Worst Pitch at Roots Hall Ever

[mattitouk]

Presuming we need to do more than usual to rectify the pitch this summer, I agree with AndyT, that we should not play any pre-season friendlies at home, & perhaps an away match on the first fixture of next season, might buy us a week if we need it, through delays / wet summer wash out again.

Can anyone remember the delayed date when we started laying it late at the beginning of this season?, just to get an idea of a time perspective involved in "not what to do".

 

[LBBlue]

Of course you can think what you like. Our break will, sadly, be the full 13 weeks or exactly one quarter of the year.

Do you want less football, a later finish or more midweek games ?

Easy - get rid of 2 Checkatrade group games then would need just one more midweek date as I guess three games would be displaced.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I can't see any way that the Club would forgo the "hire out" week at the end of the season, as it brings in a lot of revenue both with the hire and the bar proceeds. Something to be said, though for not arranging any pre-season home friendlies, although I'm pretty sure they'll make sure that the same mistakes from this season never happen again.

 

[applelover]

The pitch

Hi all,

The pitch is obviously an absolute disgrace at the moment. We simply don’t have the type of players to play a more direct style to negate this. If you’re shooting towards the south stand then you have to deal with a strip around 35 yards from goal and from one side to the other that is almost unplayable.

Does anyone have any info on whether the club intend to take any immediate action to resolve this issue?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I disagree, anything can be sorted out at a price, just another contributing factor in my mind in our descent to league 2.

Descent into League 2. Have I missed something?

 

[OldBlueLady]

Hi all,

The pitch is obviously an absolute disgrace at the moment. We simply don’t have the type of players to play a more direct style to negate this. If you’re shooting towards the south stand then you have to deal with a strip around 35 yards from goal and from one side to the other that is almost unplayable.

Does anyone have any info on whether the club intend to take any immediate action to resolve this issue?

You can't take "immediate" action, the fact is that the pitch can't be changed at this point.

 

[southendkid]

Hi all,

The pitch is obviously an absolute disgrace at the moment. We simply don’t have the type of players to play a more direct style to negate this. If you’re shooting towards the south stand then you have to deal with a strip around 35 yards from goal and from one side to the other that is almost unplayable.

Does anyone have any info on whether the club intend to take any immediate action to resolve this issue?

What's the point? As Rochdale showed it would cost half a million to get it up to standard immediately. We're not going down and we're not going up, may as well save money and just relay it in the summer and give it 6-8 weeks to bed in properly.

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

It was such a mess in the south-east corner that Kightly couldn't even place the ball in the quadrant to take corners. The area of the pitch was like a pudding and the ball had to be placed so far out the quadrant I'm not even sure the corners were legal.

 

[AndyT]

I felt, sitting there today, that the pitch has won and we aren't going to see much more decent football played at home this season. Thankfully only four games left anyway.

It's almost like we have to get what we can from those games and get out of there, so to speak. As long as we don't go down, I'm now just looking at next season, in truth.

The last two home matches really have been the most tedious experience.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I felt, sitting there today, that the pitch has won and we aren't going to see much more decent football played at home this season. Thankfully only four games left anyway.

It's almost like we have to get what we can from those games and get out of there, so to speak. As long as we don't go down, I'm now just looking at next season, in truth.

The last two home matches really have been the most tedious experience.

But why is it so different to a few games ago? Nothing has changed.

 

[AndyT]

The pitch the last two weeks has been markedly worse.

Trying to do anything at pace is pretty much a no go. There was one decent move towards the end of the first half, otherwise both sides struggled to keep any meaningful possession for more than three of four passes, as the ball bobbled awkwardly or the players themselves lost their footing.

I can see the remaining games being ones of safety first and set-piece chances, unless we have a lengthy dry spell.

 

[applelover]

Agreed there’s been a huge amount of deterioration over the last two games. It was crap but playable before. Now huge areas are absolutely awful.

As a mate of mine said the players and spectators deserve more than this.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Noticeable that Cokes is starting to openly criticise the pitch on Twitter too.

 

[Ailsa Road Shrimper]

I’m surprised the club haven’t been reported to the EFL or fined in some way for having a sub-standard pitch. Thankfully no serious injuries have occurred this season due to it. Just four games left on it now, priority is to get the six or seven more points required to remain in this division then we can plan for next season on a better surface. Understandably the players aren’t happy about the ongoing state of the pitch and I wonder if this will affect any of their decisions of whether to stay or move on at the end of the season.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Watched the highlights on Sky (well the double save Oxley made) and shuddered at how bad the pitch is. The club need to get to work on it the second the last game of the season is played. It needs to be re-turfed not seeding. They make that mistake again and I can see us being fined for not providing a decent playing surface. It's a bloody disgrace, Sid must be spinning in his grave.

 

[Fitz]

Descent into League 2. Have I missed something?

Posted when Brown was in charge and we were heading that way before the arrival of CP.

That said the pitch really destroyed today's game for both teams!!

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Watched the highlights on Sky (well the double save Oxley made) and shuddered at how bad the pitch is. The club need to get to work on it the second the last game of the season is played. It needs to be re-turfed not seeding. They make that mistake again and I can see us being fined for not providing a decent playing surface. It's a bloody disgrace, Sid must be spinning in his grave.

Sid Broomfield? I'm sure he is still alive.

But yes I agree the pitch must be returfed and not seeded.

Title of this thread is a bit wrong, as others have pointed out some games in the late 50's at Roots Hall were played pretty much on bare earth. Mind you I think it's the worst pitch since then by the sounds of it.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Posted when Brown was in charge and we were heading that way before the arrival of CP.

That said the pitch really destroyed today's game for both teams!!

Yes I didn’t look at the date of your post. At that point we were definitely heading to league 2

 

[LBBlue]

Title of this thread is a bit wrong, as others have pointed out some games in the late 50's at Roots Hall were played pretty much on bare earth. Mind you I think it's the worst pitch since then by the sounds of it.

There has not been a single game this season played at Roots Hall on even a half decent pitch. There have been several individual games in other seasons played on a worse pitch but never have we had a substandard pitch for every game in a whole season. So I do think that this has been the worst pitch ever.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

There has not been a single game this season played at Roots Hall on even a half decent pitch. There have been several individual games in other seasons played on a worse pitch but never have we had a substandard pitch for every game in a whole season. So I do think that this has been the worst pitch ever.

Ok cheers, I have only been going since the early 80's so never saw the pitch in the 50's .