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View Full Version : Real Grass Real Problems, don't freak just read



bhoybobby
05-20-2008, 10:45 PM
Not a rehash of old shit, just some additional perspective for what it's worth:

Uefa insists problem pitch won't spoil Champions League final





http://editorial.jpress.co.uk/web/Upload/TS//TH1_205200817uefapitch.jpg
The synthetic surface at the Luzhniki Stadium has been relaid with imported grass from Slovakia for tonight’s final Picture: Getty
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Published Date: 21 May 2008
By IAN RODGERS
THERE are fears that a new pitch laid to host tonight's Champions League final could ruin the spectacle of European club football's showpiece match.

Chelsea and Manchester United go head-to-head at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow this evening in the first all-English final, with the stadium's artificial pitch replaced by a grass surface for the glamour match.

A first grass surface was laid on top of the artificial surface in October, but the procedure was not a success and new turf was brought in 16 days ago from Slovakia at a cost of an additional £160,000 after the initial outlay of just over £1.5 million.

Now European football's governing body is at odds with their own British groundsman, Matthew Frost, over the condition of the turf. Frost, who has been overseeing the installation of the pitch since last September, says the pitch is of a poorer quality than he would expect to find in the English Premier.

Groundstaff have worked through the night on the surface in an attempt to repair bare patches and a bumpy surface where blocks of frozen grass have not bedded down well.

Frost said: "I'm totally disappointed with the whole project and what we're presenting for the final. It's acceptable, but it's a big personal disappointment for me and the project as a whole because things haven't gone very well from the start, to be honest. That's Russia I'm afraid. It's not a perfect world."

Frost said it was never going to be possible to lay a pitch with average winter temperatures averaging minus five degrees Celsius.

He said that he finally managed to persuade the authorities to lay a new pitch which was put down 15 days ago.

"If I hadn't persuaded them and used the old one it would have been a catastrophe."

He said the main problem with the pitch now was how it looked and the consistency of the "ball roll".

But Frost's anxiety was at odds with Uefa president Michel Platini, who insisted the pitch would not be a problem.

The former France internationalist said: "I think we should wait until the players have trained on it and the coaches have seen it first. They are the ones who will decide on the state of the pitch. But I have not heard of any problems so far."

Platini was backed by Uefa general secretary and former Scottish Football Association chief executive David Taylor, who said the turf was "perfectly playable". Taylor said: "Uefa officials have seen the pitch and have reported that it is perfectly playable with no problems raised. The only problem is that the colour may not be ideal, but the pitch is playable."

"There have been a lot of comments from Mr Frost ... but he was responsible for the state of the pitch."

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard also assured supporters that, while the Luzhniki surface may not have the lustre of a Premier League pitch, the pitch will be perfectly playable tonight.

"We are slightly worried about the look of it," he said. "In terms of the quality, we have made some tests in the last few days and it is perfectly fine. It may not look very, very green on television, but, essentially, it is a good pitch to play football on."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was just happy not to be playing on an artificial surface. "The fact they have relaid it from Astroturf to turf is a big delight to me," said Ferguson. "We are happy in that sense."

Corpand
05-20-2008, 10:59 PM
Bring em to BMO, where a REAL pitch awaits.....wait....

Tomorrow's match is gonna be huge, shitty pitch or not.

Red CB Toronto
05-20-2008, 11:24 PM
Real grass is nice and all, I know a lot of people here on the board want it at BMO, but the time and effort to mantain it can be quite time consuming and it really bad weather strikes the need to replace will rear its ugly head.

Laurignano
05-20-2008, 11:28 PM
not this topic agian...

Red CB Toronto
05-20-2008, 11:32 PM
I think we need to lay it to rest until something happens one way or another.

Fort York Redcoat
05-21-2008, 06:20 AM
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'm listening to fivelive right now and all their doing is bitching about the state of the pitch. It's rubbish!

We are only talking about the Ruzniki Sttadium, right?

Stugatzo
05-21-2008, 06:23 AM
Let's keep in mind it is imported Slovakian grass....not exactly a nation known for producing good grass...oh wait, we're talking about lawn here....never mind... :-)

ensco
05-21-2008, 06:27 AM
I don't think this really is relevant to the "turf vs grass" debate

When you lay grass temporarily, it has a high risk of "not taking"

A true grass field, appropriately tarped to protect against the elements, with several weeks of care (which Edmonton clearly did not get for the Galaxy game), will almost always be fine.

The only time turf will trump a well-cared for grass field is (i) in the bitter cold (unless the grass is heated) or (ii) if there's been a huge amount of rain directly before and during the match

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
05-21-2008, 08:29 AM
Real grass is nice and all, I know a lot of people here on the board want it at BMO, but the time and effort to mantain it can be quite time consuming and it really bad weather strikes the need to replace will rear its ugly head.


Columbus pitch....and aslo chicago's pitch is very well kept! and have same weather conditions here...Id have to disagree with your comment...if anyone has the time and money its MLSE

stugautz
05-21-2008, 08:30 AM
I think we can all agree that the English will always blame the pitch (real or fake) for their losses in Moscow. I call it home field advantage.

Don Julio
05-21-2008, 08:58 AM
Columbus pitch....and aslo chicago's pitch is very well kept! and have same weather conditions here...Id have to disagree with your comment...if anyone has the time and money its MLSE

That's not true. Chicago is 4°F warmer on average than Toronto and Columbus is 8°F warmer on average. Both get almost 10" more precipitation annually also.

Not to say it's not possible to have a quality grass pitch here...

graeme117
05-21-2008, 09:11 AM
I think we can all agree that the English will always blame the pitch (real or fake) for their losses in Moscow. I call it home field advantage.

lol... low blow... we miss out on euro and now have to take pitch stick for the next four years :o

greatwhitenorf
05-21-2008, 10:29 AM
You can't use this situation as the fulcrum to lever up all arguments against grass. It's the preferred playing surface for so many reasons we can't possibly list them all.

If a plastic pitch was palatable to the players, it would be played on today. But to use a temporary situation as the basis for an argument against grass is way off base.

Grass Kicks Ass. And that's the name of that tune.

Toronto Ruffrider
05-21-2008, 12:20 PM
That's not true. Chicago is 4°F warmer on average than Toronto and Columbus is 8°F warmer on average. Both get almost 10" more precipitation annually also.

Not to say it's not possible to have a quality grass pitch here...

I would need to see some web links, because I question your numbers. I find it hard to believe that a city in Ohio could be about 4-5C warmer on average than Toronto. For what it's worth, the average annual temperature in central Toronto is 9.2C (48.6F)

http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=ONT%20&StationName=&SearchType=&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&CityName=&ParkName=&LatitudeDegrees=&LatitudeMinutes=&LongitudeDegrees=&LongitudeMinutes=&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=5051&