The Egg chasers relegation

[Lower West]

I'd love a players view on this.

Yann apparently described it as horrific after yesterdays game.

[harry]

IF the rugby is the cause of the pitch being so bad, then the money we get from them, given the style we now play, isn't sufficient for the downside.
I suspect it is a major factor in the pitch's poor condition, but it hasn't been this bad in other seasons. So I suspect the club may have invested less in the pitch in recent times as we try to reduce costs.
We will probably only know for sure by removing the rugby from the equation.

For LI their traditional base is London and Brentford will be closer to Sunbury and easier to get to for many. I would imagine the local Reading supporters they lose will be far offset by those who are more London based.

So I see LI benefiting & us eliminating a potential issue for limited gain. For Brentford it could be a good income stream and/or a pitch damager.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Face it Bobby...some here just don't like rugby and have the misconception that it is for posh kids.....yet somehow some of those same folk pay serious money to watch and lap-up spoilt-bratt college-boy American football in their English living rooms.

As for the "pitch" .....yes it is threadbare

Looked like the worst affected areas were the ones outside of the white lines....and therefore not used by either team tho.

Funny thing is you actually believe that last paragraph!!

nothing funny at all, I was referring to the threadbare patches such as the SW corner ......totally devoid of grass, and not even part of the playing surface.

Is that ok Paul?

[sandman]

There is a large round patch of mud near the North Stand that can only be damage from a Rugby scrum. The weather doesn't help the pitch but the Rugby lads definitely make it worse.

[bobby1413]

The LI fans I know (all two of them) live in Reading.

Both day "if the club moves I won't renew ST or go again probably"

They go because it's convenient rather than say a football fan who generally go as it's their passion.

I think you're right LW they will re gain and re attract many more fans in west London and they'd probably do better in terms of fans there.

[harry]

The LI fans I know (all two of them) live in Reading.

Both day "if the club moves I won't renew ST or go again probably"

They go because it's convenient rather than say a football fan who generally go as it's their passion.

I think you're right LW they will re gain and re attract many more fans in west London and they'd probably do better in terms of fans there.

I used to know loads. Plenty travelling from London. Some regulars and lots of occasionals from Reading. I'd expect them to get far more occassionals from London some of whom will then become regulars far outweighing the Reading ones who won't travel. I may be wrong. It's been a while.

[Hound]

Yep with the latter arguments there. No major beef with rugby being played there - not my sport but would feel the same if it was athletics/cricket or something that was

Point is the pitch is screwed. It was last year as well. We attempt to play it on the deck and it's affecting our ability to do so. Very naive to suggest 30 20 stone lumps plodding up and down it isn't massively affecting it

In terms of net gain - if we miss out on the play offs by a couple of points - a very real possibility - would that 500k still be worth it? You could argue we'd be 3/4 closer to the top 2 with a better pitch now as well

[AthleticoSpizz]

But it's that same old boring rhetoric....and it's the same for both teams

The pitch can never be "to blame"

Yes, our pitch is sh1t, but proper (professional) players should surely be able to adapt to it pretty quicksharp.....we've all played on them.

Or has it suddenly become ballet dancing with a football

[paultheroyal]

But it's that same old boring rhetoric....and it's the same for both teams

The pitch can never be "to blame"

Yes, our pitch is sh1t, but proper (professional) players should surely be able to adapt to it pretty quicksharp.....we've all played on them.

Or has it suddenly become ballet dancing with a football

Do you think Arsenal could play their normal expansive football on a pitch served up by Huddersfield?

Actually why am I even responding? Absolutely ridiculous.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Your opinion is god Paul

Was my last response to you ok ...or was it conveniently overlooked?

[paultheroyal]

Your opinion is god Paul

Was my last response to you ok ...or was it conveniently overlooked?

Not at all and nothing was conveniently overlooked... you crack on. X

[AthleticoSpizz]

despite it all Paul........and as a side-dish

Just how has the "non-playing" surface part of the greenery become devoid of grass?

[Hound]

That's an interesting question. I'd assumed the bare parts down the wings was due to the egg chaser line out things

Down the wings is pretty much central to our game plan, which is why I think it affects us so badly. Noticed Popa cursing it quite a bit especially - blamed his crap cross on it

[leon]

The pitch is shit because a load of lardy blokes fcuk it up playing rugby. Sorry, but it's true.

Whether you like rugby or not, is irrelevant (ftr I don't - it's a shit game that favours physicality and brutality over skill - but tbf as I said irrelevant) the rugby is fcuking the pitch up.

Get rid of the rugby blokes and let the grass recover.

[paultheroyal]

despite it all Paul........and as a side-dish

Just how has the "non-playing" surface part of the greenery become devoid of grass?

Won't embarrass you further... will let others take it from here. X

[AthleticoSpizz]

Whatevs

[Stranded]

We can argue all day long about whether the Rugby is ruining the pitch (it will have some effect, but not to the levels people blame it for) but the fact remains, having a rugby team in the stadium has always been part of the business model for the stadium - there has always been rugby there.

Stadium opened 1998, Richmond moved in. the went bust and LI moved in in 2000. So only 1999 was really devoid of any rugby,

Has the pitch been constantly bad the entire time we have played at the stadium? If it has (and I'm pretty sure it hasn't always been bad), it's never really affected any success we've had. If it hasn't, then using rugby as the stick is off the mark, there are clearly a number of factors. Age of pitch etc.

The pitches that the club lay are designed for the dual use, they are supposed to handle the wear and tear of both sports. If it doesn't stand up well, then either those responsible choose poorly or it needs to be relayed on a more regular basis.

[LWJ]

But it's that same old boring rhetoric....and it's the same for both teams

It's only the same for both teams if they play the same style of football.. If one team favour hoofball and only have the ball on the deck for X amount of time they have an advantage over the team who play it on the floor throughout the game. For us trying to play possession football we have a disadvantage. If a better pitch means we play our style of football in a better/more efficient way that is only a good thing. It will attract more fans, it will increase our chance of promotion, thus increasing our income.

I am happy to see LI leave Reading. They bring us 500k a year. The pitch costs us 1M to replace. We replace it every 8 years I think. If we didn't have LI this could potentially be every 10+ years. Thus costing us less..

I'm not anti rugby like some on here, I've played at a pretty high standard for a few years so have fond memories of it. Spizz are you biased towards LI because your lad is in their academy? You've mentioned he plays at a reasonable standard just a few times previously.

[Hound]

Hopefully the pitch should improve quite quickly now we've warmer weather (i.e. the grass will grow again) and it gets a bit more sunlight on it.

The main issue for me is the worst affected areas of the pitch are the areas where we look most dangerous - i.e. the flanks near the penalty box, where the wingers and wing backs need to be able to trust the pitch to take on the full back/get a decent cross in. This is clearly being hampered.

From my limited Rugby knowledge, this also seems to be one of the areas which gets most traffic during a game, and I'm certain is largely to blame for the state of the pitch there

[AthleticoSpizz]

But it's that same old boring rhetoric....and it's the same for both teams

It's only the same for both teams if they play the same style of football.. If one team favour hoofball and only have the ball on the deck for X amount of time they have an advantage over the team who play it on the floor throughout the game. For us trying to play possession football we have a disadvantage. If a better pitch means we play our style of football in a better/more efficient way that is only a good thing. It will attract more fans, it will increase our chance of promotion, thus increasing our income.

I am happy to see LI leave Reading. They bring us 500k a year. The pitch costs us 1M to replace. We replace it every 8 years I think. If we didn't have LI this could potentially be every 10+ years. Thus costing us less..

I'm not anti rugby like some on here, I've played at a pretty high standard for a few years so have fond memories of it. Spizz are you biased towards LI because your lad is in their academy? You've mentioned he plays at a reasonable standard just a few times previously.

sadly not, he just plays for fun. As aforementioned, some of his (now) ex-teamates have gone onto good and great things. Ftr. I am not particularly pro LI ( I have skant alliegence to London or the Irish), however as already mentioned, they have made some major contributions to the local rugby scene, some of which is being paid back in the form of local lads on the cusp of professional careers.....for that, they will be missed.

The pitch is in a sh1t state, and yes LI have played a large part in its demise. However, and again, I did spot some areas that were grassless in zones that could not be attributed to the rugby, football, linesmen/touch judges etc......but maybe I'm just "embarrassing" myself further by mentioning it.