Breaking News Oldham v Southend postponed due to frozen pitch

I wonder if the club would consider playing this on a Monday night after one of the matches at Blackpool or Blackburn? I know that doesn't leave much recovery time for the team, but it would mean they could stay in the area and also give supporters the opportunity to take a short break.

Tommy2holes said:

What is the solution to this on going problem?

1. Earlier pitch inspections
2. Docking teams a point per cancellation
3. The game to be forfeited and played at the oppositions ground at the earliest opportunity.
4. The team abandoning should give up the 3 points.

5. What I know, is that it really isn't on to have two postponements in quick succession when people have paid good money. It's a joke in 2018

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1. Way to go. Make a decision by the time the visiting coaches are due to leave.
2. You can't deduct points because of weather. Winter of 1963 there'd be teams with negative points!
3. Again , you can't penalise clubs purely because of weather. If our game next week is postponed, would you be happy to lose points and play the fixture away? No, I thought not.
4. Isn't that the same as 2?
5. I believe (and I might be wrong) that train tickets may be refundable if not used.

From a safety aspect, it's about the terracing (if there is any), the approaches to the stadium, ice on the car parks and so on.

Just a thought - would it be possible to insure against a postponement to refund TZ fares?

RobM said:

1. Way to go. Make a decision by the time the visiting coaches are due to leave.
2. You can't deduct points because of weather. Winter of 1963 there'd be teams with negative points!
3. Again , you can't penalise clubs purely because of weather. If our game next week is postponed, would you be happy to lose points and play the fixture away? No, I thought not.
4. Isn't that the same as 2?
5. I believe (and I might be wrong) that train tickets may be refundable if not used.

From a safety aspect, it's about the terracing (if there is any), the approaches to the stadium, ice on the car parks and so on.

Just a thought - would it be possible to insure against a postponement to refund TZ fares?

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4 isn't the same as 2. 2 is docked a point and game gets re-arranged. 4 is game is awarded to opposition.

RobM said:

Just a thought - would it be possible to insure against a postponement to refund TZ fares?

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The coaches have to be paid for, if you want to insure you'll put the cost of the travel up.

OldBlueLady said:

The coaches have to be paid for, if you want to insure you'll put the cost of the travel up.

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It would increase the cost, I know - anyone any idea how much to insure against postponement, or even if possible? Holiday insurance covers cancellations on a personal basis. I'm totally guessing.

Up the Shrimpers said:

Yeah nice local derbies at Bristol Rovers, Plymouth, Exeter, Yeovil, Newport, Cheltenham, FGR and maybe places like Cardiff, Bristol City, Swansea if they went down. If we are really lucky Truro might make it to the Football League:smile:
Oh plus Torquay they might get back one day.

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we'd probably end up in the Northern league!
(actually that is an Italian nationalist party so hopefully they would choose a different name)

OldBlueLady said:

I wonder if the club would consider playing this on a Monday night after one of the matches at Blackpool or Blackburn? I know that doesn't leave much recovery time for the team, but it would mean they could stay in the area and also give supporters the opportunity to take a short break.

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Bare in mind that the football authorities don't even factor in traveling fans when deciding on the timing of play off games and cup finals I'd say them doing this are about a million to one. Fans are an inconvenience to the football authorities.

Not everyone goes by coach or rail.

Oldham was the only game called off in the Football League, the only other team I can see that was called off was Salford's game, in the Conference North. It makes you think that Oldham should look at what they did to avoid a postponement and if they can improve it for the future. I read somewhere that they didn't put covers on, that can't be right?

ace said:

Not everyone goes by coach or rail.

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Really?! :dim:

Rootshallbloke said:

If anyone missed the refs comments earlier or couldn't be arsed to follow the earlier link here it is again. No consolation to those that wasted a journey and dosh but at least he explained why.

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Minor celeb spot: points to anyone who recognises the third bloke with the watering can...

DCC said:

Minor celeb spot: points to anyone who recognises the third bloke with the watering can...

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Lord Lucan or perhaps Tony Blair? Surely not Phil Brown?

Shrimper said:

Oldham was the only game called off in the Football League, the only other team I can see that was called off was Salford's game, in the Conference North. It makes you think that Oldham should look at what they did to avoid a postponement and if they can improve it for the future. I read somewhere that they didn't put covers on, that can't be right?

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According to their media, they did put the covers down the day before the match, Which you might say is ok, however they knew there would be sub zero temperatures for 3 nights running into match day (which is obviously not right). Also obviously knowing they have one of the coldest & highest grounds in the EFL for many years, they should have seen this coming.

P1ss poor communication from Oldham IMO,... some might say, the club wanted to to get the match called off in order for 3 extra players to recover for a relegation battle with Bury, and face us again at a later date in order for a better chance of a win.

mattitouk said:

According to their media, they did put the covers down the day before the match, Which you might say is ok, however they knew there would be sub zero temperatures for 3 nights running into match day (which is obviously not right). Also obviously knowing they have one of the coldest & highest grounds in the EFL for many years, they should have seen this coming.

P1ss poor communication from Oldham IMO,... some might say, the club wanted to to get the match called off in order for 3 extra players to recover for a relegation battle with Bury, and face us again at a later date in order for a better chance of a win.

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They could've issued a statement early on Saturday morning but did they f***. Who gives a stuff about the travelling fans? Certainly not Oldham. Didn't they charge £5 for home fans and £20 to ours for a game a few years ago?

Completely agree mate about your feelings about away travelling fans, making that journey. My heart goes out to them. But on the other hand, what were Oldham to do?.. The SZ coach left Southend around 7am.

To be fair, you can't call the game off at 7am on a winters morning, with a prediction of a sunny clear afternoon.
The pitch would have still been frozen at 7am. (& if they knew about weather conditions in the area, it should have been announced the night before, under the winter darkness), when I think it could have been playable 8 hours later by 3pm in the sun & with +C temperatures.

IMO.. This game could have had and should have continued to be fixture, I think the home club preferred it not to, for reasons that benefited them. They've had a nice rest, a few key injured players are nearly match fit again & trained with Manchester United's squad at their Carrington facility in the last few weeks.

Basically, something needs to change, but I don't know what exactly.

Oldham's main stand is on the south side of the pitch. That side probably would not have seen the sun at all during the morning. If they'd have issued a statement at 9.00 I would not have got to within 15 miles of Boundary Park and £50 lighter!
Amateurs springs to mind.

Sammy Shrimper said:

They could've issued a statement early on Saturday morning but did they f***. Who gives a stuff about the travelling fans? Certainly not Oldham. Didn't they charge £5 for home fans and £20 to ours for a game a few years ago?

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Yes, something that is still being lobbied about at the highest level.

mattitouk said:

IMO.. This game could have had and should have continued to be fixture, I think the home club preferred it not to, for reasons that benefited them.

Basically, something needs to change, but I don't know what exactly.

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Rubbish, the ref called it off because the frozen, hard ground was DANGEROUS to players. Having said that, I firmly believe it could and should have been called off at 9 a.m. after a proper pitch inspection.

DCC said:

Minor celeb spot: points to anyone who recognises the third bloke with the watering can...

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Simon Wood?

OldBlueLady said:

Yes, something that is still being lobbied about at the highest level.


Rubbish, the ref called it off because the frozen, hard ground was DANGEROUS to players. Having said that, I firmly believe it could and should have been called off at 9 a.m. after a proper pitch inspection.

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Thats a tough ask OBL. Somehow, we managed it in the late 80's until the late 90's??...and beyond...So why such an issue now,??....20 years later??

As for asking a ref to call off a match early, actually in the early hours of the morning, around 7 hours before kick off, is a stupid idea. It was -2 at that time, yet it was +6 by the time of kick off. If it was Charlton or Gillingham, fair enough. But our lads set off for a long away journey up north at the crack of dawn.

Again, your missing my point, you can only blame Oldham for this.!!....poor pitch, poor planning, & poor communication.

When you take into account printing thousands of progammes, ordering in food and drink etc... let alone stewards and other match day officials, this will hurt them more than us. We won't even take half the fans we were going to on a Saturday afternoon, as we will now know only a hanfull of that number will do the 900 mile round trip on a Tuesday work night in winter.

However in hindsight, if they knew what I think they had known, they should have advised us the night before.

On reflection. I think the game should have gone ahead. But asking the ref to call it off at the time he did, was a bad call. I think he should have had another look at the pitch at 3pm, considering the distance we traveled, and they were pouring boiling water on the pitch.

Let's stop grumbling against the postponed game (again) that never happened...

Instead.... Let's just all of us focus on Walsall, & 3 massive points at the weekend.

UTB

:happy:

mattitouk said:

Completely agree mate about your feelings about away travelling fans, making that journey. My heart goes out to them. But on the other hand, what were Oldham to do?.. The SZ coach left Southend around 7am.

To be fair, you can't call the game off at 7am on a winters morning, with a prediction of a sunny clear afternoon.
The pitch would have still been frozen at 7am. (& if they knew about weather conditions in the area, it should have been announced the night before, under the winter darkness), when I think it could have been playable 8 hours later by 3pm in the sun & with +C temperatures.

IMO.. This game could have had and should have continued to be fixture, I think the home club preferred it not to, for reasons that benefited them. They've had a nice rest, a few key injured players are nearly match fit again & trained with Manchester United's squad at their Carrington facility in the last few weeks.

Basically, something needs to change, but I don't know what exactly.

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The issue is Oldham didn’t take sufficient action to protect the pitch. They told me on the phone Friday morning that the pitch was fine and no expected problems. Temperatures Friday and Saturday were similar. Clearly, they hadn’t checked the pitch before matchday if it was found to be frozen. The pitch should have been checked Friday and if unplayable, action taken to remedy the situation or call the match off. They did neither. Oldham are a shambles.