Independent Rs Messageboard

[ESSEXURs]

A real embarrassment to see the condition of it what has happened to it?!
I as at the Leicester game and it looked fine.

At times it was like watching a game in the snow on tv with the floodlights reflecting off the sandy soil.
It made the problem Blackburn pitch look like Wembley in a game I watched earlier!

I thought we had got rid of the pitch problems of the 50’s and early 60’s.

I know there was mention of a dressing problem earlier in the season but it looks like it is dying fast
all over not just the usual Ellerslie Road side.

[Steve Russell]

Wonder why it was noticeably poorer than from the previous
home game???

[ESSEXURs]

Wasn’t it completely changed including drainage about two years ago?!
It was supposed to include an element of artificial grass to prevent what was on
display today. Well that went well didn’t it!!

We are only half way through the season and with more cold weather to come it
can only deteriorate further.

In a match earlier in the season the visiting manager said his staff and players were
told to wash anything that touched the pitch! You have to wonder if someone put the
wrong dressing on the pitch. It is certainly now not just the Stan B stand side but appears
to be spreading across the pitch.

It will start playing like the old artificial pitch soon.
The club should provide an explanation.

[ESSEXURs]

Big discussions on other Boards about the state of the pitch.

Obviously grass will not regrow now and it will only deteriorate further to be the pitch of
60 years ago.
Any regulations stating it must be grass covered I wonder.

Whatever has happened seems to have spirited away the artificial grass with which it was partly
composed.

[ESSEXURs]

It looked awful before the Sheffield Wed match and at the end it had cut up even more.
No surprise players were dropping like flies on that hazardous surface and our manager
seemed to apologise about it to the Sheffield manager at the end of the game.

A much needed win but at a cost.
With much cold weather to come it will not get better.

Laying a new pitch is costly and takes about two weeks and may need us playing elsewhere
to let it bed in. But the weather will not be on our side.
Why do we continue to water it?!

[Steve Russell]

Watered to death again today, pre-match & at half-time

[ESSEXURs]

It serves no purpose as very little grass left and only made it cut up more. In close ups of
players there was very little grass left and what there was is being ripped up by overwatering.
Is it a failure of the system we had installed or have we a new groundsman who has cocked up
big time.

A few miles away Fulham’s pitch looked immaculate in comparison.
It’s so embarrassing and getting plenty of flack online.

[ESSEXURs]

Unless I’ve missed it the usual deafening silence from the club unless they have
taken legal action against the installation company.

[Steve Russell]

From the Club....'QPR’s FA Youth Cup fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion
has been rescheduled and the match will now be taking place at Hanwell Town.

The fourth round tie against the Seagulls will now be played on Wednesday 21st January 2026,
kicking off at 7pm.

The Under-18s fixture was originally scheduled to take place at MATRADE Loftus Road this
weekend.

However, in order to revitalise the playing surface in W12, the tie has been switched to the
Oliver Connell & Son Community Stadium.

The club are working hard to improve the pitch following a period of adverse weather.

There will now be no activity on the surface for 20 days since our home match with
Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.

Tickets purchased for the original fixture will be refunded. Please note, tickets will not be
valid for the rearranged date due to the change in venue.'

[ESSEXURs]

The weather excuse doesn’t make sense.
If that is the reason Fulham must have different weather to Shepherds Bush!!
Their pitch was perfect a couple of days ago!

Will we ever know the real reason for the deterioration?