Saturdays Game off?

[Ian Royal]

I'm going to be mightily peeved if it's called off.

[Stranded]

Temps not due to get above zero for most of the rest of the week so this snow isn't going anywhere and what does will be replaced by ice - I'm not anticipating a game on Sat but if get one, bonus (well until the 4th Newcastle goal goes in).

[Ian Royal]

Temps not due to get above zero for most of the rest of the week so this snow isn't going anywhere and what does will be replaced by ice - I'm not anticipating a game on Sat but if get one, bonus (well until the 4th Newcastle goal goes in).

As long as it doesn't semi melt it shouldn't get too icy should it? Just stay as it is, which wouldn't be as bad...

[Sun Tzu]

RFC may clear the snow from the stadium pitch, car park etc. but will need assistance from Reading Council to grit the main roads and paths that lead to the stadium complex so that fans can walk safely to the ground from the HP Car Park, Holiday Inn and other surrounding areas.

You'd think the council will be looking to grit the main roads anyway.

However you do raise a good point as I can;t see the non RFC car parks getting cleared quickly. With all buses off the road at the moment I suspect the football specials would be a low priority with the bus companies. Add to that the fact that the RFC players may not be able to train (the Dome may be snow free but can the players / coaching staff get to the stadium ?

I predict the game gets called off on Thursday then we see a sudden thaw and conditions are perfect on Saturday !

[ankeny]

RFC may clear the snow from the stadium pitch, car park etc. but will need assistance from Reading Council to grit the main roads and paths that lead to the stadium complex so that fans can walk safely to the ground from the HP Car Park, Holiday Inn and other surrounding areas.

You'd think the council will be looking to grit the main roads anyway.

However you do raise a good point as I can;t see the non RFC car parks getting cleared quickly. With all buses off the road at the moment I suspect the football specials would be a low priority with the bus companies. Add to that the fact that the RFC players may not be able to train (the Dome may be snow free but can the players / coaching staff get to the stadium ?

I predict the game gets called off on Thursday then we see a sudden thaw and conditions are perfect on Saturday !

Id love a thaw Sun because we cant get out of the house at the moment and Im running out of booze.The club are going to have to decide soon to stop the Newcastle players coming down,which would be Friday I presume

[Sun Tzu]

Id love a thaw Sun because we cant get out of the house at the moment and Im running out of booze.The club are going to have to decide soon to stop the Newcastle players coming down,which would be Friday I presume

I wonder who does make the decision.

Presumably the ref (or a local ref) decides about the pitch.

The inside of the stadium is unlikely to be a problem (I guess snow could have accumulated inside the stands ?)

Does the stadium manager have a legal duty to decide if the RFC owned roads are safe ?

Who makes the call if the issue is local roads being unsafe and does that in fact have any role to play ? If the pitch and stadium facilities are safe can they go ahead even if maybe only a few hundred people can physically make it ? I've never heard of a game called off at a ground that itself was fine but surrounding areas were a problem.

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

Limited Reading bus service now running. Trains were running, kind of. Managed to get to Theale and back from Reading station. Would expect most main roads to be okay by saturday.

Pitch probably won't be a prob, providing the snow can be cleared.

There will be some thawing of snow during the days before the game, but the sub zero night time temps could well make pavements up the slope unwalkable. Get those cleared and the game might be on. If not, definitely off.

Ooh, to go off topic a bit .. have we given Newcastle the whole of the south stand? If so, only 16,500 tickets sold to Reading fans is not that great given that that many RFC fans turned up to see the Swansea game.

[Sun Tzu]

There will be some thawing of snow during the days before the game, but the sub zero night time temps could well make pavements up the slope unwalkable. Get those cleared and the game might be on. If not, definitely off.

.

A truck full of grit on each of the slopes would sort the problem as long as the snow has been cleared.

I hear we've offered Watford Council £300k for a truckload of grit but Portsmouth Council are preparing a higher bid...

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Sun Tsu wrote:

I've never heard of a game called off at a ground that itself was fine but surrounding areas were a problem.

Preston North End's home game two weeks ago was called because the roads and paths around the stadium were not safe for the supporters the pitch was passed OK to play.

[Dirk Gently]

I've never heard of a game called off at a ground that itself was fine but surrounding areas were a problem.

I have, quite a few times.

[silas]

I've never heard of a game called off at a ground that itself was fine but surrounding areas were a problem.

I have, quite a few times.

Twice this week....

[Sun Tzu]

I've never heard of a game called off at a ground that itself was fine but surrounding areas were a problem.

I have, quite a few times.

Surrounding areas being beyond the stadium and it's immediate environs ?

[peterroyal76]

There will be some thawing of snow during the days before the game, but the sub zero night time temps could well make pavements up the slope unwalkable. Get those cleared and the game might be on. If not, definitely off.

.

A truck full of grit on each of the slopes would sort the problem as long as the snow has been cleared.

I hear we've offered Watford Council £300k for a truckload of grit but Portsmouth Council are preparing a higher bid...

I also heard the Sheff Utd had a bid of £1.8 million accepted before we made our offer.

[ankeny]

I've never heard of a game called off at a ground that itself was fine but surrounding areas were a problem.

I have, quite a few times.

Surrounding areas being beyond the stadium and it's immediate environs ?

Health and safety,Arsenal are having that problem right now,surrounding areas are getting too dangerous.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

There will be some thawing of snow during the days before the game, but the sub zero night time temps could well make pavements up the slope unwalkable. Get those cleared and the game might be on. If not, definitely off.

.

A truck full of grit on each of the slopes would sort the problem as long as the snow has been cleared.

I hear we've offered Watford Council £300k for a truckload of grit but Portsmouth Council are preparing a higher bid...

I also heard the Sheff Utd had a bid of £1.8 million accepted before we made our offer.

[Jerry St Clair]

Surrounding areas being beyond the stadium and it's immediate environs ?

Ye, Middlesbrough a few years ago. Blackburn this week.

[Sun Tzu]

Surrounding areas being beyond the stadium and it's immediate environs ?

Ye, Middlesbrough a few years ago. Blackburn this week.

OK, thanks for the examples. Now you mention it I do recall the Boro one, but then the area round the Riverside is a health and safety danger every week !

[Dirk Gently]

From the BBC a few minutes ago

Arsenal's Premier League game at home to Bolton on Wednesday has been postponed because of heavy snow in north London, the club have confirmed.

The match became the latest sporting fixture to fall foul of the severe weather affecting the UK.

The pitch at the Emirates was playable but there were safety issues affecting fans and concerns about transport.

Both Carling Cup semi-final games scheduled for midweek were also called off because of the weather.

[Barry the bird boggler]

From the BBC a few minutes ago

Arsenal's Premier League game at home to Bolton on Wednesday has been postponed because of heavy snow in north London, the club have confirmed.

The match became the latest sporting fixture to fall foul of the severe weather affecting the UK.

The pitch at the Emirates was playable but there were safety issues affecting fans and concerns about transport.

Both Carling Cup semi-final games scheduled for midweek were also called off because of the weather.

That will be our problem, it basically comes down to how cold it will be over the next 3 days and whether there is any more snow. If the ice doesn't get a chance to clear properly then the game will be called off.

It's all very well the club gritting the immediate stadium environs but if the council don't do the surrounding roads then having 22000 people converging is probably not a very good idea.

[floyd__streete]

The club are going to have to decide soon to stop the Newcastle players coming down,which would be Friday I presume

Oh, f*ck the players - they are paid to be there anyway, the twats. I'd feel a bit sorry for the Newcastle fans so they should make a decision before Saturday morning, although my source tells me that a decision could be made as early as tomorrow.....car parks inaccessible, apparently/unsurprsingly.

Personally, I'd make you all walk and the idea of postponing football when the pitch is fine for fear of some dopey prat slipping over on the way to the ground is just so namby-pamby 21st century H&S nanny-state it's untrue. Put me in charge and the world would be 1000% better.