Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
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Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Over the last few weeks I have watched water sports in Biarritz, turf at national stadiums coming up like it was laid an hour before the match... And legions of people with pitchforks invading pitches to replace divots.
I can't be the only one to notice this rarely if ever happens at Ravenhill?
So a big to the unsung members if the ground staff!!! Job well done guys
I can't be the only one to notice this rarely if ever happens at Ravenhill?
So a big to the unsung members if the ground staff!!! Job well done guys
Nevin Spence - Forever an Ulsterman
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Very true.
There are some ground staff who have worked miracles in the last couple of years. Bath vs Ulster 2 years ago, the game Nev scored with his face, was another fantastic effort.
Well done the men, women, kids and volunteers at Ravenhill.
There are some ground staff who have worked miracles in the last couple of years. Bath vs Ulster 2 years ago, the game Nev scored with his face, was another fantastic effort.
Well done the men, women, kids and volunteers at Ravenhill.
- BaggyTrousers
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Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Bangorbiy, that shows a dismal lack of understanding. It has little or nothing to do with the groundsmen. Allow me to educate you.
Traditionally Murrayfield before redevelopment was a magnificent pitch, now it is rubbish
Lansdowne Road was generally a fine pitch, The Aviva cuts up.
Ravenhill usually top class unless prolonged bad weather.
Its the modern stadium to blame for bad pitches, closed bowl shape stadia will never have naturally good pitches. The overhanging roof is a curse as it limits the light reaching the pitch, the concrete bowls prevent good drying conditions, nae wind blowing up & down it.
Capiche?
I'm sure we have perfectly adequate grounds-people however they do not face the problems that large enclosed stadia attract.
Traditionally Murrayfield before redevelopment was a magnificent pitch, now it is rubbish
Lansdowne Road was generally a fine pitch, The Aviva cuts up.
Ravenhill usually top class unless prolonged bad weather.
Its the modern stadium to blame for bad pitches, closed bowl shape stadia will never have naturally good pitches. The overhanging roof is a curse as it limits the light reaching the pitch, the concrete bowls prevent good drying conditions, nae wind blowing up & down it.
Capiche?
I'm sure we have perfectly adequate grounds-people however they do not face the problems that large enclosed stadia attract.
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
- againstthehead
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Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Plus we had very few games when the weather was very bad.Lot of away games in Nov and Dec.
Climb up onto the top of your house and start screaming: 'stand up for the Ulstermen, stand.......'
- Russ
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Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Time for plastic pitches ...
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Baggy, I only partially agree with you. There may well be some truth in the thing about the light but I think the main reason is the nature of the pitches. They are simply rolls of turf laid on a substrate. There is no depth to them and no root system to hold things together. That's why you see great swathes coming up in one piece - it's rolling back up. The Ravenhill pitch has a proper deep rooted system so it is only damaged where a foot is planted and even there, not too badly in comparison. These new pitches will never be any good.
Bo***cks to Brexit
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
I also think Lansdowne suffered a bit from the soccer during the week. Cutting it short cannot help in these conditions.
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
You have the correct answer rocky, though the other pitches could be improved by growing the turf on sandy soil to start with then injecting slow release fertiliser into the sand below to get the roots down but expensive and not really practical. Ironically they will work better in a dry climate using underground irrigation, sort of filling the drainage system with water, the roots then head down to get it. In wet areas like here where the sand based pitches are needed they almost self defeat themselves at times with turf rolling back off base.rocky wrote:Baggy, I only partially agree with you. There may well be some truth in the thing about the light but I think the main reason is the nature of the pitches. They are simply rolls of turf laid on a substrate. There is no depth to them and no root system to hold things together. That's why you see great swathes coming up in one piece - it's rolling back up. The Ravenhill pitch has a proper deep rooted system so it is only damaged where a foot is planted and even there, not too badly in comparison. These new pitches will never be any good.
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family"
Rory Best
Rory Best
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
BaggyTrousers wrote:Bangorbiy, that shows a dismal lack of understanding. It has little or nothing to do with the groundsmen. Allow me to educate you.
Traditionally Murrayfield before redevelopment was a magnificent pitch, now it is rubbish
Lansdowne Road was generally a fine pitch, The Aviva cuts up.
Ravenhill usually top class unless prolonged bad weather.
Its the modern stadium to blame for bad pitches, closed bowl shape stadia will never have naturally good pitches. The overhanging roof is a curse as it limits the light reaching the pitch, the concrete bowls prevent good drying conditions, nae wind blowing up & down it.
Capiche?
I'm sure we have perfectly adequate grounds-people however they do not face the problems that large enclosed stadia attract.
Does this mean that our new stands are going to feck the pitch up?
Dura lex sed lex
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Could well do unless a few things I have heard rumoured are true, like new pitch, heating and lightsThelaw wrote:BaggyTrousers wrote:Bangorbiy, that shows a dismal lack of understanding. It has little or nothing to do with the groundsmen. Allow me to educate you.
Traditionally Murrayfield before redevelopment was a magnificent pitch, now it is rubbish
Lansdowne Road was generally a fine pitch, The Aviva cuts up.
Ravenhill usually top class unless prolonged bad weather.
Its the modern stadium to blame for bad pitches, closed bowl shape stadia will never have naturally good pitches. The overhanging roof is a curse as it limits the light reaching the pitch, the concrete bowls prevent good drying conditions, nae wind blowing up & down it.
Capiche?
I'm sure we have perfectly adequate grounds-people however they do not face the problems that large enclosed stadia attract.
Does this mean that our new stands are going to feck the pitch up?
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family"
Rory Best
Rory Best
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Again I disagree. The design of our stands and the fact that the corners aren't filled in should mean that the pitch will get plenty of light, especially in the growing season.
Bo***cks to Brexit
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
The state of the pitch deteriorated markedly when they built the new stand (especially down that wing). To be fair, I think they've worked to improve it, but it's still not what it used to be.rocky wrote:Again I disagree. The design of our stands and the fact that the corners aren't filled in should mean that the pitch will get plenty of light, especially in the growing season.
Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
That was mostly down to the foundations of the new stand disrupting the natural drainage through a gravel layer into the drain behind the stand, new drain had to be sorted to try and fix that.BR wrote:The state of the pitch deteriorated markedly when they built the new stand (especially down that wing). To be fair, I think they've worked to improve it, but it's still not what it used to be.rocky wrote:Again I disagree. The design of our stands and the fact that the corners aren't filled in should mean that the pitch will get plenty of light, especially in the growing season.
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family"
Rory Best
Rory Best
- Russ
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Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
BCC like to antagonize the publicLastKnightoftheproms wrote:Speaking of the pitch, I remember running onto it as a child after the RSA v Regent final and so a love affair with the game was born.
Why are we the only ground that prohibits kids on the pitch after the match? They talk about the proud Ravenhill tradition of respecting kickers. It equally used to be a proud Ravenhill tradition for kids to run on amongst their heroes.
When you watch games in Wales the kids are on the pitch, Munster the same, Castres the same.
Where did it all go wrong?
Wistful rant over.
- BaggyTrousers
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Re: Stand up for the ground staff!!!!
Rocky I'm shocked to be honest, you are normally so sage.rocky wrote:Baggy, I only partially agree with you. There may well be some truth in the thing about the light but I think the main reason is the nature of the pitches. They are simply rolls of turf laid on a substrate. There is no depth to them and no root system to hold things together. That's why you see great swathes coming up in one piece - it's rolling back up. The Ravenhill pitch has a proper deep rooted system so it is only damaged where a foot is planted and even there, not too badly in comparison. These new pitches will never be any good.
We have a classic chicken and egg situation here and I'm delighted to tell you that the reason they use those rolls of turf is precisely because the conditions of lack of light and natural wind -and I'm not talking committee men's farts - mean that natural pitches such as at Ravenhill are not viable in bowl stadia.
Great things chickens and eggs Rocky, I assume we will now resume our almost complete agreement on all things Rugby - well mostly.
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.