Caledonian Stadium Pitch Rating

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

A recent review of the SPL pitches has given the Inverness pitch only 5/10. I don't think the pitch is that bad - ok it is starting to cut up a little recently in the goalmouth areas but overall I thought it is still in good shape considering the recent weather.....and wouldn't say it is uneven and partly worn....

Daily Record web-site - We run the rule over the SPL's pitches and discover best and worst surfaces

Feb 26 2009

RANGERS 9/10

Top of the league and top marks for the standard of their pitch. Rangers spent fortunes during the summer relaying a surface which has been troublesome in the past. It has paid off with Ibrox still resembling a bowling green.

CELTIC 9/10

Celtic Park has been the best playing surface consistently over the past decade. The SPL champions have maintained their high standards again this term and the pitch remains in immaculate condition.

FALKIRK 8/10

Jim Dawson was presented with the Scottish Groundsman of the Year trophy for the second time before last weekend's game against Hamilton. He came out top in a poll of SFA referees who score conditions before, during and after matches.

ST MIRREN 8/10

St Mirren's carpet was only laid three weeks ago so there is no excuses for it not being up to scratch. So far, so good with visiting teams quick to praise the standard of the surface.

HEARTS 7/10

One of the best grounds for atmosphere and a well maintained pitch. Tynecastle has a few bare patches appearing through wear and tear but the surface remains true.

HAMILTON 7/10

Just one point behind Motherwell in the race for a top-six spot but light years ahead of their Lanarkshire rivals in terms of preparing a surface that allows decent football.

KILMARNOCK 7/10

Traditionally, Rugby Park has always been one of the better surfaces in Scottish football and this season has been no different. It must be the balmy Ayrshire weather.

DUNDEE UNITED 6/10

The Arabs lived up to their nickname last year by piling tons of sand on the pitch. This term the surface is much improved and while not perfectly manicured it gets pass marks.

INVERNESS 5/10

Following the recent Arctic-like conditions in the Highlands the Caley pitch has taken a bit of a battering from the elements. Uneven and partly worn, it is not conducive to free-flowing football.

ABERDEEN 3/10

Looks more like a ploughed field than a football pitch. Rutted, bare and covered in sand. Anyone hoping to play apassing game can forget it.

HIBS 2/10

The Easter Road outfit give Motherwell a run for their money when it comes to the appalling condition of the pitch. Resembles a patchwork quilt and there's even one large strip of ground which is about an inch higher than the rest.

MOTHERWELL 1/10

Gordon Strachan was being kind when he claimed Fir Park wasn't good enough to play rugby on. It's not fit for grazing sheep. Devoid of grass, the Lanarkshire bog is an total embarrassment to a decent club.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Tichy_Blacks_Back

[Ronaldo]

Slightly unfair rating I think but ball was certainly bobbling around a bit last week and did make our trademark slick passing a little tricky!

[Ronaldo]

Forgot to say, compared to Fir park the word billiard table comes to mind.....

[TheresNoEsInBlack]

Garbage journalism from a garbage paper. They're obviously just filling up free space with more junk. I doubt the person who "researched" our pitch has even been at our stadium. They also fail to tell us how they arrived at these scores which means they've just picked it out of thin air. P1sh.

Typical, transparent, west of central belt bias. If you're going to buy a paper, buy the Herald or something similar. They at least try to be objective.

[MissICT]

this is an outrage!!

our pitch is one of the best going!!

Edited February 28, 2009 by MissICT

[Renegade]

And you know this how? Have you been on in recently and obviously used your great knowledge to study the pitch and make up your own mind?

[Johnboy]

INVERNESS 5/10

Following the recent Arctic-like conditions in the Highlands the Caley pitch has taken a bit of a battering from the elements. Uneven and partly worn, it is not conducive to free-flowing football.

What a piece of utter fecking chite....

Arctic like conditions in the Highlands? A whole lot more snow across the central belt than we ever saw here...

Our playing surface is every bit as good as Hearts or Falkirk.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Johnboy

[Yngwie]

Is it my imagination or are pitches generally a much higher standard than they were say 20 years ago? I seem to recall that it was fairly common for the goalmouths in particular to be a total mudbath.

[TheresNoEsInBlack]

And you know this how? Have you been on in recently and obviously used your great knowledge to study the pitch and make up your own mind?

She has a point. There is not much wrong with our pitch, a mediocre score of 5 is unfair.

Why are we even wasting our time discussing the article? Like I said, it's p1sh!

[MissICT]

The news papers genraly dont have a lot of time for inverness.

[Council Juice]

I wouldnt say Killmarnock have a better pitch than ours. Hamiltons is fairly new given they had to replace the artificle surface in the summer and I've never thought either Hearts or Dundee Utd have had good pitches. Certainly no better than ours. I'll accept our pitch aint the best it's been but it's still one of the better ones.

Put it this way, how many games have been called off because of our pitch? Think thats a big fat zero.

I seem to remember Killie's glorious surface getting a game called off against Aberdeen recently.

As has been said. Its the Record. Hardly a good paper, you only have to look at the degenerates who call in on the hotline to see how their regular readers think.

[SMEE]

Just saying on the radio that out pitch has cut up pretty badly at half time.

[Scotty]

Just to comment on a couple of things mentioned ....

Uneven? Our pitch has always been uneven ! It is about 6-8 inches higher at the centre circle than it is on each wing. This is by design, not accident. It helps with drainage and also alows the ball to run better to the wings.

Partly worn? I guess it could be and as SMEE says, the commentators have mentioned it a few times today. I remember Tommy telling me a few years ago that adding the undersoil heating had completely f***** up what was recognised as one of the best surfaces in Scotland. There is little or nothing Tommy can do to rectify this as he has to be careful not to damage the undersoil equipment.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

I'd agree there is a small depression down each touch line about a metre in where the undersoil heating is but it is not in general an uneven pitch apart from the camber that you mention - not noticed it before though but never played on the pitch....

Pitch looked pretty good against Hibs last week but they have indeed been saying it is cutting up today but then there has been a bit of rain on it this week....

[cal234ey]

I'm quite surprised we got 5/10 after seeing it today never seenour pitch so bad

[Council Juice]

generally our pitch is good. Not suprised if some pitches have taken a battering because of some harsh winter weather. last year was warm and wet. Unless your pitch is overused (as fir park was last season) it shouldnt be too big a problem)

[Guest Muir-Jaggie]

we have 1 of the best pitchs in the SPL. you never see our grass turn in to MUD!!!!

[Guest Rebelwithoutaclue]

We were talking about the state of the pitch today. Not a normal chat topic. The dodgy surface will be why ryan esson and granty had fresh air swipes at the ball in the lead up to both goals

[Guest Muir-Jaggie]

what is the reason for motherwells pitch being so bad???? they arent sharing it with any team this season. weather??? you think our pitch would be more wrecked since were in the highlands

[andrewt]

5/10 wat a load of crap. The pitch is fine. Its a bit worn around the goalmouth but thats all. It looked a bit worn at the end today but it'll be fine for next week. The pitch is perfect compared to easter road and fir park.

[AJS]

Well thats a load of rubbish. Yes the Winter weather has taken it's toll but overall we have one of the best pitches in the land.

Compared to even the likes of Tynecastle and Tannidice we are much better imo.

The Bught is better maintained than Fir Park.

Edited February 28, 2009 by ajsict92

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Sack Tommy Cumming - the man is evidently slacking.

[caleyboy]

Sack Tommy Cumming - the man is evidently slacking. :018:

My My, TC will not be a happy man with any of this. Maybe if he spent ALL of his full-time job nurturing his beloved grass we wouldn't get such a crap score! From a reputation of being one of the BEST playing surfaces in the land to a very mediocre 5 is sackng material indeed IHE. :thumb04:

Edited March 1, 2009 by caleyboy

[strathyjags]

would agree with those comments,the pitch was in a shocking state yesterday.never seen it so bad

[Brian]

I would add that today I thought the pitch was the worst I have seen it for ages.

Between Hibs game and yesterdays there has been work done on it, which appeared to leave it rutted and filled with sand.

Park has generally been good since I moved here in 2000, and contrary to radio commentators, has always managed to put on a game.

Quite a few players failed to get a good grip and slipped, occasionally at critical times