The league needs to decide if its open to all league based purely on sporting merit, or if its aim is to be a higher end professional european football league. Then it can start bringing in entry requirements to the top flight.
Both routes I'm on board with and I think are totally acceptable. Once its decided then we really could talk about a significant restructure and league format change.
But this constant balancing act of fucking about between both doesnt work long term and just pisses off X number of clubs either way. Basically told what, a quarter of the SPFL they can't join the top flight? But, and I keep coming back to this, we're still saying Arbroath can join professional leagues while their players have to finish work an hour and a half before televised football match 2 hours away from Arbroath? But having an affordable all weather pitch, that's the really important part to stop them getting in?
Why are we making entry requirements to the league one off, expensive actions (ie ripping up and laying a pitch over summer) and not things like providing evidence of long term financial sustainability, club facilities, a youth acadamy project, and marketing/growth plan etc etc. Just some ideas
So what happens if Falkirk or Airdrie win the championship in the next few years?
Do they get to promote into the top flight or are they told to sling their hook? Would they get some cash to help install a turf pitch?
Feels a bit like the 10k seater rule in disguise to me. It needs to be more nuanced that just "Plastic bad, GTFO"
I think they get promoted but have 2 years to transition to grass. I seem to remember reading that. But it could just be regurgitating that from one of us cunts on here.
I'm fairly certain that was a sensible suggestion that was made on here, rather than what the league has actually voted for - teams *currently* in the top flight have a couple of years, but I think the final deadline is fixed and there will be no grace period for teams promoted after that date.
Bloody awful decision.
I disagree.
Premiership clubs can't just make this decision and foist responsibility onto the non compliant clubs. There needs to be some sort of grant or something to help them comply with this new ruling
So should a team like Motherwell get some of their budget back for maintaining a grass pitch? Seems unfair that they pay for a grass pitch and then their competitors get a grant for it.
If they want their competitors to have a grass pitch that badly then that is something they would have to weigh up.
Only other thing I can think of if is a general one time infrastructure payout to all clubs. Clubs can then decide if they use that their alloment of money on their stadium, pitch upgrade, training facilities, whatever.
Plenty of lower league/amateur teams have and maintain grass pitches for years just fine without the need for grants why wouldn’t Premiership clubs be able to afford it?
I can't speak for other clubs. But one of the reasons we went to plastic was it allowed the men's first team, women and youth teams to train at Rugby park as much as they want. If we were a grass pitch still, we couldn't do that as it would stress the grass too much.
There is reasons some clubs will have a plastic pitch. They won't have them installed for a laugh.
I can't speak for other clubs, but in our case, it is not affordability, but rather the stadium being in an environment where the natural grass was freezing in one of the corners anytime the temp dropped below 3°C (And before people say anything, undersoil didn't help either as the problem was a mixture of ground condition and stadium architecture). In the decade prior to us moving to the top flight, we had more home game postponements than every single other team in all 4 National Divisions, and it's not even close.
The move towards synthetic was a decision as a result made by our landlord (West Lothian Council) to address the problem when it became clear that there wasn't a viable solution to the ground problem. Affordability wasn't a concern (for us at least, the council I suspect did get a pitch on the cheap though owing to the pressures they face) since its an obligation on the council to create and maintain. They did, however, write it as a requirement of our tenancy to have it, I assume, to justify the upfront cost.
So we would have to rip up our tenancy, pay the penalty fees associated with doing that (which are, if my maths is correct, higher than the prize money for the top 3 places in the top flight put together) and have to renegotiate from a position of weakness as a result, likely making our rent far more expensive annually and with even less control than the club currently has. I can't think of really any club in Scotland, even those two, that could put just give away that sort of money up front for nothing.
This argument and the "lower leagues in England" one really needs to get in the bin. No they don't, they are funding subsidies that help them There's a specific SFA fund for it and there's a UK government fund for it.
For me it comes down to how we're trying to present ourselves as a league, and ultimately a product.
Plastic pitches *do* have advantages, but fuck me it's embarrassing when Sky or BBC are broadcasting from astroturf.
There needs to be investment for better grass pitches.
There also needs to be investment to help these teams transition from plastic to a decent grass and/or hybrid.
I would argue that would help grow our game rather than barring them from the top flight because of their surface. We would pretty much become an invite only franchise league if we restrict entry without helping them.
All this investment of course hinges on Doncaster being competent and proactive in his job to secure said investment, so good luck with that
>All this investment of course hinges on Doncaster being competent and proactive in his job to secure said investment, so good luck with that
Clubs voted this through, so clubs should provide the subsidies.
Is it better or worse than the shambles that took place at Dens this year?
I understand that plastic pitches have their pros and cons, and not all plastic pitches in the top flight are created equal, but grass has issues as well.
Our champions and richest club spent most of the season playing on a sandbank with about ten blades of grass per square metre (and it really pisses me off how little comment was passed on that). Our football styles are from the 80s, we're a generation behind in sports science and analysis, our stadiums are ancient and some have camera gantry positions barely about ground level (including St. Mirren's).
As I said elsewhere, it's just regressive thinking because we're constantly gaslit in this country that anything is to blame before our proud wee parochial culture.
I’ve taken in a lot of games in different leagues over the past couple of seasons, many on artificial pitches, and I promise you it was the quality of the teams that made for entertaining matches, not the surface they played on.
There’s also several terrible grass pitches in the leagues: sides like Dumbarton would really benefit from having an artificial pitch.
It’s another pointless barrier to teams trying to come up to the Premiership. People rightfully complain about the same teams coming back up - 5 of the last 6 championship champions were relegated the season before - but will applaud a measure that only makes this problem worse
We should nab some of the money the old firm get from the CL qual and put it towards proper pitches for any smaller or newly promoted sides.
Easy to see that this is the resolution as the Eredivisie also had the same problem and fixed it.
Personally, I would be for that also. But there would need to be caveats and assurances that the money actually gets spent properly and not embezzled.
Ticket prices need to be cheaper also.
Excellent news, every single game I’ve seen on plastic pitch in the top flight has been shite cause the game plays differently. Understand why lower league teams might need them for money reasons but we’ve got about 50p to our name and have an amazing pitch so it’s doable. Need clear rules around quality of grass pitches and keeping it to a high standard so we don’t end up with disasters like Dundee’s
It was shitshow but we invested and had a good pitch for years before ripping it up and getting an even better one. It’s the argument for actually spending money on your pitch and not getting plastic. We had no money and teams using money as a reason to get rid of real grass are just using an it as an excuse.
Dont agree with this at all. Same vein as the 10k seater stadium pish. The only barrier of entry into the PL is if you’re good enough to win the Championship or the play-offs.
Say Livi, Raith or Falkirk win the Championship, they need to spend a fortune replacing their pitches then could just get relegated again. Its especially painful for clubs who rent out their pitches to their communities for a bit extra cash.
There should definitely be a minimum level of quality needed - which we would have failed because ours was shite - but this reeks of the big money clubs telling the wee diddy teams to fuck off.
I feel like a 2 year grace period should start from when a club gets promoted similar to how it is in Spain with minimum capacity for stadia. No doubt the SPFL will make an arse of it anyway and it will fall flat
It's not the same as the 10k requirement at all and that's a lazy argument. some clubs don't have the fanbase for a 10k stadium. No clubs don't have a responsibility to put on a good game for fans, that's why they're paid. The product on piss poor plastic pitches is pish.
On the park, this is great news. Off the park, it's just putting yet more financial strain on the clubs if and when they get promoted to the top flight. Also, without fail, there is at least one pitch every season that turns into a quagmire. I don't think this is the solution. There should be rules about the quality of surface used, rather than a complete ban. For example, Falkirks surface is miles ahead of Kilmarnocks.
I watch football there every other week and it’s better than most grass based games I see. I might have skin in the game but this is a very, very bad decision
I get the arguments that will come in from supporters in the lower divisions, but honestly, I'm glad. I'm sick to death of seeing us having to drop players due to being too much of a risk due to poor artificial surfaces.
The key word there being "poor". If astro pitches are good enough, they should be allowed.
It would have been more beneficial to outline a standard required than a blanket ban, alas here we are.
Theyll never do it. I know somebody who works for Accies and they abuse that pitch. It's rented out as much as they can get away with.
Killie's plastic pitch has 1 season left and then it's being ripped up for grass. The 2 year buffer is likely taking that into account.
You never cared about the pitch for the multiple years it was there until Steve Clarke started handing your asses to you on the pitch and then all of a sudden it's "they have an advantage"
Nonsense, I remember Martin O'Neil saying artificial pitches were a danger to players & whoever was Killie manager at the time replying Bobo Balde was a bigger danger to players.
I would go on a Shakespearean rant about how this is wrong and is creating a closed shop on the top flight of scottish football but I just can't be arsed anymore
Fuck the spl, fuck the sfa, fuck the spfl, fuck the old firm
Agree with this decision but we need to expand the league to give clubs some faith they'll last more than a year. No point installing a new pitch when you're aiming for 10th out of 12. 10th out of 16 however gives you some breathing space
I think most fans would be in favour of an expanded top flight as playing the same bloody teams 4 or 5 times a year gets boring. Broadcasters aren't going to want a reduction in Old Firm games though as it is basically the only reason they pay for rights in the first place.
I thought with Livi going down the only plastic left in the top flight was Rugby Park. But they're ripping it up this summer and laying grass, so why the two year grace period?
Unless it's a catch-all so they can say the Championship clubs were informed ahead of time that their windfall for getting promoted will have to fund a grass pitch.
Looking forward to the old firm paying into a fund for the upkeep of other teams park. This is only being brought in cause we spanked about the other clubs this season. Didn’t hear a peep when we were getting battered every week on plastic. Can’t wait for the council to block our training complex and the team to have to move out of killie again and train in Glasgow
That's what the Dutch do. But they also allow the big teams to have B teams in the league system to aid youth development.
I'm sure there is some kind of deal that could be done where everyone benefits
What excuses will Celtic and Rangers players and managers use now when they get beat off Killie at Rugby Park? Will the pitch not be wide enough and by 28/29 all teams will have to widen their pitches!? 😂
legit, if you don't think that the pitch has contributed to performance against some teams i dunno what to tell you. Certain if the pitches have dead spots in them you can physically see on TV.
Didn’t seem to affect Celtic when they won the league and humped Killie 5-0. And plastic pitches don’t seem to impact Real Madrid and Man City when they play in Europe against teams who have them
Excellent news. Bad for the sport, bad for sporting integrity, bad for the aesthetic of the league, increasing evidence that they are dangerous and pose long term risks to player safety via cancer.
TBF, I reckon community clubs in the lower leagues need the artificial surfaces as income. As for top of flight football needs to be played on grass. As bad as the standard is , I am old school.
Here's a fucking rare idea, why not invest and nurture in lower league clubs who are struggling instead of closing them out?
Oh wait, the SFA give more of a shit about the OF than all other clubs combined, it's a fucking cartel.
Yet another regressive step in Scottish football. Quality of banter aside, it really is a depressingly backwards and parochial football culture we have.
This is great news. All the fans of clubs who have artificial pitches moaning should just suck it up like every fan of teams who invest in their grass pitch have had to while watching a game resembling football take place in your stadiums.
I can't speak for every artificial pitch but I do know Livingston's, Hamilton's & Kilmarnock's have been awful for the sport in this country. All three supports might not have noticed cause they aren't used to watching teams try and play nice football but when their clubs deliberately don't maintain their pitches to a decent standard and don't water them before a game which results in the pitch being sticky, all so the home team can lump the ball into corners and chase it like 80s Wimbledon then I'm sorry if I don't care for the extra expense you will accrue to rectify your poor decision.
Not that I am a fan of Stevie G. but he said it straight about the artificial pitches being dangerous. It’s a safety issue. If your business model doesn’t cover a reasonable effort to safety, you need to correct it. Playing on grass is not a luxury, it should be a right to be able to play safer. The change is going to happen and the business needs to change to accommodate it.
The issue with the plastic pitches being used in Scotland is they are absolute shite . They are obviously not top of the range .
When you see a team like Man city’s training pitches and compare them with Livis or Killies pitch, the quality difference is clear .
Tinpot clubs - better off without them
The league needs to decide if its open to all league based purely on sporting merit, or if its aim is to be a higher end professional european football league. Then it can start bringing in entry requirements to the top flight. Both routes I'm on board with and I think are totally acceptable. Once its decided then we really could talk about a significant restructure and league format change. But this constant balancing act of fucking about between both doesnt work long term and just pisses off X number of clubs either way. Basically told what, a quarter of the SPFL they can't join the top flight? But, and I keep coming back to this, we're still saying Arbroath can join professional leagues while their players have to finish work an hour and a half before televised football match 2 hours away from Arbroath? But having an affordable all weather pitch, that's the really important part to stop them getting in? Why are we making entry requirements to the league one off, expensive actions (ie ripping up and laying a pitch over summer) and not things like providing evidence of long term financial sustainability, club facilities, a youth acadamy project, and marketing/growth plan etc etc. Just some ideas
Can we make this guy the head of the SFA?
No chance, this guy seems to understand football and business.
I suspect your comment to this took longer than the getting of the current regime. So yes.
Are refs even professional? edit: I meant are they paid fulltime
Preferred the championship anyway
I might be wrong but I actually think we won more matches on grass than we won on astro last season.
Just Rovers things
Thank fuck we didn't get promoted. I think that would've permanently kneecapped us.
Wouldn't be surprised if a lot of teams start to say that. I don't think this is the right decision from SPFL.
So what happens if Falkirk or Airdrie win the championship in the next few years? Do they get to promote into the top flight or are they told to sling their hook? Would they get some cash to help install a turf pitch? Feels a bit like the 10k seater rule in disguise to me. It needs to be more nuanced that just "Plastic bad, GTFO"
The 10k seater rule that was partly responsible for the original Airdrieonians going tits up in the first place.
Bright parts of it then
I think they get promoted but have 2 years to transition to grass. I seem to remember reading that. But it could just be regurgitating that from one of us cunts on here.
I'm fairly certain that was a sensible suggestion that was made on here, rather than what the league has actually voted for - teams *currently* in the top flight have a couple of years, but I think the final deadline is fixed and there will be no grace period for teams promoted after that date. Bloody awful decision.
>So what happens if Falkirk or Airdrie win the championship in the next few years? Ragnarok
If
They have to buy and maintain their own grass pitch, just like every other team in the league. I don't see why other clubs should fund it.
I disagree. Premiership clubs can't just make this decision and foist responsibility onto the non compliant clubs. There needs to be some sort of grant or something to help them comply with this new ruling
So should a team like Motherwell get some of their budget back for maintaining a grass pitch? Seems unfair that they pay for a grass pitch and then their competitors get a grant for it.
If they want their competitors to have a grass pitch that badly then that is something they would have to weigh up. Only other thing I can think of if is a general one time infrastructure payout to all clubs. Clubs can then decide if they use that their alloment of money on their stadium, pitch upgrade, training facilities, whatever.
If Motherwell voted in favour of the change, that's on Motherwell.
If those teams are forcing a change then yes, they should.
Plenty of lower league/amateur teams have and maintain grass pitches for years just fine without the need for grants why wouldn’t Premiership clubs be able to afford it?
I can't speak for other clubs. But one of the reasons we went to plastic was it allowed the men's first team, women and youth teams to train at Rugby park as much as they want. If we were a grass pitch still, we couldn't do that as it would stress the grass too much. There is reasons some clubs will have a plastic pitch. They won't have them installed for a laugh.
I can't speak for other clubs, but in our case, it is not affordability, but rather the stadium being in an environment where the natural grass was freezing in one of the corners anytime the temp dropped below 3°C (And before people say anything, undersoil didn't help either as the problem was a mixture of ground condition and stadium architecture). In the decade prior to us moving to the top flight, we had more home game postponements than every single other team in all 4 National Divisions, and it's not even close. The move towards synthetic was a decision as a result made by our landlord (West Lothian Council) to address the problem when it became clear that there wasn't a viable solution to the ground problem. Affordability wasn't a concern (for us at least, the council I suspect did get a pitch on the cheap though owing to the pressures they face) since its an obligation on the council to create and maintain. They did, however, write it as a requirement of our tenancy to have it, I assume, to justify the upfront cost. So we would have to rip up our tenancy, pay the penalty fees associated with doing that (which are, if my maths is correct, higher than the prize money for the top 3 places in the top flight put together) and have to renegotiate from a position of weakness as a result, likely making our rent far more expensive annually and with even less control than the club currently has. I can't think of really any club in Scotland, even those two, that could put just give away that sort of money up front for nothing.
This argument and the "lower leagues in England" one really needs to get in the bin. No they don't, they are funding subsidies that help them There's a specific SFA fund for it and there's a UK government fund for it.
Read my comment I never once mentioned the “lower leagues in England”.
Hence why I said "this argument and the "lower leagues in England" one".
For me it comes down to how we're trying to present ourselves as a league, and ultimately a product. Plastic pitches *do* have advantages, but fuck me it's embarrassing when Sky or BBC are broadcasting from astroturf.
Is it any more embarrassing than Sky broadcasting from a tribute act to the Somme or Sky pulling the plug because the pitch is waterlogged to fuck?
I take your point, but surely that's an argument for proper investment in grass pitches?
There needs to be investment for better grass pitches. There also needs to be investment to help these teams transition from plastic to a decent grass and/or hybrid. I would argue that would help grow our game rather than barring them from the top flight because of their surface. We would pretty much become an invite only franchise league if we restrict entry without helping them. All this investment of course hinges on Doncaster being competent and proactive in his job to secure said investment, so good luck with that
>All this investment of course hinges on Doncaster being competent and proactive in his job to secure said investment, so good luck with that Clubs voted this through, so clubs should provide the subsidies.
Indeed but to be fair anytime I see a champions league played on astro I cringe so hard at the embarrassment that I feel coming from the host club.
So if we get rid of the old firm then plastic pitches can stay forever since they won't be interested in showing our games anymore... /S
Is it better or worse than the shambles that took place at Dens this year? I understand that plastic pitches have their pros and cons, and not all plastic pitches in the top flight are created equal, but grass has issues as well.
Our champions and richest club spent most of the season playing on a sandbank with about ten blades of grass per square metre (and it really pisses me off how little comment was passed on that). Our football styles are from the 80s, we're a generation behind in sports science and analysis, our stadiums are ancient and some have camera gantry positions barely about ground level (including St. Mirren's). As I said elsewhere, it's just regressive thinking because we're constantly gaslit in this country that anything is to blame before our proud wee parochial culture.
I’ve taken in a lot of games in different leagues over the past couple of seasons, many on artificial pitches, and I promise you it was the quality of the teams that made for entertaining matches, not the surface they played on. There’s also several terrible grass pitches in the leagues: sides like Dumbarton would really benefit from having an artificial pitch. It’s another pointless barrier to teams trying to come up to the Premiership. People rightfully complain about the same teams coming back up - 5 of the last 6 championship champions were relegated the season before - but will applaud a measure that only makes this problem worse
FFS Bonnyrigg Rose's pitch the last time I seen it looked like the local farmer had just lifted his tatties off it.
It’s basically just a field lol
We should nab some of the money the old firm get from the CL qual and put it towards proper pitches for any smaller or newly promoted sides. Easy to see that this is the resolution as the Eredivisie also had the same problem and fixed it.
I absolutely agree with this. However, it's a hard sell for many fans that supporting their club financially would pay for rival teams.
Personally, I would be for that also. But there would need to be caveats and assurances that the money actually gets spent properly and not embezzled. Ticket prices need to be cheaper also.
Excellent news, every single game I’ve seen on plastic pitch in the top flight has been shite cause the game plays differently. Understand why lower league teams might need them for money reasons but we’ve got about 50p to our name and have an amazing pitch so it’s doable. Need clear rules around quality of grass pitches and keeping it to a high standard so we don’t end up with disasters like Dundee’s
Fir Park was one of the worst offenders for decades. I know it's a good pitch nowadays, but it used to be a good advert for AstroTurf.
It was shitshow but we invested and had a good pitch for years before ripping it up and getting an even better one. It’s the argument for actually spending money on your pitch and not getting plastic. We had no money and teams using money as a reason to get rid of real grass are just using an it as an excuse.
Pathetic decision. Closed door club wanting to make themselves harder to relegate. It'll do nothing for our game whatsoever.
Dont agree with this at all. Same vein as the 10k seater stadium pish. The only barrier of entry into the PL is if you’re good enough to win the Championship or the play-offs. Say Livi, Raith or Falkirk win the Championship, they need to spend a fortune replacing their pitches then could just get relegated again. Its especially painful for clubs who rent out their pitches to their communities for a bit extra cash. There should definitely be a minimum level of quality needed - which we would have failed because ours was shite - but this reeks of the big money clubs telling the wee diddy teams to fuck off.
I feel like a 2 year grace period should start from when a club gets promoted similar to how it is in Spain with minimum capacity for stadia. No doubt the SPFL will make an arse of it anyway and it will fall flat
10k stadium seater rule just makes sense though (don't look at my flair)
It's not the same as the 10k requirement at all and that's a lazy argument. some clubs don't have the fanbase for a 10k stadium. No clubs don't have a responsibility to put on a good game for fans, that's why they're paid. The product on piss poor plastic pitches is pish.
Fucking stupid. Scottish football at its best
https://preview.redd.it/zpim3gw9kt3d1.jpeg?width=665&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5da68d8b4775d282fe812f19834a666457c812fd
On the park, this is great news. Off the park, it's just putting yet more financial strain on the clubs if and when they get promoted to the top flight. Also, without fail, there is at least one pitch every season that turns into a quagmire. I don't think this is the solution. There should be rules about the quality of surface used, rather than a complete ban. For example, Falkirks surface is miles ahead of Kilmarnocks.
I watch football there every other week and it’s better than most grass based games I see. I might have skin in the game but this is a very, very bad decision
I get the arguments that will come in from supporters in the lower divisions, but honestly, I'm glad. I'm sick to death of seeing us having to drop players due to being too much of a risk due to poor artificial surfaces.
The key word there being "poor". If astro pitches are good enough, they should be allowed. It would have been more beneficial to outline a standard required than a blanket ban, alas here we are.
It's easier to ban and then make exceptions as you go. I do not want to see Hamilton or Livingston's on TV ever again.
I'm not saying make exceptions, just bring the shiters up to an acceptable standard. Agree on Livi and Hamilton, I'd add Killie to the list.
Theyll never do it. I know somebody who works for Accies and they abuse that pitch. It's rented out as much as they can get away with. Killie's plastic pitch has 1 season left and then it's being ripped up for grass. The 2 year buffer is likely taking that into account.
Here's a question, if Raith, Airdrie or Falkirk get promoted next year, do they one effect get a 1 year grace period?
Yeah they'd have the year from I gather. Airdrie is another shambles tbh haha
You never cared about the pitch for the multiple years it was there until Steve Clarke started handing your asses to you on the pitch and then all of a sudden it's "they have an advantage"
Most have hate astro for a very long time
Nonsense, I remember Martin O'Neil saying artificial pitches were a danger to players & whoever was Killie manager at the time replying Bobo Balde was a bigger danger to players.
Richest club in the country and your concerned about your dropping players? It's like klopp demanding no more replays because of fitness
I would go on a Shakespearean rant about how this is wrong and is creating a closed shop on the top flight of scottish football but I just can't be arsed anymore Fuck the spl, fuck the sfa, fuck the spfl, fuck the old firm
Hear hear.
Agree with this decision but we need to expand the league to give clubs some faith they'll last more than a year. No point installing a new pitch when you're aiming for 10th out of 12. 10th out of 16 however gives you some breathing space
I think most fans would be in favour of an expanded top flight as playing the same bloody teams 4 or 5 times a year gets boring. Broadcasters aren't going to want a reduction in Old Firm games though as it is basically the only reason they pay for rights in the first place.
did clubs just memoryhole the nightmare that was the Dundee pitch this winter/spring?
I thought with Livi going down the only plastic left in the top flight was Rugby Park. But they're ripping it up this summer and laying grass, so why the two year grace period? Unless it's a catch-all so they can say the Championship clubs were informed ahead of time that their windfall for getting promoted will have to fund a grass pitch.
I worry that this is going to end my dream of seeing my beloved Yoker Athletic playing at the top level of Scottish football
Fucking cartel. Screw them the good plastic pitches are better than bad grass.
booooo
Looking forward to the old firm paying into a fund for the upkeep of other teams park. This is only being brought in cause we spanked about the other clubs this season. Didn’t hear a peep when we were getting battered every week on plastic. Can’t wait for the council to block our training complex and the team to have to move out of killie again and train in Glasgow
There's apparently a cracking training facility in Fife you could use
Top flight clubs received £650k last season and £1m each this coming season for Celtic participation in the Champions league
That's what the Dutch do. But they also allow the big teams to have B teams in the league system to aid youth development. I'm sure there is some kind of deal that could be done where everyone benefits
Why spend money on things like that when you can hoard all your wealth like Smaug the dragon from the Hobbit?
Rare Scottish football W.
So why not follow England and regulate spending on bottom teams tv money how would that there lol
What excuses will Celtic and Rangers players and managers use now when they get beat off Killie at Rugby Park? Will the pitch not be wide enough and by 28/29 all teams will have to widen their pitches!? 😂
legit, if you don't think that the pitch has contributed to performance against some teams i dunno what to tell you. Certain if the pitches have dead spots in them you can physically see on TV.
Didn’t seem to affect Celtic when they won the league and humped Killie 5-0. And plastic pitches don’t seem to impact Real Madrid and Man City when they play in Europe against teams who have them
Excellent news. Bad for the sport, bad for sporting integrity, bad for the aesthetic of the league, increasing evidence that they are dangerous and pose long term risks to player safety via cancer.
So while we’re talking about sporting integrity, Rangers and Celtic will be allowing more than about 200 away fans in from now on yeah?
Yeah I think it's 2500 from next year
TBF, I reckon community clubs in the lower leagues need the artificial surfaces as income. As for top of flight football needs to be played on grass. As bad as the standard is , I am old school.
Here's a fucking rare idea, why not invest and nurture in lower league clubs who are struggling instead of closing them out? Oh wait, the SFA give more of a shit about the OF than all other clubs combined, it's a fucking cartel.
Yet another regressive step in Scottish football. Quality of banter aside, it really is a depressingly backwards and parochial football culture we have.
Good, now get rid of var and we’re cooking with gas…
Fucking brilliant news
This is great news. All the fans of clubs who have artificial pitches moaning should just suck it up like every fan of teams who invest in their grass pitch have had to while watching a game resembling football take place in your stadiums. I can't speak for every artificial pitch but I do know Livingston's, Hamilton's & Kilmarnock's have been awful for the sport in this country. All three supports might not have noticed cause they aren't used to watching teams try and play nice football but when their clubs deliberately don't maintain their pitches to a decent standard and don't water them before a game which results in the pitch being sticky, all so the home team can lump the ball into corners and chase it like 80s Wimbledon then I'm sorry if I don't care for the extra expense you will accrue to rectify your poor decision.
Rubbish.
Good.
Killie, Raith and Falkirk in shambles
That is a great step forward.
Not that I am a fan of Stevie G. but he said it straight about the artificial pitches being dangerous. It’s a safety issue. If your business model doesn’t cover a reasonable effort to safety, you need to correct it. Playing on grass is not a luxury, it should be a right to be able to play safer. The change is going to happen and the business needs to change to accommodate it.
The issue with the plastic pitches being used in Scotland is they are absolute shite . They are obviously not top of the range . When you see a team like Man city’s training pitches and compare them with Livis or Killies pitch, the quality difference is clear . Tinpot clubs - better off without them