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Worst Pitch at Roots Hall Ever

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LBBlue said:
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.
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I've certainly not seen a worse pitch in my 30 years. It's an utter embarrasment, most Sunday league teams have a better pitch in your average park. Having said that Donny out played us for the most part, we should know how to play the percentages by now?!
 
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Up the Shrimpers said:
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.
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Bloody hell!! If he is then I do apoligise.
 
According to the weather forecast it is going to get a lot worse for Monday. I hope the pitch is covered now.
 
Worst pitch at Roots Hall ever? I think it was worse in the Fifties.

jackfrench.jpg
 
THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK said:
Worst pitch at Roots Hall ever? I think it was worse in the Fifties.

jackfrench.jpg
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That picture looks like Southend Stadium?
Mind you I agree pitches look much worse back in the 50's but the argument is that it's been bad the whole of this season. Whereas in the 50's it was only certain times of the year. But judging by the old photos I'm not sure about That?
 
Up the Shrimpers said:
That picture looks like Southend Stadium?
Mind you I agree pitches look much worse back in the 50's but the argument is that it's been bad the whole of this season. Whereas in the 50's it was only certain times of the year. But judging by the old photos I'm not sure about That?
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This is indeed Grainger Road. Think it might be in the early 50s against Bristol Rovers.

I agree that at certain times Roots Hall has looked the worse for wear. Particularly in the first season which featured the famous "Cockleshell Heroes" FA Cup tie against Manchester City. At the end of the first season, the pitch was completely excavated and a new foundation was laid with Cumberland turf on top. Thereafter it gained a reputation as being one of the best surfaces in the Football League. But it came at a cost.
The present pitch is one of the worst in the Football League. If Rochdale can successfully address a similar problem in one week, why can't Southend United? The answer is simple ... as previously stated, it's all about the cost.
 
westie said:
This is indeed Grainger Road. Think it might be in the early 50s against Bristol Rovers.

I agree that at certain times Roots Hall has looked the worse for wear. Particularly in the first season which featured the famous "Cockleshell Heroes" FA Cup tie against Manchester City. At the end of the first season, the pitch was completely excavated and a new foundation was laid with Cumberland turf on top. Thereafter it gained a reputation as being one of the best surfaces in the Football League. But it came at a cost.
The present pitch is one of the worst in the Football League. If Rochdale can successfully address a similar problem in one week, why can't Southend United? The answer is simple ... as previously stated, it's all about the cost.
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Cumberland turf you say? Bloody hell, money was no object if they used that, they use that on crown bowls pitches and it cost a fortune.
 
Benfleet A1 said:
Cumberland turf you say? Bloody hell, money was no object if they used that, they use that on crown bowls pitches and it cost a fortune.
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My understanding is that it was first used on Wembley and Portman Road. Blues got a very good deal apparently but as I previously stated, "it came at a cost." You get what you pay for ... and look what we've got!
 
AndyT said:
We should keep our pitch as it is for next season! :winking:
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That's going a bit too far - I think it certainly has given us an advantage when we go at the opposition from the off and they don't really know how it will play and are a bit tentative in their approach!
 
westie said:
The present pitch is one of the worst in the Football League. If Rochdale can successfully address a similar problem in one week, why can't Southend United?
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I think Rochdale had a money spinning FA cup match against Spurs so would have been flush with cash.
 
They were really quite worried it might have to be called off when we arrived at 1 o'clock. Fortunately the rain was then quite kind in not falling too much till later in the game. Pitch held up well, and at least there's now only two games left for us to play on it.
 
LBBlue said:
That's going a bit too far - I think it certainly has given us an advantage when we go at the opposition from the off and they don't really know how it will play and are a bit tentative in their approach!
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I wasn't being overly serious 'LB', though results suggest it's worked to our advantage, but I wouldn't want to re-watch most of this season's games, in truth.
 
AndyT said:
I wasn't being overly serious 'LB', though results suggest it's worked to our advantage, but I wouldn't want to re-watch most of this season's games, in truth.
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Nor was I :smile: .... yesterday large parts of it were a pudding where the ball didn't bounce and the bit in front of the greens and blacks looked like a ploughed field at the end og the game where Kightly and Coker had been doing their stuff. We certainly have worked out how to play it -don't under hit passes because they stop dead. I wonder what it would have been like if we'd had a dry spring and it had dried out -rather bumpy I suspect. Still no word from Ron though on how we will fix it.
 
Ron has a cunning plan. Get some big but quiet machinery. Visit four local bowls clubs at the dead of night. Very carefully remove the bowling greens in one huge roll. Transport back to Roots Hall. Apply superglue. Simples.
 
LBBlue said:
Nor was I :smile: .... yesterday large parts of it were a pudding where the ball didn't bounce and the bit in front of the greens and blacks looked like a ploughed field at the end og the game where Kightly and Coker had been doing their stuff. We certainly have worked out how to play it -don't under hit passes because they stop dead. I wonder what it would have been like if we'd had a dry spring and it had dried out -rather bumpy I suspect. Still no word from Ron though on how we will fix it.
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And we probably won't get one. We know it's bad, Powell knows it's bad and therefore so does Ron. We will hear nothing until remedial work starts in whatever form Ron can afford. Such is the way of Ron and SUFC!
 
LBBlue said:
Nor was I :smile: .... yesterday large parts of it were a pudding where the ball didn't bounce and the bit in front of the greens and blacks looked like a ploughed field at the end og the game where Kightly and Coker had been doing their stuff. We certainly have worked out how to play it -don't under hit passes because they stop dead. I wonder what it would have been like if we'd had a dry spring and it had dried out -rather bumpy I suspect. Still no word from Ron though on how we will fix it.
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That area is particularly bad. We've said a few times that it doesn't help that this is where the players do a lot of their pre-match warm-up stuff, so it cuts up badly there.

Like a cricket pitch with uneven bounce, once you can't trust it, then it puts so many other doubts in your mind and you stop playing your natural game.

It's not been great viewing most games. That said, pitches in general are better than they were in the past, so hopefully a bit of TLC in the summer and we'll have our old carpet back! :thumbsup:
 
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