Todays game is OFF

[Turnkey]

The covers were left on in front of the South Stand because as you know from your time as a volunteer they absorb heat so assist with warming that area of the pitch, the rest of the pitch had sun on it so didnt need any help. They are nearly always left on until later than the others.

Correct, and the very fact you say 'so assist with warming that area of the pitch' suggests it wasn't fit, therefore those statements saying it was utterly amazed me. I know that side once the frost gets in it needs temperatures of +5 and better for a couple of days to thaw properly.

[redblueuptoyou]

I don’t think people have as much of an issue with the match being called off, more the oh-so-confident comms over the past 24 hours.

No apology is not great. The club need to own this.

[Richard Petty]

The covers were left on in front of the South Stand because as you know from your time as a volunteer they absorb heat so assist with warming that area of the pitch, the rest of the pitch had sun on it so didnt need any help. They are nearly always left on until later than the others.

Correct, and the very fact you say 'so assist with warming that area of the pitch' suggests it wasn't fit, therefore those statements saying it was utterly amazed me. I know that side once the frost gets in it needs temperatures of +5 and better for a couple of days to thaw properly.

Out of respect I will not argue or nit pick but its not that straightforward as you know

[Les Briley]

I'm annoyed. Made the trip from Christchurch game was on at 12.45 well so the BBC said. I guess I'm partly to blame too as I didn't check on the club webiste before I left, but the club were confident that the game was on and t find that the game wasn't called off until about 1.30 is a joke. Spent and hour in Costco instead, not quite the same but we did need some loo roll.

[lowerbourneshot]

.....but it was the Referee who called it off, always a possibility.

Jeez, are you really as dumb as you make out? I can't imagine you are. You must be on a wind-up.

"A totally unambiguous message about the game being on" means, if you need it explaining, the possibility of the referee calling it off has been discounted.

....oh well, a 5th tier game got postponed in January, I'm sure you'll get over it.

You must have an agenda Les

[Turnkey]

The covers were left on in front of the South Stand because as you know from your time as a volunteer they absorb heat so assist with warming that area of the pitch, the rest of the pitch had sun on it so didnt need any help. They are nearly always left on until later than the others.

Correct, and the very fact you say 'so assist with warming that area of the pitch' suggests it wasn't fit, therefore those statements saying it was utterly amazed me. I know that side once the frost gets in it needs temperatures of +5 and better for a couple of days to thaw properly.

Out of respect I will not argue or nit pick but its not that straightforward as you know

I beg to differ Richard. If there was any element of doubt, the club should not have made those tweets, that's pretty straightforward to me.

[FloridaPhil]

Today the Ref turned up at just before 1pm walked the pitch and called it off. He did nothing wrong from a regulation point of view so no grounds for complaint but perhaps had we had last weeks Ref the outcome may very well have been different. Unfortunately we will never know but the club staff, groundstaff and many hard working volunteers some regulars but also some one off's who turned up this morning did absolutely everything they possibly could have done to get the game on and to have it called off like that is not just a dissapointment for everyone coming but a kick in the teeth to all those who had put so much effort in.

As you know Richard, I spent a good few years working on the pitch and our golden rule was never to say anything if there was any kind of element of doubt whether the pitch would be fit or not. That fact that the South Stand side remained covered until late suggests to me there WAS an element of doubt, therefore the Club shouldn't have put those tweets out saying game on, and having done so, really need to take some ownership of this situation. As seen just from this thread, quite a few people brought tickets and made journeys of the back of those tweets, and IMHO deserve and apology for their inconvenience. For them to still sit on their hands and say nothing doesn't sit well with me.

The covers were left on in front of the South Stand because as you know from your time as a volunteer they absorb heat so assist with warming that area of the pitch, the rest of the pitch had sun on it so didnt need any help. They are nearly always left on until later than the others.

If the sun doesn’t get on to he strip in front of the South Stand, where is the heat (that the covers absorb) expected to come from?

[Richard Petty]

Correct, and the very fact you say 'so assist with warming that area of the pitch' suggests it wasn't fit, therefore those statements saying it was utterly amazed me. I know that side once the frost gets in it needs temperatures of +5 and better for a couple of days to thaw properly.

Out of respect I will not argue or nit pick but its not that straightforward as you know

I beg to differ Richard. If there was any element of doubt, the club should have made those tweets, that's pretty straightforward to me.

But that's the whole point Turnkey which I did make in my post everyone was confident, no one even the most experienced member of the ground staff (who you know and I am sure respect) was thinking otherwise.

[Richard Petty]

As you know Richard, I spent a good few years working on the pitch and our golden rule was never to say anything if there was any kind of element of doubt whether the pitch would be fit or not. That fact that the South Stand side remained covered until late suggests to me there WAS an element of doubt, therefore the Club shouldn't have put those tweets out saying game on, and having done so, really need to take some ownership of this situation. As seen just from this thread, quite a few people brought tickets and made journeys of the back of those tweets, and IMHO deserve and apology for their inconvenience. For them to still sit on their hands and say nothing doesn't sit well with me.

The covers were left on in front of the South Stand because as you know from your time as a volunteer they absorb heat so assist with warming that area of the pitch, the rest of the pitch had sun on it so didnt need any help. They are nearly always left on until later than the others.

If the sun doesn’t get on to he strip in front of the South Stand, where is the heat (that the covers absorb) expected to come from?

Ambient temperature

[larbyshot]

As you know Richard, I spent a good few years working on the pitch and our golden rule was never to say anything if there was any kind of element of doubt whether the pitch would be fit or not. That fact that the South Stand side remained covered until late suggests to me there WAS an element of doubt, therefore the Club shouldn't have put those tweets out saying game on, and having done so, really need to take some ownership of this situation. As seen just from this thread, quite a few people brought tickets and made journeys of the back of those tweets, and IMHO deserve and apology for their inconvenience. For them to still sit on their hands and say nothing doesn't sit well with me.

The covers were left on in front of the South Stand because as you know from your time as a volunteer they absorb heat so assist with warming that area of the pitch, the rest of the pitch had sun on it so didnt need any help. They are nearly always left on until later than the others.

If the sun doesn’t get on to he strip in front of the South Stand, where is the heat (that the covers absorb) expected to come from?

It will come from the ground beneath. I've been watching water from an underground pipe melting the canal all day.

[Mytshot]

Out of respect I will not argue or nit pick but its not that straightforward as you know

I beg to differ Richard. If there was any element of doubt, the club should have made those tweets, that's pretty straightforward to me.

But that's the whole point Turnkey which I did make in my post everyone was confident, no one even the most experienced member of the ground staff (who you know and I am sure respect) was thinking otherwise.

Which is a surprise as in my 50 years supporting the club, the South Stand side has never survived those sort of temperatures.

[Turnkey]

Out of respect I will not argue or nit pick but its not that straightforward as you know

I beg to differ Richard. If there was any element of doubt, the club should have made those tweets, that's pretty straightforward to me.

But that's the whole point Turnkey which I did make in my post everyone was confident, no one even the most experienced member of the ground staff (who you know and I am sure respect) was thinking otherwise.

I know exactly what you're saying Richard, and I know everyone else was confident. But there was an ELEMENT of doubt, so the club shouldn't have encouraged people to travel until the ref confirmed it was on or off. To say it is definitely on and to come down without that confirmation was reckless by the club IMHO, that's the point I want to make.

[redblueuptoyou]

I beg to differ Richard. If there was any element of doubt, the club should have made those tweets, that's pretty straightforward to me.

But that's the whole point Turnkey which I did make in my post everyone was confident, no one even the most experienced member of the ground staff (who you know and I am sure respect) was thinking otherwise.

I know exactly what you're saying Richard, and I know everyone else was confident. But there was an ELEMENT of doubt, so the club shouldn't have encouraged people to travel until the ref confirmed it was on or off. To say it is definitely on and to come down without that confirmation was reckless by the club IMHO, that's the point I want to make.

This is what I said earlier. People would generally be understanding of the match being called off (and grateful for the grounds team and volunteers doing all they can to try and get it on) but are annoyed with the bullish/optimistic comms that were put out - with no apology since.

[CH]

I don’t think people have as much of an issue with the match being called off, more the oh-so-confident comms over the past 24 hours.

No apology is not great. The club need to own this.

Exactly.

[Les Briley]

Jeez, are you really as dumb as you make out? I can't imagine you are. You must be on a wind-up.

"A totally unambiguous message about the game being on" means, if you need it explaining, the possibility of the referee calling it off has been discounted.

....oh well, a 5th tier game got postponed in January, I'm sure you'll get over it.

You must have an agenda Les

Do I ?, just seeing a game called off on a cold January day , a distinct possibility in winter