Todays game is OFF

[Marcus ex W.Midlands Shot]

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.

Exactly.

To expand further on my earlier post, I read the same social media posts that we all did which insisted that there was no need for an inspection and that the covers were off and the pitch was looking good.

If those posts had said "The pitch is playable and we expect the match referee to confirm that the game goes ahead when he arrives at around 1pm" then I would have changed my schedule to arrive a little later. I could have stopped at about 1pm (and then again at 1.20pm if the inspection hadn't been concluded) to check Shotsweb or even call the club. I would not have gone past South Mimms Services at junction 23 of the M25 without confirmation that the game was definitely ON.

But instead of actually communicating relevant information such as - the referee will arrive at 1pm - the club's employees decided to use their social media posts to congratulate themselves on a good job well done. So I spent an extra two and a half hours on the road that was never necessary and covered 100 unnecessary miles and paid for parking I didn't need.

Thanks a bunch, ATFC social media team.

[redblueuptoyou]

The post delivering the bad news seemed to have a tone to it, didn’t it?

[Old Bob]

....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

I would give up, mate, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.

[HackJowarth]

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.

Exactly.

To expand further on my earlier post, I read the same social media posts that we all did which insisted that there was no need for an inspection and that the covers were off and the pitch was looking good.

If those posts had said "The pitch is playable and we expect the match referee to confirm that the game goes ahead when he arrives at around 1pm" then I would have changed my schedule to arrive a little later. I could have stopped at about 1pm (and then again at 1.20pm if the inspection hadn't been concluded) to check Shotsweb or even call the club. I would not have gone past South Mimms Services at junction 23 of the M25 without confirmation that the game was definitely ON.

But instead of actually communicating relevant information such as - the referee will arrive at 1pm - the club's employees decided to use their social media posts to congratulate themselves on a good job well done. So I spent an extra two and a half hours on the road that was never necessary and covered 100 unnecessary miles and paid for parking I didn't need.

Thanks a bunch, ATFC social media team.

Just my opinion, the Chairman should reach out to you and invite you down for a future game. Great PR. Sorry you had a wasted journey.

[Les Briley]

You must have an agenda Les

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

I would give up, mate, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.

Ah, well, you know best

[karlready]

The post delivering the bad news seemed to have a tone to it, didn’t it?

My thoughts exactly. As if the one, albeit small, area of the pitch was an irrelevance. The players could have been asked to avoid the inconvenience of a small bone -hard patch.

[FloridaPhil]

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

Surely not in the recent low temperatures?!

[FloridaPhil]

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.

Well we obviously don’t have such hot underground pipes as that area is crap for thawing!!

[DaveC]

I imagine the League will want to look at the circumstances of this, it is surely the duty of a club to agree with the match referee arrangements for an early inspection if there is any doubt about a match taking place. Possibly a fine, or at least compensation for Solihull?

[chimpster99]

Of course it's possible that everyone in our club felt the surface would be fine but the ref had a different view. With the standard of officiating in this league, nothing would surprise me. When I've seen Aaron Farmer in the past he's always seemed full of himself and a bit trigger happy.

[lowerbourneshot]

Of course it's possible that everyone in our club felt the surface would be fine but the ref had a different view. With the standard of officiating in this league, nothing would surprise me. When I've seen Aaron Farmer in the past he's always seemed full of himself and a bit trigger happy.

Unlike the club communication that to be fair was very smug in look at us way we've got the game on .

[Graham Stovold]

Fair play to the Solihull fans for coming down to Alton to watch the game, they seemed to have got over the disappointment & made the most of it.

[Shots1954]

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.

Exactly.

To expand further on my earlier post, I read the same social media posts that we all did which insisted that there was no need for an inspection and that the covers were off and the pitch was looking good.

If those posts had said "The pitch is playable and we expect the match referee to confirm that the game goes ahead when he arrives at around 1pm" then I would have changed my schedule to arrive a little later. I could have stopped at about 1pm (and then again at 1.20pm if the inspection hadn't been concluded) to check Shotsweb or even call the club. I would not have gone past South Mimms Services at junction 23 of the M25 without confirmation that the game was definitely ON.

But instead of actually communicating relevant information such as - the referee will arrive at 1pm - the club's employees decided to use their social media posts to congratulate themselves on a good job well done. So I spent an extra two and a half hours on the road that was never necessary and covered 100 unnecessary miles and paid for parking I didn't need.

Thanks a bunch, ATFC social media team.

Just my opinion, the Chairman should reach out to you and invite you down for a future game. Great PR. Sorry you had a wasted journey.

That's exactly what should happen HJ

[Shots1954]

I imagine the League will want to look at the circumstances of this, it is surely the duty of a club to agree with the match referee arrangements for an early inspection if there is any doubt about a match taking place. Possibly a fine, or at least compensation for Solihull?

That is so right Dave

[Rba]

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.

This is the best post on the subject....last night a poster was ridiculed by others that the game would be called off and that the temperature would not go below -4. The game would be on.
I think those that know better should be quiet until the official on the day says it's on or not...it's almost as if the club has no discipline .
Still I was lucky saw 5 goals and a missed penalty today.
At least we did not lose.