Rochadle Vs Saints - OFF

[Blackheathan]

This postponement is rubbish I made a weekend of this as the Missus was seeing relatives in Manchester. I watched Rochdale play their rugby union fixture on a perfect pitch half a mile from Spotland this is all because they share with the rugby league side and the pitch can't take it

[rocknrollman no2]

cant believe all the criticism of Rochdale. We got ourselves in this 'noddy' league so accept it. How can Rochdale have a pitch like our on their budget and rainfall you morons.

Tis frustrating but dont start slagging off smaller clubs - no wonder Brighton and others hate us for arrogance - dont blame them for some of the muppets posting here.

 

Yet other teams around that area didnt postpone their games?

A lot of people(me included), spent a lot of time and money making arrangements to go to this game,only to have it called off 5 hours before the start.This is not good enough.

Perhaps Rochdale shouldnt be allowed to play rugby on the same pitch?

[The9]

We have another 18 games to play in just over two months! Doesn't sound like good news to me especially as all the other teams have less and will therefore be fresher!

 

...if still worse teams.

[ericofarabia]

I remember when a Premiership club called Southampton had a game called off because the toilets were frozen (the pitch was fine).

 

Ice burn of the buttocks is serious business.

 

If i remember correctly water pipes had burst and a large area of the terracing under the stands was covered in ice as well. Elf & Safety issue.

 

These Northerners though are pretty soft - remember a few years ago Sheff Wed had to cancel a few games because of a few drops of rain -

 

[Saint_John]

I see Rochdale have given an "apology" and "their reasons" for the game being called off

http://www.rochdaleafc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10441~2301024,00.html

Unfortunately the worst 12 hours of weather in the week fell over Friday night and Saturday morning and the heavy rain left the Spotland pitch with standing water,

It was predicted but the picture only shows one small cover.

 

 

Prior to the Southampton postponement the ground staff had conducted sample tests on the drains that were constructed in the summer of 2006, at the time approximately £50,000 was spent on a new drainage and an irrigation system, the sample tests concluded that the drains were working well,

How do you test drains without pouring on lots of water ? and was this really done PRIOR to the Saints game when rain was forecast ??

 

 

Last summer a further £50,000 was invested in a new pitch which included a fibre-sand top to assist with the drainage but also to give the pitch more stability

This seems like a waste of £50k because I cannot see much "fibre-sand" on that pitch?

 

 

The club have for a number of years had frost covers to help protect the pitch from freezing temperatures, the cost of these covers was approximately £15,000, two years ago there was a further investment in frost covers when double skinned covers were purchased to cover the Main Stand side of the pitch and this gives us double protection on an area of the pitch where the sun doesn't shine during the winter months.

Couldn't they have used these to stop the water getting on the pitch ?

 

 

Following our F A Cup match against Football Club United of Manchester the club looked in to the possibility of purchasing some covers similar to those used to protect the pitch from the rain in the lead up to the game.

So for a Sky game they knew they had to protect the pitch from the rain ? yet I can see only one cover for our game

 

 

On Saturday our game against Southampton was postponed due to the amount of rain that fell in a short period of time, obviously we have had other postponements this season due to snow and a frozen pitch as well as the abandonment of the Oldham game due to a waterlogged pitch.

They seem to know they have a problem with their pitch but there appears to have been very little attempt to cover the pitch when heavy rain was forecast. Did they want the game called off ?

[Rory]

Jeez, who cares?