The winter freeze has left us with no scottish fixtures at all. That is except an Alloa match, that we all watched, across the globe, what a massive match it was.
Other than that we have had snow, snow and snow. Nothing to do with Evander at all but the white stuff causes so many problems.
After football started in the 1800’s, it has surpassed plagues, world wars and an almost went bust totally in the 70s but it still survived.
The point being well over a hundred years after football started how the f**k have we not developed a way to deal with a bit of snow?
It makes football come to a halt at least once every year but yet in the days of undersoil heating, heated turf covers, salt gritters and extensive amounts of groundsmen, how can we not deal with the snow?
I know Scotland has had a few teams that toyed with the idea of plastic pitches and some that actually had the pitches installed.
The players, even though snow surrounded, are still training as per usual, some teams resorting to indoor training. This got the brain hamster running into overdrive.
I prose this, would it be a good idea in winter to have a full set of match size indoor artificial or proper turf indoor pitch/’es that any scottish team with issues could use?
What issues could arise from the above idea?
Would it cause some moments of in-equality between bigger and smaller teams?
Are there any other options we could resort to, to get matches played in these extreme conditions?
Or would it be wiser just to re-install the winter break and stop the Christmas periods football fixture fun?
The stage is yours football fanatics, what do you think?
I’ve long said that clubs should be allowed to have fake turf pitches. We’re a northern European country and it’s about time we behaved like one.
Shutdown from Jan to Feb.
Plus the league is bankrupt these fake turf pitches will bring in income for the diddy teams. So, expect to see it installed at the pox.
Excellent LOTW! I (now) also think that artificial pitches are the way ahead for wee teams. Now that we have the £G versions so that the players don`t have to retire early due to dodgy knees and ankles and hips too!
At least I heard ref Eddie Smith being mentioned when I listened to a report of Scotlands match of the day.
My early days of observing football were enhanced (?)by tales of junior clubs using braziers to thaw the pitch for cup replays. 🙂 Celtic used to use huge piles of straw to play on hard but flat pitches. It got the game on but stripped the grass from the pitch and left a dust bowl by April. Modern grass pitches are pampered fops!
Saw the goals that Spurs scored in the CL and if `Arry hasn`t got a clipboard he does have luck!!
cheers, I’m feed up listening to politicians, official doom and moaning chunts about this weather. why has it come as a surprise? cause folk won’t accept that we are up the baltic end of europe and should be looking to other countries up the baltic end of europe at how they handle this weather then spend some money to ensure that some white stuff doesn’t see the country grind to a halt.
i blame dallas myself.
see big eck for the definition of lucky manager.
Every SPL team should have the facility of a playable surface, exept in the face of extremely severe weather, if they can’t provide that they shouldn’t be in the premier (sic) league.
But it’s no good having a decent playing surface if no one can can get there due to road conditions, as happened last Saturday!
I think this current weather proves just how useless a winter break would be, unless of course it’s going to be from November until the begining of March!
Whats the good in having a ‘break’ in Jan or Feb if we’re having postpone the entire SPL fixture list at the begining of Dec because of heavy snow falls in late Nov?
Ianin, are you sure Celtic actually played on straw?
I thought the straw was laid over the pitch the night before a game to protect it from any over night/morning frost and lifted before the game was played.
Ps. astroturf is crap and would only make Scottish teams even worse when it came to European games on the real McCoy.
re fake turf, doesn’t seem to do the russians, swiss or the danes any harm in europe. hell, some of those players can even pass the ball to each other.
Astroturf aint gonna turn mediocre players into Euro winners, infact I would imagine quite the opposite!
playing on a decent surface then means you have to sign players that can grasp the basics. not scott brown.
A lot of the call off’s not down to un-playable pitches.
It’s the supporter’s safety, and with this being the ‘compensation claiming generation’, clubs,police etc not taking any chances,with fans safety.
My only solution to try and make up for the call offs, that we usually experience around this time and onwards,is squeezing several extra games into September/November.
Clubs play 3 games a week, give them the Finances they need to keep there club’s ticking over.
“Then you have got the Fans, could they afford 3 games a week”?
Artificial pitches IMO are not the answer,as I mentioned about the Travelling issues etc, But clubs such as Motherwell should maybe consider it.
The Last few seasons they have paid out £500 K on maintenance on there pitch, aswell as a lot of Money on Fines, due to the condition of there pitch after this sort of weather.
And the money they lose on having to postpone matches due to that pitch aswell is hitting there club hard.
Doing winter shut-downs or starting the league earlier has it’s question mark’s also, every 2 and 4 years we have the Euro’s and World Cup,(possible clashes)??
Stay the way we are, Only the strong survive, Let these wee diddy teams go to the Wall, There is to many Football Clubs in ScotLand and that is a bigger issue over postponements, artificial pitches etc.
Wee are a country of about 5 million folk, 42 professional teams is to much, We need that slashed to about 24 teams.
Spartak Moscow have the top of the range Artificial surface, and the opposition teams hate it, there is a lot of write up’s about it online, player’s/Manager’s not in favour of it.
That Young Boys of somewhere, (Switzerland?) got similar surface,same sort of issues and complaints,and teams like Luton Town and Dunfermline had them and it created similar problem’s.
Jimmy Greaves once say’s ” It’s a Funny Old Game “… It’s not funny anymore Jimmy, starting to become a ” Pain in the rear old game ”
What I would like to see happen,”Let’s Join the English when they calling for country’s to Join them in pulling out from under the umberella of FiFa”.
Let’s do it I say and get involved in some British/European super league, and let the Alloa’s and Motherwell’s of this world sort there own issue’s out.
It doesn’t matter a Jot what Scottish football does IMO as I can’t see it ever recovering, This is just one of the many problem’s Scottish football is faced with,”and all the Diddy club’s, are a big anchor around our necks”
No doubt they will probably hate me for that attitude, but it’s the truth IMO, artificial pitches and all the McLeish reports etc etc, will not benefit the Celtic one IOTA.
Forever Celtic
SB67, Hail Hail
I agree, Scottish football needs downsized. Two professional leagues then a regional pyramid system involving the rest. The hope that we will ever leave is fanciful now. If we do it will be a puffin and penguin league not England.
Not all clubs would install fake turf. Clubs would get used to it. Alloa have used it for a number of seasons to not great advantage to their results. Nearly all clubs train on it now. Young Boys have also never had any advantage against the totteninghams in the big cup. They still went out.
It’s the future for our wee crappy nation.
@seltikbhoy67
Fair comment. Think you covered all the bases.
What is your view on the spl or scottish teams utilising indoor turf usage? I am aware that some dutch teams have the use of a grass that can grow indoors and is sustainable enough to be played on. Could a full 11aside match be played indoors?
Sean,
My answer would be yes,there could be indoor matches.
‘I’m sure Ajax, is it? Who got that roof that closes over in times like this’.
But what good is Football if There is no Fan’s ? The call off’s are down to Travelling and safety.
I would’nt be to Happy If on January Celtic played Ranger’s indoors somewhere but couldn’t get the opportunity to see it apart from on Telly.
Much would it cost to put roof’s over our stadium’s? The rangers can’t even afford to stick there big screen TV’s on these day’s.
Where would these matches be played indoor’s ?
Forever Celtic
SB67 Hail Hail
Bring back the tennents sixes.
Yes sorry Max. 🙂
The straw was removed to allow the game to be played. The grass didn`t like it much.
One of the drawbacks of undersoil heating is that we go to games when it is far too cold to be a seated spectator.
Might be an idea to play in an air conditioned stadium in a hot country. Fantasy football?
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