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I have noticed in recent games that our pitch, previously commended (rightly) for it's quality, is noticeably cutting up badly in the pen area (at least at the Northam end). There seems to be much more sand/dry loam in it with a very bad bounce, cutting up etc. The pass/heads back of recent times from our outfield seems to be putting our keepers under more pressure as a result. I think this definitely contbributed to the Bart performance that he is (still) having nightmares about. Given that we like to play the ball on the ground from keeper out can't help feeling that at times this is an accident waiting to happen ?. This can be a glass half full/empty of course but given that most opposition keepers seem to hoof - I hope that that our groundsman gets the heavy roller out at HT just like the Rosebowl if we continue to play triangles in our box as we like to do!. Don't want to sound like Alan Titchmarsh......but can't help feeling that this is an accident waiting to happen?. Thoughts?.

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I was about to ask if this thread was from 2010... Anyone remember the massive scar Fonte left in the box when Hernandez scored for Man U? The topsoil replacement of summer 2010 doesn't seem to have gone as well as could have been expected.

Edited by The9
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lol. Have you not noticed how much more we water the pitch before matches these last two seasons? That will result in a softer pitch and as it is laid primarily on sand, the risk of divots is the price we pay but it does mean the balls zips about more and probably less risk of injury as the surface does give way a bit more. You may also have noticed our home record has improved!

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I have noticed in recent games that our pitch' date=' previously commended (rightly) for it's quality, is noticeably cutting up badly in the pen area (at least at the Northam end). There seems to be much more sand/dry loam in it with a very bad bounce, cutting up etc. The pass/heads back of recent times from our outfield seems to be putting our keepers under more pressure as a result. I think this definitely contbributed to the Bart performance that he is (still) having nightmares about. Given that we like to play the ball on the ground from keeper out can't help feeling that at times this is an accident waiting to happen ?. This can be a glass half full/empty of course but given that most opposition keepers seem to hoof - I hope that that our groundsman gets the heavy roller out at HT just like the Rosebowl if we continue to play triangles in our box as we like to do!. Don't want to sound like Alan Titchmarsh......but can't help feeling that this is an accident waiting to happen?. Thoughts?.[/quote']

 

Yep commented on this yesterday on one of the Bart bashing threads.When Morgan half-volleys the ball his foot takes out a lot of turf and soil thus putting said foot under the ball and not through it.Rickie does the same later on, so does Guly. Not the sort of thing you'd notice from the stands but on TV and replays it's pretty evident that the playing surface is playing tricks on them all of the time,especially when they're hitting shots first time.Probably doesn't happen at Staplewood which is why getting used to the actual match pitch is so important.

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lol. Have you not noticed how much more we water the pitch before matches these last two seasons? That will result in a softer pitch and as it is laid primarily on sand, the risk of divots is the price we pay but it does mean the balls zips about more and probably less risk of injury as the surface does give way a bit more. You may also have noticed our home record has improved!

 

I'm not looking to excuse him but I wondered whether as we water the pitch to speed up the ball do we do it at the training ground, it looked that the pace of the ball off the pitch was catching him out because he has hardly played at the stadium in the last few years.

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I'm not looking to excuse him but I wondered whether as we water the pitch to speed up the ball do we do it at the training ground, it looked that the pace of the ball off the pitch was catching him out because he has hardly played at the stadium in the last few years.

 

Fair point and I would be amazed if they did not similarly water the training pitch. Don't they occassionally train on the SMS pitch as well to get as close to match day conditions as they can? - where presumably they would have to use two keepers :)

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