Showgrounds is a "Farmers Field"

**red_all_rover** · 04/05/2006, 8:43 AM

Originally Posted by Moderator

http://foot.ie/showpost.php?p=431900&postcount=2

.....

**max power** · 04/05/2006, 8:58 AM

sorry but last season when we played in Tolka it was like a golf course with bunkers, holes filled with sand all over the place. Typical rubbish and excuses

**nephin** · 04/05/2006, 9:00 AM

Also a picture of Ray Gallagher "inspecting" the pitch in it too. Wonder what he has got to say about it all?

**nephin** · 04/05/2006, 9:08 AM

The surface of the pitch in the Showgrounds has been poor for a long time now and nothing had been done about it. Its time the problem was addressed. Can you imagine what it will be like later in the season. In fairness to the development commitee they have done some great things such as the new stand, the astro turf and the new boudary wall and turnstiles but i think they have forgotten the most important part and that is the pitch itself.

**Rory H** · 04/05/2006, 10:51 AM

coincidence that our home form is great and our away form is really poor????probably

**Dodge** · 04/05/2006, 11:21 AM

Agree with max power. Unbelievable cheek given the state of Tolka over the past 3/4 years

**pete** · 04/05/2006, 11:30 AM

Sure Fenlon & Ollie had that rant last year too only a few months after Tolka looked like had Tractor racing on it.

Sligo pitch looked rutted on tv so he probably has a point but can make that point in more constructive manner. Richmond park looke terrible a few weeks back but not so bad on friday.

I think some pitches suffer due to oveuse in the winter but we are now nearly 2 months into the season so surfaces should have improved by now.

**Mr A** · 04/05/2006, 11:55 AM

The thing is that summer football seems to have made pitches in the league worse rather than better. It's all very well to say Sligo should do something about the pitch- but the only time major work can take place is the close season when there's no growth and very little can be achieved. You can't do much in the summer as the pitch is constantly being played on. There's terrible pitches all around the league, and summer football has to take some of the blame.

**Rory H** · 04/05/2006, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Galway Harps

The thing is that summer football seems to have made pitches in the league worse rather than better. It's all very well to say Sligo should do something about the pitch- but the only time major work can take place is the close season when there's no growth and very little can be achieved. You can't do much in the summer as the pitch is constantly being played on. There's terrible pitches all around the league, and summer football has to take some of the blame.

^^^good point

i suppose when the wc up is on there will be a break to allow extensive work and with us being away in the fai cup there is a 2 week break soon......it just we havent lost at home so why would be spend money on changing the pitch when it isnt have a bad affect on us

**Fivesilver** · 04/05/2006, 1:40 PM

Originally Posted by wild rover

why would be spend money on changing the pitch when it isnt have a bad affect on us

You don't reckon we're doing well at home despite the bad pitch, rather than because of it? We play most of our most effective football on the ground. As someone pointed out, there aren't too many teams who do better away from home.
Sort the pitch out, Rovers.

As for Fenlon, what would you expect? Shels never legitimately fail to win a game. And you'll always have some lazy-arsed Dublin hack willing to transcribe a Dub manager's whinge, all the better if it's some ignorant jibe maintaining everyone outside the capital is a farmer.

**Rory H** · 04/05/2006, 1:45 PM

maybe im looking at it the wrong way but im just superstituous

**avvenalaf** · 04/05/2006, 7:03 PM

Fivesilver, that is hardly a 'constructive' reply. What's the point in shhoting the messenger. The pitch is a disgrace. Sean Connor put down the better away form early last season to the better quality pitches away from home so it's not as if the MC don't know about it. You're a bit hard on Pat Fenlon - remember when the controversy arose about the cup match in Tolka, he was very quick out of the traps to say Rovers won it fair and square.

**Conor H** · 04/05/2006, 8:00 PM

Most pitches in this league are crap.Harps have got alot of complaints aswell as has Turners.

Terryland has had a reputation as the best pitch in Ireland for years,although it's not as good as it was it's still up there....by a long shot in the 1st.
What other good pitches are there?

**thejollyrodger** · 04/05/2006, 8:49 PM

HAHAHA...and its so true.. same with 1/2 the other crap grounds we have to play in. Why cant the rest of the EL have a decent pitch like ours ??

**Fivesilver** · 04/05/2006, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by avvenalaf

Fivesilver, that is hardly a 'constructive' reply. . . You're a bit hard on Pat Fenlon

Being constructive wasn't exactly my intention. Was Fenlon's intention to be constructive, or condescending?

"just like a farmer's field"

"someone forgot to tell them that the pitch needs to be worked on"

"It is very frustrating because it is a great leveller for teams that are not as good as you."

Charming fellow really.

Presumably, Fenlon's entitled to go on like this because he was annoyed - just as a Rovers fan might be annoyed by the implication that we're 1 - mucksavages, 2 - a bit thick and ignorant of what makes for a good ground, and 3 - trying to use a bad pitch to bring our "betters" down to our level.

I'd love to see our pitch improved, as I've said before on this forum.

**Mr A** · 04/05/2006, 10:28 PM

A lot of pitches in the league have been there for a long time and aren't suited to the treatment they're getting now. I don't think major work can be done in 2 or 3 weeks in the summer- although the situation should improve somewhat obviously, so ultimately this is just something we're likely to have to live with while we play summer soccer. I thought better pitches was a powerful argument in favour of the change of seasons, but it's turned out to wrong- nearly all the pitches seem to be worse.

**Bravo** · 05/05/2006, 9:05 AM

If I am not mistaken the Showgrounds Pitch was resurfaced during the close season of the first season of Summer Football, for the first 4-6 weeks we played on a very patchy surface & its never been right since, I think that might have been the year we played Shams in a pre-season and Roddy Collins complained like **** about it to (and them with no pitch).

**Redzer** · 05/05/2006, 9:58 AM

Is the problem the pitch or the maintenance the pitch gets?
It's time IMO to bring in a professional grass maintenance company who will look after the pitch.
It's no point just going out the morning of a match and cutting the grass.
I was in there one morning and the guy on the mower must have thought he was in Mondello, the speed he was going round.

**nephin** · 05/05/2006, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by Redzer

It's time IMO to bring in a professional grass maintenance company who will look after the pitch.
.

Spot on Redzer.

**Red4Eva** · 05/05/2006, 3:51 PM

Originally Posted by Bravo

If I am not mistaken the Showgrounds Pitch was resurfaced during the close season of the first season of Summer Football

before 2003 season there were two trenches dug along the half way line and along the stand so they could put in new drainage. there was loadsa debris left in the ground on the new stand side back then as well and that touchline was bobbly as f*ck. is it actually possible to rectify this problem mid-season our budget? i doubt it but money will have to be spent in the winter cos it does not suit our player whatever that big lugged g*mp sez. bit rich coming from shels cos i remember plenty of times in the past tolka wasn't much better. hopefully when the FAI take over they will spend money on bringin pitches up to a reasonable standard