Harrogate discussion thread (Postponed to Tuesday 19th Jan)

[richard_portland]

If the league rules hadn’t made them rip up their 3G pitch and replace it with a grass one, would some of their recent games including ours have been on? If so I think it’s worth the EFL considering allowing 3G pitches if they are good quality ones.

 

[fred binneys head]

Then perhaps it should be a criteria for promotion to the league. Too many tin pot 1200 crowd pub sides getting promoted because they buy a team rather than infrastructure, that cancel games at the drop of a hat Because they’ve no provision for trying to ensure a game goes ahead.

I mean, whoever thought we might get bad weather in the north of England in winter?

Not sure I understand what you're asking for - what would you suggest the rules should be to ensure that a game goes ahead despite the pitch having a foot of snow on it? That every club coming up from the Conference has to have undersoil heating? Harrogate have had a brand new pitch this season due to the issue of having a 4G pitch previously.

 

[The Proper Chap]

Tried to book the game on iFollow for Tuesday but only showing the Stevenage game on offer. Anyone else having problems or am I doing something wrong.

Why book so early ??? It won't sell out !!

 

[IndoMike]

Then perhaps it should be a criteria for promotion to the league. Too many tin pot 1200 crowd pub sides getting promoted because they buy a team rather than infrastructure, that cancel games at the drop of a hat Because they’ve no provision for trying to ensure a game goes ahead.

I mean, whoever thought we might get bad weather in the north of England in winter?

For the fans of many clubs Exeter City is tinpot. It's all relative. As fans of a small club ourselves I don't think it's fair to be condescending
about the small newbies in the lower leagues. Our pitch isn't exactly something to shout home about even when we can play on it.
The weather can't be controlled.

 

[Grecian2K]

Even the "mahoosive" Bradford (just down the road from Harrogate) had their match postponed on the day before - albeit for the reportedly somewhat spurious reason of "icy pavements" around the ground. Obviously, tinpots come in all shapes and sizes!

On the subject of "spurious postponements" anyone else remember that game at our own SJP (Grimsby?) which was called off just because a narrow still-icy strip in front of the cowshed was deemed too risky for the poor old lino. The visiting fans, many of them by then basking in shirtsleeves in the sunshine outside the Well House could not believe the news when it came through, about an hour before kick off time, and were distinctly unimpressed.

 

[Antony Moxey]

Not sure I understand what you're asking for - what would you suggest the rules should be to ensure that a game goes ahead despite the pitch having a foot of snow on it? That every club coming up from the Conference has to have undersoil heating? Harrogate have had a brand new pitch this season due to the issue of having a 4G pitch previously.

You understand perfectly what I’m asking for. The ground entry criteria should be tougher for clubs coming up from the Conference - it’s too easy to spend money on getting a team to get you to L2 without having the supporting infrastructure. Snow or not, if they had been scheduled to be live on the telly against MU they would have moved heaven and earth to get it cleared and the game would have been on.

 

[Antony Moxey]

For the fans of many clubs Exeter City is tinpot. It's all relative. As fans of a small club ourselves I don't think it's fair to be condescending
about the small newbies in the lower leagues. Our pitch isn't exactly something to shout home about even when we can play on it.
The weather can't be controlled.

So? We’re not calling off games left and right.

 

[Rosencrantz]

Yes, because we’re a professional club. Look at the efforts put in last time we played Sheffield Wednesday.

The last time we played Wednesday at the Park before last week was a really good 2-1 win with two brilliant free kicks by Billy Jones and David Noble. Don't think there was any particular weather problems that day. The season before though

 

[IndoMike]

So? We’re not calling off games left and right.

And?

 

[fred binneys head]

You understand perfectly what I’m asking for. The ground entry criteria should be tougher for clubs coming up from the Conference - it’s too easy to spend money on getting a team to get you to L2 without having the supporting infrastructure. Snow or not, if they had been scheduled to be live on the telly against MU they would have moved heaven and earth to get it cleared and the game would have been on.

I really don’t. They had significant snowfall in a short period of time. I assume you haven’t seen the video of their ground on Friday afternoon?

Sometimes you just have to accept that the weather disrupts football.