Pitch for the CL final.

[JPK]

Supposed to be no better than an average championship pitch and it was frozen in transport. Bet whoever loses uses this as an excuse.

[Guest]

Frozen in transport !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shaggy]

Delighted about this - think it'll favour Chelsea.

[JPK]

Hope it's like Wigan's during the year.

[Shanks]

The Russian authorities spent nine months growing a grass pitch to replace the artificial surface at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium but,

shortly after installing it this week, experts decided that it was too bumpy. (Fergie)

Second time lucky?

The new pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium has already had to be dug up and replaced.

A second grass pitch has been imported from Slovakia,

at a cost of £160,000,and laid down instead.

Uefa last night appeared oblivious to the change, though.

"As far as I am aware, we sent someone over who worked at the Emirates Stadium to check the progress of the pitch two weeks ago,"

said spokesman William Gaillard.

However, pitch expert Matthew Frost, who has been overseeing the operation, said:

"We put it in the stadium, then we took it out again.

"It was always the wrong selection of turf.

I told them nine months ago.

But I'm an adviser and all I can do is advise.

It is a normal situation in Russia."

The pitch that was intended for the final was grown just 500 metres from the Luzhniki Stadium at a cost of £1.5 million.

Frost, who is known as the 'Plastic Terminator',

has lived in a rented flat near the stadium since September and cared for the grass through the winter.

Last week he had sounded confident, saying that it would be a "Rolls-Royce of a pitch".

However, it is believed he had private concerns.

Swathes of grass were apparently of varying heights and failed to mesh.

(WHAT!!)

Instead, according to Luzhniki deputy general director Boris Megrelidze, they purchased the Slovak pitch and hurried it through customs.

(WTF)!!

Imagine the poor guy having to check the suitcases for that one

The discarded pitch is now being used for landscaping around the stadium.




Another possible problem in Moscow is having to compete with rehearsals and preparations before a big event.

In addition, there are TV crews and personnel everywhere, so groundsmen are limited over the time they get to water the pitch.

Groundsman Matthew Frost will let the grass grow longer than normal for football.

They will then cut it once it's all in place.

Frost said:

"I've worked in different countries, in Greece, in China.

There they used the same system as here in Russia."



Sounds like excuses have been made already.

Fergie would have a field (or pitch) day with this.

[Neil Young]

Supposed to be no better than an average championship pitch and it was frozen in transport. Bet whoever loses uses this as an excuse.

The Russian authorities spent nine months growing a grass pitch to replace the artificial surface at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium but,

shortly after installing it this week, experts decided that it was too bumpy. (Fergie)

Second time lucky?

The new pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium has already had to be dug up and replaced.

A second grass pitch has been imported from Slovakia,

at a cost of £160,000,and laid down instead.

Uefa last night appeared oblivious to the change, though.

"As far as I am aware, we sent someone over who worked at the Emirates Stadium to check the progress of the pitch two weeks ago,"

said spokesman William Gaillard.

However, pitch expert Matthew Frost, who has been overseeing the operation, said:

"We put it in the stadium, then we took it out again.

"It was always the wrong selection of turf.

I told them nine months ago.

But I'm an adviser and all I can do is advise.

It is a normal situation in Russia."

The pitch that was intended for the final was grown just 500 metres from the Luzhniki Stadium at a cost of £1.5 million.

Frost, who is known as the 'Plastic Terminator',

has lived in a rented flat near the stadium since September and cared for the grass through the winter.

Last week he had sounded confident, saying that it would be a "Rolls-Royce of a pitch".

However, it is believed he had private concerns.

Swathes of grass were apparently of varying heights and failed to mesh.

(WHAT!!)

Instead, according to Luzhniki deputy general director Boris Megrelidze, they purchased the Slovak pitch and hurried it through customs.

(WTF)!!

Imagine the poor guy having to check the suitcases for that one

The discarded pitch is now being used for landscaping around the stadium.




Another possible problem in Moscow is having to compete with rehearsals and preparations before a big event.

In addition, there are TV crews and personnel everywhere, so groundsmen are limited over the time they get to water the pitch.

Groundsman Matthew Frost will let the grass grow longer than normal for football.

They will then cut it once it's all in place.

Frost said:

"I've worked in different countries, in Greece, in China.

There they used the same system as here in Russia."



Sounds like excuses have been made already.

Fergie would have a field (or pitch) day with this.

With the bloke in charge having name like that the result was perfectly foreseeable.

[Joe King]

Expect Fergie to blame the pitch and the referee. No doubt. Expect that tosser next to him to say Ronaldo needs to have AIDS to have a penalty. Expect Ronaldo to say he has AIDS and that he needs to be shot to get a penalty (which I would volunteer for).

[Shanks]

With the bloke in charge having name like that the result was perfectly foreseeable.

Great Quote.

Well Spotted.

Can't believe I mised that one.

[JPK]

With the bloke in charge having name like that the result was perfectly foreseeable.

Genius

[wavydavy]

Supposed to be no better than an average championship pitch and it was frozen in transport. Bet whoever loses uses this as an excuse.

Steve McMahon's just been interviewed on local telly. He's there and labelled it " a disgrace". Got a feeling this CL Final's gonna be amusing for us reds in some way or other. Something's gonna happen.

[Vermilion]

Not that i'm bothered about the pitch for this game, not anymore anyhow, i must say that Uefa & Fifa have been terrible with some of their decisions for stadium choice. Making England play a qualifier on a plastic pitch ffs, professional football on an imitation surface.

The size of some of the stadia for the Champions league final..
Hence the ticket allocation for what could be a once in a lifetime experience for the fans.

Even way back when, Heysel was a crumbling disgrace, but for a wall, such a shame.

Now we have a pitch not worthy of such an event, or of the talents of players 'that could have been' playing there.

[dom9]

I blame UEFA.

Sack Platini.