the decisions regarding money. Criticising the pitch yes, but the only criticism of the people is if they were put on furlough. I’m no greenkeeper so don’t know the ins and outs of it all to criticise individuals, however I want to see us playing good football on a good surface all year round and if that means diverting funds from elsewhere then I’d be delighted for us to do so. Too late for this year, our football just needs to be more industrious for the time being, but I would want it sorted for next year so we don’t go through spells like this year in year out.

[superfurryhibby]

I’m no expert of the maintenance of a professional level football pitch, but I do like gardening.

I’m struggling to see a hypothetical link between the furlough of ground staff ten months ago and the current state of our hallowed turf. In fact the early finish to the season and the long hot early summer months we had in April, May and June would surely have been great for it ( assuming someone knew how to turn the sprinklers on every now and then).

I would find it very strange that the club anticipated that this would lead to the current situation and thought, **** it we’ll play on a tattie field for half a season.

More probable is that the pitch has suffered from a long spell of very wet weather, mixed with some prolonged hard frosts and damaged further by regularly having the undersoil heating on? It’s been a long and miserable winter and this will affect ER’s turf.

It is what it is. It will be sorted this summer no doubt. Until then it’s the same for both teams. Hibs need to find a style and means to play to the conditions.

[hibbysam]

I’m no expert of the maintenance of a professional level football pitch, but I do like gardening.

I’m struggling to see a hypothetical link between the furlough of ground staff ten months ago and the current state of our hallowed turf. In fact the early finish to the season and the long hot early summer months we had in April, May and June would surely have been great for it ( assuming someone knew how to turn the sprinklers on every now and then).

I would find it very strange that the club anticipated that this would lead to the current situation and thought, **** it we’ll play on a tattie field for half a season.

More probable is that the pitch has suffered from a long spell of very wet weather, mixed with some prolonged hard frosts and damaged further by regularly having the undersoil heating on? It’s been a long and miserable winter and this will affect ER’s turf.

It is what it is. It will be sorted this summer no doubt. Until then it’s the same for both teams. Hibs need to find a style and means to play to the conditions.

The link was the head groundsman stating the issue for the problems now was the pandemic and not doing the necessary work back then to prevent the issues now.

[Greenbeard]

[QUOTE=Iggy Pope;6423760]Just had a close up of the surface at Elland Road on MOTD, We’re not alone, although it looks greener.[/QUOT
Green sand maybe?
Look at some You Tube clips of mid winter games from the 70s and the Easter Road surface looks tip top by comparison.
Given the extent to which some folk are blaming our lack of free flowing football on the pitch I'm looking forward to us playing champagne football on the Hampden surface and whipping St Johnstone by at least five.

[superfurryhibby]

The link was the head groundsman stating the issue for the problems now was the pandemic and not doing the necessary work back then to prevent the issues now.

Do you have the link to that by any chance?

[hibbysam]

Do you have the link to that by any chance?

It was an interview on the match yesterday pre game, haven’t seen it posted anywhere as yet, sorry.

[superfurryhibby]

It was an interview on the match yesterday pre game, haven’t seen it posted anywhere as yet, sorry.

:aok:

[greenginger]

The pitch looked like it had been recently, very heavily sanded which gave the appearance of large bare areas with no grass.

I maybe wrong, but I think the pitch will look a whole lot better for our next home game.

[Peevemor]

What I meant was very little criticism of the people either working on it or making the decisions regarding money. Criticising the pitch yes, but the only criticism of the people is if they were put on furlough. I’m no greenkeeper so don’t know the ins and outs of it all to criticise individuals, however I want to see us playing good football on a good surface all year round and if that means diverting funds from elsewhere then I’d be delighted for us to do so. Too late for this year, our football just needs to be more industrious for the time being, but I would want it sorted for next year so we don’t go through spells like this year in year out.There appears to be scrutiny of any decision made, at Hibs, Hampden or wherever, resulting in criticism almost 100% of the time, but without having all the information to hand.

I was the first on here yesterday to comment on how the pitch looked. I didn't however criticise decisions that were maybe made during the summer or question why people were furloughed even though I don't know who they work for.

Neither will I suggest what should be allocated to what budget for next season. I doubt that anyone at the club is currently able to project that far given the current situation.

Comments and criticism are fine, we're here for that among other things. Not looking to understand both sides of any story bothers me. But maybe that's just me.

[Alfred E Newman]

[QUOTE=Iggy Pope;6423760]Just had a close up of the surface at Elland Road on MOTD, We’re not alone, although it looks greener.[/QUOT
Green sand maybe?
Look at some You Tube clips of mid winter games from the 70s and the Easter Road surface looks tip top by comparison.
Given the extent to which some folk are blaming our lack of free flowing football on the pitch I'm looking forward to us playing champagne football on the Hampden surface and whipping St Johnstone by at least five.

I believe the more enclosed ground has an affect on the circulation of air compared to the wide open spaces of the old ground which must also have an affect on the pitch. We are not alone in that respect of course. I also think that the grass is cut shorter now than it was in the old days which doesn’t help. When you take into consideration the fact that we did a good percentage of our training on it back then as well as playing reserve games at Easter Road , it would need to be kept longer.

[WhileTheChief..]

These places don’t have massive stands blocking the light getting to the pitch.

We’d have a crap pitch every January if it was down to the size of the stands.

[Peevemor]

We’d have a crap pitch every January if it was down to the size of the stands.We often do, and it is.

That's why public parks are less sparse than ER and why Hearts had do much trouble with their grass pitch - with the stands very close together (corners) and very close to the pitch.

[superfurryhibby]

We’d have a crap pitch every January if it was down to the size of the stands.

Particularly wet and cold winter so far may be a factor.

Did anyone else here the discussion on the state of the pitch that Hibbysam referred to as part of the pre-match build up? I wonder who it was that attributed the current conditions to lack of maintenance during furlough?

[lord bunberry]

Particularly wet and cold winter so far may be a factor.

Did anyone else here the discussion on the state of the pitch that Hibbysam referred to as part of the pre-match build up? I wonder who it was that attributed the current conditions to lack of maintenance during furlough?
It was the groundskeeper that was interviewed.

[Iggy Pope]

[QUOTE=Iggy Pope;6423760]Just had a close up of the surface at Elland Road on MOTD, We’re not alone, although it looks greener.[/QUOT
Green sand maybe?
Look at some You Tube clips of mid winter games from the 70s and the Easter Road surface looks tip top by comparison.
Given the extent to which some folk are blaming our lack of free flowing football on the pitch I'm looking forward to us playing champagne football on the Hampden surface and whipping St Johnstone by at least five.


I was around to see it in the 70s but that’s not where we are. I never said anything about the quality of football Greenbeard I only remarked on the quality of the pitch. This time last year or the year before that, it didn’t look like it does now and there will be a reason for that. And it won’t have anything to do with the position of 4 stands that have been complete for over a decade.



There appears to be scrutiny of any decision made, at Hibs, Hampden or wherever, resulting in criticism almost 100% of the time, but without having all the information to hand.

I was the first on here yesterday to comment on how the pitch looked. I didn't however criticise decisions that were maybe made during the summer or question why people were furloughed even though I don't know who they work for.

Neither will I suggest what should be allocated to what budget for next season. I doubt that anyone at the club is currently able to project that far given the current situation.

Comments and criticism are fine, we're here for that among other things. Not looking to understand both sides of any story bothers me. But maybe that's just me.

Maybe it is just you. You’re taking a bunch of observations and input from fans painfully detached from the club they love and turning it into criticism in order that you can again jump to the clubs defence when they don’t really need defending. Particularly not from their own benefactors.

[Peevemor]

[QUOTE=Greenbeard;6423984]


I was around to see it in the 70s but that’s not where we are. I never said anything about the quality of football Greenbeard I only remarked on the quality of the pitch. This time last year or the year before that, it didn’t look like it does now and there will be a reason for that. And it won’t have anything to do with the position of 4 stands that have been complete for over a decade.




Maybe it is just you. You’re taking a bunch of observations and input from fans painfully detached from the club they love and turning it into criticism in order that you can again jump to the clubs defence when they don’t really need defending. Particularly not from their own benefactors.So I shouldn't post my point of view then?

And a lot of my posts aren't actually a defence of the club (or whoever) but more a questioning of the criticism. It's not the same thing.

For example, someone called David Tanner a "f***ing moron" yesterday. That sort of stuff annoys me and I can disagree with it without necessarily defending Tanner.

[Iggy Pope]

[QUOTE=Iggy Pope;6424082]So I shouldn't post my point of view then?

Course you should but hopefully without taking it out on everyone else and making peoples minds up for them or battering everyone down. Where is this outrage you go on about? Other folks opinions maybe?

Like this bit where you weren’t even replying to anyone or any single post, more just an address it seems to the whole Main Board...


“Our pitch is ordinarily pretty good, with maybe 3-4 matches per season (around this time of year) where it's less than perfect. Maybe we can trust the people who run the club to decide where money needs to be spent?

In case you haven't noticed, they've done a pretty good job of it in recent years.

Of course, there will always be people on here who know better, or are looking for something to be outraged about”

[Smartie]

We had a couple of games in awful conditions in a row in late December.

I thought then, when I saw players running through treacle, that we’d have issues with the pitch after that.

It’s Scotland. The weather can sometimes be grim. Grass pitches aren’t brilliant at standing up to that. We’ll have better winters where we get away with it and every so often we’ll be unlucky, like this year.

Not sure what can be done about it really.

[Greenbeard]

[QUOTE=Iggy Pope;6424082][QUOTE=Greenbeard;6423984]


I was around to see it in the 70s but that’s not where we are. I never said anything about the quality of football Greenbeard I only remarked on the quality of the pitch. This time last year or the year before that, it didn’t look like it does now and there will be a reason for that. And it won’t have anything to do with the position of 4 stands that have been complete for over a decade.

Cool your jets Iggy. I know you didn't. My comments were not aimed at your post directly, other than my question about the possible use of green sand. Had Easter Road groundstaff used green sand I doubt there would be much to this thread.

I suspect the usual off-season work on the pitch was compromised not just because of the direct consequences of the covid on ER groundstaff, but also by the non-availability of external contractors and maybe also supplies. EG the course where I golf couldn't get in supplies to top dress the greens after April coring.

[Iggy Pope]

[QUOTE=Iggy Pope;6424082][QUOTE=Greenbeard;6423984]


I was around to see it in the 70s but that’s not where we are. I never said anything about the quality of football Greenbeard I only remarked on the quality of the pitch. This time last year or the year before that, it didn’t look like it does now and there will be a reason for that. And it won’t have anything to do with the position of 4 stands that have been complete for over a decade.

Cool your jets Iggy. I know you didn't. My comments were not aimed at your post directly, other than my question about the possible use of green sand. Had Easter Road groundstaff used green sand I doubt there would be much to this thread.

I suspect the usual off-season work on the pitch was compromised not just because of the direct consequences of the covid on ER groundstaff, but also by the non-availability of external contractors and maybe also supplies. EG the course where I golf couldn't get in supplies to top dress the greens after April coring.

I’m cool.

[Rumble de Thump]

The pitch looks like it has been affected by the groundskeepers not being able to do their normal maintainance work on it during the close season, followed by persistent heavy rainfall and repeated freezing and thawing. Which is exactly what the grounsman said. I'm not sure he actually mentioned furlough but he did refer to issues caused by the pandemic. A unique set of circumstances. When he gave the explanation it all seemed to make perfect sense.

[Iggy Pope]

The pitch looks like it has been affected by the groundskeepers not being able to do their normal maintainance work on it during the clsoe season, followed by persistent heavy rainfall and repeated freezing and thawing. Which is exactly what the grounsman said. I'm not sure he actually mentioned furlough but he did refer to issues caused by the pandemic. A unique set of circumstances. When he gave the explanation it all seemed to make perfect sense.

Perfect sense and the hardships and circumstance created by the pandemic is more than likely the reason.

[flash]

Very little criticism? We obviously have a different idea of scale.

Motherwell pitch, which has been like a bowling green in recent seasons, also looking awful.
Think that will be the case almost everywhere just now.

[gbhibby]

But my grass is growing this month, honest. The pitch had major work done a few seasons ago but I don't think anything major has been done since then
I think you need banks of lights to encourage growth.
We could however spend a million pounds on it but look how that turned out for our near neighbours.

[hibbysam]

But my grass is growing this month, honest. The pitch had major work done a few seasons ago but I don't think anything major has been done since then
I think you need banks of lights to encourage growth.
We could however spend a million pounds on it but look how that turned out for our near neighbours.

Their pitch looked in really good Nick two weeks ago against Arbroath. Be interesting to see how it is next week against Raith.

[Jones28]

We’d have a crap pitch every January if it was down to the size of the stands.

Our pitch looks poor every January, this year looks particularly bad because of the conditions.

It’s really really simple and there’s not a magical solution to the problem that doesn’t involve spending money we don’t have on banks of lights to keep the grass growing.

[Golden Bear]

Was the pitch not relaid during the summer months or did covid prevent that from happening?

Have the players been using ER to train on during the recent bad spell of weather?

To be honest I've seen far worse playing surfaces at ER than yesterday's in all the years I've been watching Hibs.

[Pete70]

We do have mobile UV lighting rigs for use on the pitch, maybe not to the extent of the rich EPL clubs but we do have them. I saw them being used when I attended last years AGM at ER.

[CMurdoch]

I had the misfortune of watching Morton v Dunfermline on Friday night, the pitch was horrific and probably as a result the game was as well.

Our next home game is against Rangers so I hope we won't be improving the pitch meantime :greengrin

Next home match after that is on the 6th February. Massive game against Aberdeen.

[silverhibee]

You don't see them at most pitches at our level - they are expensive.

I'm not sure it is just growth. Didn't catch all of what the groundsman said but looks like we missed carrying out some work that would have been required in the summer.

The groundsman would have been able to still do work during the summer, have we had the pitch covered with sheets to stop snow coming on to the pitch, it really is a mess.

[silverhibee]

Looks to me like the pitch has suffered due to the lack of cash coming in. It won’t maintain itself and the maintenance contractor will cost money. It’s very poor and it’s been a very long time since it was in nick like this. . Round about the time Deek and Petrie had a wee fall out about it.
Needs sorting though.

Yogi asks/tells players to get the ball on the ground and attack teams with silky football.

Deeks says the pitch is like a tattie field.

Contractor gets upset with Deeks comments.

Petrie fines Deek 2 weeks wages for comments.

Yogi doesn't back Deek up and says its between him and the club..

:greengrin

[silverhibee]

It’s gone downhill since Tam McCourt stopped doing it. That man had horticultural magic running through his veins.

Was just about to mention Tam, think he slept on that pitch and talked to the grass at times, always in perfect condition, think the Morton groundsman does a good job on there pitch.

[silverhibee]

I guess these UV lights that man city etc use are expensive

They are, the tramps have them across the city for there championship pitch.

[The Harp]

I'd say the state of the pitch yesterday would be right up there with the worst I've ever seen it. Hate to see it looking as bad as that. The players surely can't enjoy plying their trade on such a surface.

[Frazerbob]

All pitches are a mess just now. Did nobody notice the horrendous weather recently, that caused even plastic pitches to be unplayable? Fir Park today was dreadful too.

[BoltonHibee]

Was just about to mention Tam, think he slept on that pitch and talked to the grass at times, always in perfect condition, think the Morton groundsman does a good job on there pitch.

Think Celtic pay a lot toward the Morton pitch do they not?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SChibs]

To be fair the Ibrox pitch has looked dodgy since around September/October and they have a lot more to spend on theirs. I think we just need to accept this season the bad weather coupled with massive budget cuts will have a detrimental effect on the pitch

[hibbysam]

All pitches are a mess just now. Did nobody notice the horrendous weather recently, that caused even plastic pitches to be unplayable? Fur Park today was dreadful too.

Not all pitches.

[Iggy Pope]

Yogi asks/tells players to get the ball on the ground and attack teams with silky football.

Deeks says the pitch is like a tattie field.

Contractor gets upset with Deeks comments.

Petrie fines Deek 2 weeks wages for comments.

Yogi doesn't back Deek up and says its between him and the club..

:greengrin

That was about the size of what I’m thinking :wink:

[WhileTheChief..]

January last season at home to Hamilton.

Same month, same size of stands....


https://youtu.be/pvRreG0ZZQI

[Jones28]

January last season at home to Hamilton.

Same month, same size of stands....


https://youtu.be/pvRreG0ZZQI

Different year, different conditions.

[silverhibee]

Think Celtic pay a lot toward the Morton pitch do they not?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure, do Celtc use it for youth teams to play on.

[Robbo6-2]

Why are people defending the pitch?

It's a disgrace and needs sorted.

[WhileTheChief..]

Different year, different conditions.

Agreed. So nowt to do with the size of the stands then.

Pretty simple really!

[Peevemor]

Why are people defending the pitch?

It's a disgrace and needs sorted.Nobody is defending the pitch that I've seen.

[Jones28]

Agreed. So nowt to do with the size of the stands then.

Pretty simple really!

It is, but ok.

[BoltonHibee]

Not sure, do Celtc use it for youth teams to play on.

Yes, we’ll they certainly did prior to Covid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Billy Whizz]

Yes, we’ll they certainly did prior to Covid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Played most of their home development games at Cappielow
Even Cappielow has looked bad recently, and it’s usually in cracking condition

[silverhibee]

Yes, we’ll they certainly did prior to Covid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Played most of their home development games at Cappielow
Even Cappielow has looked bad recently, and it’s usually in cracking condition

I was under the impression that they used Airdrie's ground.

[Billy Whizz]

I was under the impression that they used Airdrie's ground.

The development game between just before lockdown was at Lennoxtown, but most of their home games were played at Cappielow

Maybe a younger age group play at Airdrie

[Iggy Pope]

The development game between just before lockdown was at Lennoxtown, but most of their home games were played at Cappielow

Maybe a younger age group play at Airdrie

I remember when Airdrie (version whatever it was then) were in another bit of poo, Celtic were making moves to buy the “Shyberry Exelcior” ... don’t quite recall the outcome.

[Iggy Pope]

The development game between just before lockdown was at Lennoxtown, but most of their home games were played at Cappielow

Maybe a younger age group play at Airdrie

Couple of photos from Big Mo’s marvellous lockdown grounds quiz. Clearly Celtic at Cappielow in the first one and a game at the Shyberry as well maybe about 15/16? Celtic?

[SChibs]

Bit of an orange hue from the stadium tonight, maybe we have got some UV lights out on the pitch.

[malcolm]

They are, the tramps have them across the city for there championship pitch.

Hibs have them too.

The pitch looks terrible but during the first lockdown I never heard anyone say that it was a priority to look after the pitch and that we should not put anyone who’d work on it on furlough :wink:. The aim was I think to pare things down to the bone in the face of what might have been an almost existential threat.

Now after work in the summer was not done, for example to remove thatch, which together with bad weather seems to have made the pitch poor under modern standards, it now seems a stick to beat the club with. :confused:

[Greenbeard]

Hibs have them too.

The pitch looks terrible but during the first lockdown I never heard anyone say that it was a priority to look after the pitch and that we should not put anyone who’d work on it on furlough :wink:. The aim was I think to pare things down to the bone in the face of what might have been an almost existential threat.

Now after work in the summer was not done, for example to remove thatch, which together with bad weather seems to have made the pitch poor under modern standards, it now seems a stick to beat the club with. :confused:
It took ten years in the 80s!

[Keith_M]

Jack Ross comments on state of ER pitch


(https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/hibs-far-pitch-perfect-jack-ross-forced-find-new-approach-3103385)

[superfurryhibby]

Jack Ross comments on state of ER pitch


(https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/hibs-far-pitch-perfect-jack-ross-forced-find-new-approach-3103385)

Nothing there about essential work being neglected in the summer. McGinn mentions that a lack of resources is a factor, whatever that means?

Both clearly say that the pitch is having an impact on our style and that the team has to adapt to it.

[SChibs]

Nothing there about essential work being neglected in the summer. McGinn mentions that a lack of resources is a factor, whatever that means?

Both clearly say that the pitch is having an impact on our style and that the team has to adapt to it.

Well it probably means we have had to make budget cuts due to lack of income and that has had an impact on the quality of the pitch

[superfurryhibby]

Well it probably means we have had to make budget cuts due to lack of income and that has had an impact on the quality of the pitch

I’m intrigued. As a keen gardener myself, I’ve pointed out that we had a fantastic three months of summer, from April-June. The grass would have had lots of ideal recovery time and perfect growing weather.

Someone mentioned the impact of furlough and lack of essential maintenance. I wonder what essential work wasn’t carried out? It would seem incredibly short sighted of the club to have just left it and we end up with a tattie field.

[Jones28]

I’m intrigued. As a keen gardener myself, I’ve pointed out that we had a fantastic three months of summer, from April-June. The grass would have had lots of ideal recovery time and perfect growing weather.

Someone mentioned the impact of furlough and lack of essential maintenance. I wonder what essential work wasn’t carried out? It would seem incredibly short sighted of the club to have just left it and we end up with a tattie field.

Correct me if I'm wrong but do we not rip up and re-seed the pitch every closed season? Maybe this work wasn't possible to carry out?

[Percy Vere]

Hardly seems a valid excuse. Why are all the other pitches not in this state. For a team that likes to play football on the floor this is a disaster.

[superfurryhibby]

Correct me if I'm wrong but do we not rip up and re-seed the pitch every closed season? Maybe this work wasn't possible to carry out?

Not certain, but I would imagine relaying the pitch has longer intervals than season by season. Reseeding- returfing heavily damaged areas must be seasonal.

If that was a cost saving measure that needed done, then it was a bad decision from the club not to.

[04Sauzee]

More on the pitch here

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/sport/football/hibs-note-steven-gerrards-pitch-19646430.amp?__twitter_impression=true

[Rumble de Thump]

All pitches in Scotland will have been impacted, with some clubs having to postpone games due to frozen or flooded pitches and many others with pitches not in great condition. We just won our last home game and we've only got one home game within the next 19 days or so we should be fine.

[hibbysam]

I’m intrigued. As a keen gardener myself, I’ve pointed out that we had a fantastic three months of summer, from April-June. The grass would have had lots of ideal recovery time and perfect growing weather.

Someone mentioned the impact of furlough and lack of essential maintenance. I wonder what essential work wasn’t carried out? It would seem incredibly short sighted of the club to have just left it and we end up with a tattie field.

The groundsman mentioned on Saturday the exact work that couldn’t be done but I never quite listened to it as it’s foreign to me. He said because of Covid so I think most are putting two and two together regarding furlough, but as said elsewhere it may not be Hibs staff on furlough, it may be suppliers or lack of products due to Covid.

[superfurryhibby]

The thread is full of reasons as to why the pitch in the state it is.

- essential work wasn’t done in the summer due to the furlough. For as long as I can remember Hibs have ripped up and re-seeded the whole pitch in the summer.

- the atrocious weather we have had over the last week or so.

- this time of year we don’t get light to the pitch due to the height of the stands and we don’t have the massive lighting rigs they have down south that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This isn’t penny pinching or mismanagement, it is purely down to circumstances out with the clubs control.


The groundsman mentioned on Saturday the exact work that couldn’t be done but I never quite listened to it as it’s foreign to me. He said because of Covid so I think most are putting two and two together regarding furlough, but as said elsewhere it may not be Hibs staff on furlough, it may be suppliers or lack of products due to Covid.


Fair point. I think I latched on to the furlough thing, thinking it must be to do with our ground staff.

Either way, it is what it is. Not much can be done just now I suppose.

[Forza Fred]

It’s January. Grass doesn’t grow in January. I imagine.

I just looked out my window and I swear mine has grown about an inch and a bit this week!

[flash]

I just looked out my window and I swear mine has grown about an inch and a bit this week!

I see what you did there Fred.

[Jones28]

I just looked out my window and I swear mine has grown about an inch and a bit this week!

I was genuinely confused until I saw where you are :greengrin

You must to cut it 4 times a week.

[Forza Fred]

I was genuinely confused until I saw where you are :greengrin

You must to cut it 4 times a week.

nah, once a week.

The bloody Galahs peck it down to size!

[SChibs]

Just walked through the west stand car park and I could see the lamps at the corner of the FF so we are definitely using them