| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday 17:22 - Oct 31 with 34361 views | YouTubeDale |
Just noticed that York have recalled goalkeeper Rory Watson loaned out to Scunthorpe. He played in their last game beating Aldershot.
Interesting that Scunthorpe play in the FA Cup tomorrow away to Blackpool. We should be rested more perhaps giving us an edge.
Every little helps. [Post edited 31 Oct 17:23]
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 16:40 - Nov 3 with 5040 views | D_Alien |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 15:00 - Nov 3 by robtheb |
Was there an inflatable cover deployed when we played Spurs, at Spurs expense, or was that to protect the pitch from frost? |
Yes, i think there was, or for some other game, but having one in season-long deployment would require sufficient manpower and just as importantly, storage space which having one for a single game (if that's what we did) wouldn't incur [Post edited 3 Nov 16:42]
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 17:21 - Nov 3 with 4858 views | MAK |
It must be such a fine balance between leaving covers on and taking them off. The rain since 9 this morning hasn't amounted to much and tomorrow's forecast looks better than it did 24 hrs ago. The wind is blowing strong enough to be drying off surfaces, but with covers down, the pitch won't get that help. Then of course there's more rain due this evening.
Following the club statement it looks likely the match will be off. Not good news, but great to see an early warning.
We then need to look ahead to the next home league games on the 15th and 18th. Through my work I have to keep a very close eye on the likely weather 10 to 15 days ahead in order to help with planning our jobs. As it stands this wet and windy unsettled spell looks to be stuck with us until around next Weds/Thurs. Then there's a signal for a change in the pattern to drier weather at the back end of next week and into the following week. With a bit of luck any drier spell kicks off early enough to get both those games on. |  | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 17:47 - Nov 3 with 4762 views | Yorkshire_Dale |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 17:21 - Nov 3 by MAK |
It must be such a fine balance between leaving covers on and taking them off. The rain since 9 this morning hasn't amounted to much and tomorrow's forecast looks better than it did 24 hrs ago. The wind is blowing strong enough to be drying off surfaces, but with covers down, the pitch won't get that help. Then of course there's more rain due this evening.
Following the club statement it looks likely the match will be off. Not good news, but great to see an early warning.
We then need to look ahead to the next home league games on the 15th and 18th. Through my work I have to keep a very close eye on the likely weather 10 to 15 days ahead in order to help with planning our jobs. As it stands this wet and windy unsettled spell looks to be stuck with us until around next Weds/Thurs. Then there's a signal for a change in the pattern to drier weather at the back end of next week and into the following week. With a bit of luck any drier spell kicks off early enough to get both those games on. |
Do you undertake your own research in your job,MAK?...or like us, rely on the Met Office.
It's not an exact science we all know that and the Met Office gets a lot of stick when predictions turn out wrong. I also heard we are due to catch the cast-offs of Hurricane Melissa having reaked havoc on the Carribean last week.
Is there a better source than the Met Office? | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 18:19 - Nov 3 with 4679 views | Clivert |
There was definitely damage done in the Willbutts/Sandy corner last Tuesday in that Tinpot Trophy game and that is a part of the pitch that gets sun and hasn't been a problem in the past. It seems that all we can do is pray for a dry and mild winter 🙏. |  | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 18:26 - Nov 3 with 4651 views | 442Dale |
Whilst today’s update in terms of information is welcome, without the risk of a postponement would this detail have been provided? This issue is not going to go away, we got very lucky last season when the weather was extremely kind from February onwards.
I’m now sure you’d struggle to find any Dale fan who doesn’t think a game might be off when there’s any forecast of rain. This needs acknowledging with total transparency and a recognition a professional football club not being able to confidently state they can carry out their main operation is unacceptable.
Answers to some questions will go some way to illustrating to supporters that the club are looking to tackle the problem head on, and that we can all see some sort of route forward that doesn’t involve checking the forecast every hour.
- what are the current approximate costs for each postponement?
- what costs have been incurred for extra work on the pitch since the Southend game?
- is it feasible to hire a dome cover in the lead up to home games? If so, what would the cost incurred for each period?
- have the NL asked for assurances around completing our fixtures?
- with that in mind, have we explored different venues to play home games?
- if another ground can be a medium term option, would it be possible to bite the bullet and complete the required pitch work in full over a period of a couple of months during the season? |  |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 18:34 - Nov 3 with 4608 views | TalkingSutty |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 14:54 - Nov 3 by rafc1977 |
Whilst they are clearly trying to help the issues by spending what is obviously not an insignificant amount on this machinery, I think it's time we come to terms with facing the possibility of playing the rest of the season or at least the winter away from Spotland.
Pains me to say it but id approach Bury, local has an artificial pitch and plenty big enough venue to hold NL matches/crowds. Surely the money would come in handy to them, and we may as well use this machinery money on renting out another stadium in my view.
It's clear given the Southend game and tomorrow's game that we're going to be relying on a almost totally dry winter to complete the season, in Rochdale of all places....not going to happen. |
That doesn't make great reading does it but it's a scenario i predicted weeks ago. These postponments are going to land the club in serious trouble and it's more than likely going to derail our chances of promotion this season. We are unique, i don't know of any other club in the football pyramid with a pitch that isn't fit for purpose...even local amateur and council pitches are better. It's embarrassing and it reflects badly on the regimes prior to the Ogdens taking over.
A betting man would predict much more worse weather to come over the next four or five months. A contingency plan needs to be put in place and picking up the phone to Bury seems a sensible option. We can't just adopt the ostrich mentality and bury our head in the sand and hope. I feel sorry for the Ogden family, i'm wondering if they can persuade some of their business associates to get involved with the club and assist in fast tracking us back to the EFL. As a fan i feel a bit embarrassed that they have been lumbered with all of this to be honest. I'm not sure they realised the enormity of what they had taken on. Maybe they did though and the pitch scenario is part of the 3/5 year plan. Let's also spare a thought for the manager, his backroom staff and the players, they deserve better than this, they've been brilliant this season. [Post edited 3 Nov 19:06]
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 19:55 - Nov 3 with 4360 views | Daley_Lama |
Could we ground share with Bury for 5 months please? |  |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 20:26 - Nov 3 with 4264 views | MAK |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 17:47 - Nov 3 by Yorkshire_Dale |
Do you undertake your own research in your job,MAK?...or like us, rely on the Met Office.
It's not an exact science we all know that and the Met Office gets a lot of stick when predictions turn out wrong. I also heard we are due to catch the cast-offs of Hurricane Melissa having reaked havoc on the Carribean last week.
Is there a better source than the Met Office? |
I've been a bit of a weather nerd for many years. It just comes in very handy for work. There's loads of info on weather websites and forums, and the Met Office make up a small percentage of what's available. The MO can often get a fair bit wrong even at short timescales.
For me its not about the detail 10 days ahead, but the expected general pattern of weather from a few different sources. From that info alone you can make a reasonable guess at what conditions will be like even over a week away.
If interested, you won't find much better information than on the website netweather.tv and the very knowledgeable folk on their forum.
And yes, there are bits of ex Melissa about. Thankfully there's very little of her left. | | | |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 21:19 - Nov 3 with 4094 views | 49thseason |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 18:26 - Nov 3 by 442Dale |
Whilst today’s update in terms of information is welcome, without the risk of a postponement would this detail have been provided? This issue is not going to go away, we got very lucky last season when the weather was extremely kind from February onwards.
I’m now sure you’d struggle to find any Dale fan who doesn’t think a game might be off when there’s any forecast of rain. This needs acknowledging with total transparency and a recognition a professional football club not being able to confidently state they can carry out their main operation is unacceptable.
Answers to some questions will go some way to illustrating to supporters that the club are looking to tackle the problem head on, and that we can all see some sort of route forward that doesn’t involve checking the forecast every hour.
- what are the current approximate costs for each postponement?
- what costs have been incurred for extra work on the pitch since the Southend game?
- is it feasible to hire a dome cover in the lead up to home games? If so, what would the cost incurred for each period?
- have the NL asked for assurances around completing our fixtures?
- with that in mind, have we explored different venues to play home games?
- if another ground can be a medium term option, would it be possible to bite the bullet and complete the required pitch work in full over a period of a couple of months during the season? |
A dome makes little difference if the problem is that there is no drainage...the rain still falls on the pitch surround and if the water isn't getting away to drains, the swamp remains the same. Something during the various pitch rebuilds has caused this problem , maybe reducing the slope from the Pearl Street to the Sandy Lane end has caused it, who knows? The damage has been done and we are going to have to get inventive. My quick suggestion is to dig out the surrounding track to about 3 feet deep and fill it with stones leading to big soakaways near the Sandy Lane corner flags and out into the Sandy Lane main drain. Covering the pitch would then at least push the water towards an escape route. A mini digger could dig a 3feet deep trench around two sides and across the Sandy Lane End in a day add a day to drop stone in and another day to fill it in and level it .? It's a 3- 4 day job....less if enough manpower can be brought in... any mini digger drivers on here? |  | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 21:26 - Nov 3 with 4059 views | 442Dale |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 21:19 - Nov 3 by 49thseason |
A dome makes little difference if the problem is that there is no drainage...the rain still falls on the pitch surround and if the water isn't getting away to drains, the swamp remains the same. Something during the various pitch rebuilds has caused this problem , maybe reducing the slope from the Pearl Street to the Sandy Lane end has caused it, who knows? The damage has been done and we are going to have to get inventive. My quick suggestion is to dig out the surrounding track to about 3 feet deep and fill it with stones leading to big soakaways near the Sandy Lane corner flags and out into the Sandy Lane main drain. Covering the pitch would then at least push the water towards an escape route. A mini digger could dig a 3feet deep trench around two sides and across the Sandy Lane End in a day add a day to drop stone in and another day to fill it in and level it .? It's a 3- 4 day job....less if enough manpower can be brought in... any mini digger drivers on here? |
Where have the club indicated there are issues with drainage around the pitch? Could you post a link to an article detailing this?
Not saying this isn’t a problem but today’s article talks about drainage problems with the “playing surface”.
Also, what was the previous slope from the Pearl Street to the Sandy and what has been the actual change in that? Be interesting to know more information on that.
May be worth contacting the Trust/CAB about those ideas though, they can report back in the minutes from any upcoming meetings. | |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 21:45 - Nov 3 with 3997 views | D_Alien |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 21:19 - Nov 3 by 49thseason |
A dome makes little difference if the problem is that there is no drainage...the rain still falls on the pitch surround and if the water isn't getting away to drains, the swamp remains the same. Something during the various pitch rebuilds has caused this problem , maybe reducing the slope from the Pearl Street to the Sandy Lane end has caused it, who knows? The damage has been done and we are going to have to get inventive. My quick suggestion is to dig out the surrounding track to about 3 feet deep and fill it with stones leading to big soakaways near the Sandy Lane corner flags and out into the Sandy Lane main drain. Covering the pitch would then at least push the water towards an escape route. A mini digger could dig a 3feet deep trench around two sides and across the Sandy Lane End in a day add a day to drop stone in and another day to fill it in and level it .? It's a 3- 4 day job....less if enough manpower can be brought in... any mini digger drivers on here? |
Edited [Post edited 3 Nov 21:46]
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 07:23 - Nov 4 with 3558 views | dingdangblue |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 21:26 - Nov 3 by 442Dale |
Where have the club indicated there are issues with drainage around the pitch? Could you post a link to an article detailing this?
Not saying this isn’t a problem but today’s article talks about drainage problems with the “playing surface”.
Also, what was the previous slope from the Pearl Street to the Sandy and what has been the actual change in that? Be interesting to know more information on that.
May be worth contacting the Trust/CAB about those ideas though, they can report back in the minutes from any upcoming meetings. |
According to this article in 2020 we had drains? Not sure what's happened to them in-between?
https://hornetsrugbyleague.co.uk/article/654/crown-oil-arena-pitch-update |  |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 09:13 - Nov 4 with 3352 views | WhitworthDale |
All very very strange.
At least one company has seriously botched the pitch. | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 09:15 - Nov 4 with 3346 views | davidab2202 |
Unless the weather is radically different in Rochdale to were I live about 50 miles away , it is looking increasing like I will just have to sadly put up with watching Liverpool v Real Madrid for my evenings entertainment. | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 09:46 - Nov 4 with 3192 views | Dalenet |
To be fair they shared the details in an article when they were trying to fix the pitch last season. There are drains and they are working. The problem related to the water getting down as far as the drains. The layer of sub soil between the top surface and the drains is not doing its job. I am sure it isn't clay - but imagine it was. So water is sitting above that layer and not draining away. The whole pitch needs to be dug up yet again down to about 3 foot and rebuilt from scratch - hence the £1.2m cost they quoted. They had hoped to get through to next summer before they invested in that - recognising that last year they were still debating a stadium move
For now we need to go cap in hand and speak to our neighbours about ground sharing for a while. Self imploding this season would kill any chance of making this club sustainable in my lifetime. | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 10:15 - Nov 4 with 3068 views | 49thseason |
According to Chat GPT
Timeline — last 20 years (≈2005–2025)
Below is a concise, cited timeline of the pitch-works and major related events at Spotland / Crown Oil Arena from about 2005 up to the most recent public updates in 2025.
Timeline — headline items
Summer 2006 — drainage upgrade reported. After a winter of problems the stadium is recorded as receiving a new drainage system in summer 2006.
Wikipedia
2014 — pitch maintenance scored highly. The club reported very good Playing Surfaces Committee marks for the Spotland pitch (showing consistent maintenance standards at that time).
rochdaleafc.co.uk
Summer 2017 (reported) / Feb 2018 — new surface & drainage laid previous summer; pitch problems and postponements followed winter 2018. Media coverage in Feb 2018 noted a number of postponements due to waterlogging and said a new drainage system and pitch had been laid “last summer.”
Sky Sports
+1
June 2020 — major reconstruction of top layers and drainage works. Contractors removed the old top layers, exposed and relaid drainage lines, re-profiled levels, added sand layers and installed a stitch/hybrid type surface — a significant structural intervention.
hornetsrugbyleague.co.uk
+1
2024–Jan 2025 — recurring waterlogging and match postponements. Despite the 2020 works, the club reported persistent waterlogging in parts of the pitch (notably the centre circle), leading to postponements in late 2024 / early 2025. The club’s updates indicate the drainage failure is below the root zone in places and that only a full reconstruction would permanently resolve it.
rochdaleafc.co.uk
+1
Jan 2025 — targeted centre-circle excavation & relaying; additional maintenance equipment and covers used. The club excavated the centre circle (c.200 mm), applied sand infill, relaid turf and used hybrid stitching; they also deployed rain covers, Verti-Drain/air-drying equipment and other maintenance measures to manage ongoing problems.
rochdaleafc.co.uk
+1
Short analysis / implications
Over the last 20 years the ground has had repeated drainage and surface interventions (2006, ~2017, 2020) but still shows localized failures — especially under the root zone — that have caused postponements and required remedial spot-works in 2024–25.
Wikipedia
+2
hornetsrugbyleague.co.uk
+2
The pattern suggests that the club has intermittently invested in major remedial rebuilds (2020) plus ongoing maintenance and spot fixes (2014, 2018, 2025). Club statements indicate a full rebuild (from the base up) would likely be necessary to permanently fix certain underlying drainage failures, but that is costly.
hornetsrugbyleague.co.uk
+1 [Post edited 4 Nov 10:30]
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 10:19 - Nov 4 with 3036 views | MAK |
This is a pretty thorough article on how the pitch was made up. Is this the last time such major work was carried out? Or have there been further 'improvements'? There's a few details in here that, from my experience, could cause drainage problems. However, these could have been helped by further work in the last couple of years. | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 12:01 - Nov 4 with 2404 views | 49thseason |
AI Overview
In the summer of 2020, Rochdale AFC conducted a significant renovation of the pitch at the Crown Oil Arena (Spotland Stadium), which involved stripping the surface down to the ash layer, improving drainage, and installing a new hybrid playing surface.
Key details of the 2020 pitch renewal:
Excavation: The top five inches of the existing surface, including the original Mixto layer of turf, were removed down to the ash layer underneath.
Levelling: Laser-guided bulldozers were used to ensure the surface levels were accurate.
Drainage Improvement: The main drain was installed in front of the Sandy Lane stand, with lateral drains laid out at five-meter intervals. Secondary drainage was also put in place to help water drain away more quickly.
New Surface Installation: A layer of sand was applied on top of the drainage system.
Stitching: A "stitch-pitch" system was installed, which involved inserting synthetic fibres 30cm deep into the sand and natural turf layer. This process binds the surface with the roots to create a sturdier, more free-draining surface that is less likely to divot.
https://hornetsrugbyleague.co.uk/article/654/crown-oil-arena-pitch-update#:~:tex | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 12:33 - Nov 4 with 2253 views | TVOS1907 |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 12:01 - Nov 4 by 49thseason |
AI Overview
In the summer of 2020, Rochdale AFC conducted a significant renovation of the pitch at the Crown Oil Arena (Spotland Stadium), which involved stripping the surface down to the ash layer, improving drainage, and installing a new hybrid playing surface.
Key details of the 2020 pitch renewal:
Excavation: The top five inches of the existing surface, including the original Mixto layer of turf, were removed down to the ash layer underneath.
Levelling: Laser-guided bulldozers were used to ensure the surface levels were accurate.
Drainage Improvement: The main drain was installed in front of the Sandy Lane stand, with lateral drains laid out at five-meter intervals. Secondary drainage was also put in place to help water drain away more quickly.
New Surface Installation: A layer of sand was applied on top of the drainage system.
Stitching: A "stitch-pitch" system was installed, which involved inserting synthetic fibres 30cm deep into the sand and natural turf layer. This process binds the surface with the roots to create a sturdier, more free-draining surface that is less likely to divot.
https://hornetsrugbyleague.co.uk/article/654/crown-oil-arena-pitch-update#:~:tex |
As posted 5 hours ago by DDB.
Does AI have any answers to the questions posed by 442 yesterday? |  |
| You mean you STILL haven't worked out why some posts get down-ticked? |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 13:09 - Nov 4 with 2085 views | MAK |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 09:46 - Nov 4 by Dalenet |
To be fair they shared the details in an article when they were trying to fix the pitch last season. There are drains and they are working. The problem related to the water getting down as far as the drains. The layer of sub soil between the top surface and the drains is not doing its job. I am sure it isn't clay - but imagine it was. So water is sitting above that layer and not draining away. The whole pitch needs to be dug up yet again down to about 3 foot and rebuilt from scratch - hence the £1.2m cost they quoted. They had hoped to get through to next summer before they invested in that - recognising that last year they were still debating a stadium move
For now we need to go cap in hand and speak to our neighbours about ground sharing for a while. Self imploding this season would kill any chance of making this club sustainable in my lifetime. |
There's almost definitely a clay layer at some level under the COA. A short stroll onto the grass in Denehurst Park gives enough info about the natural soils. It is wet through this time of year and decent waterproof boots are needed. Interestingly, the article mentions an ash layer. There's a lot of ash tipped in Rochdale from many years ago and this layer may pre date the building of the ground, or it could have been imported as a draining material back before people cared about it's chemical composition. Ash drains brilliantly.
What concerns me is the mention of sand covering the drains. Sand should be nowhere near perforated land drains. Fine materials block the drain holes and water struggles to escape into the drainage system. Drainage pipes should be buried to quite a depth in good clean aggregate. If sand is anywhere it should be in a top soil mix to help that layer drain freely. I don't know if one was added in 2020 but a geo textile layer would also go a long way to prevent blocking of the drainage system by any washed out fines. A proper job all adds to the cost though.
At least this morning's news is positive. The original Sunday,/Monday/Tuesday forecast was clearly wrong and there's been nowhere near as much rain as expected. The good news is that the pitch seems to be draining to some extent and together with a lot of hard work from the groundstaff, we may get a game on.
The problem comes if this match is postponed. The weather has been damp for days, but in no way exceptionally so. Just fairly typical autumn stuff at 150m altitude next to the Pennines. There'll be plenty more weeks like this in the next 4 months. | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 13:18 - Nov 4 with 2043 views | 442Dale |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 13:09 - Nov 4 by MAK |
There's almost definitely a clay layer at some level under the COA. A short stroll onto the grass in Denehurst Park gives enough info about the natural soils. It is wet through this time of year and decent waterproof boots are needed. Interestingly, the article mentions an ash layer. There's a lot of ash tipped in Rochdale from many years ago and this layer may pre date the building of the ground, or it could have been imported as a draining material back before people cared about it's chemical composition. Ash drains brilliantly.
What concerns me is the mention of sand covering the drains. Sand should be nowhere near perforated land drains. Fine materials block the drain holes and water struggles to escape into the drainage system. Drainage pipes should be buried to quite a depth in good clean aggregate. If sand is anywhere it should be in a top soil mix to help that layer drain freely. I don't know if one was added in 2020 but a geo textile layer would also go a long way to prevent blocking of the drainage system by any washed out fines. A proper job all adds to the cost though.
At least this morning's news is positive. The original Sunday,/Monday/Tuesday forecast was clearly wrong and there's been nowhere near as much rain as expected. The good news is that the pitch seems to be draining to some extent and together with a lot of hard work from the groundstaff, we may get a game on.
The problem comes if this match is postponed. The weather has been damp for days, but in no way exceptionally so. Just fairly typical autumn stuff at 150m altitude next to the Pennines. There'll be plenty more weeks like this in the next 4 months. |
The last point is extremely pertinent. Today’s update with statements like “providing there is minimal rainfall” and “ any prolonged rainfall will put the match in serious doubt” are a clear indication that every single game we have when rain is forecast is under threat.
That is not acceptable to a business whose main activity is playing football matches. The NL and all our opponents would be totally correct in saying it is unacceptable too.
The questions posted yesterday need answering to at least give an indication to all concerned that there is a route forward that doesn’t rely on hoping there is little rain:
- what are the current approximate costs for each postponement?
- what costs have been incurred for extra work on the pitch since the Southend game?
- is it feasible to hire a dome cover in the lead up to home games? If so, what would the cost incurred for each period?
- have the NL asked for assurances around completing our fixtures?
- with that in mind, have we explored different venues to play home games?
- if another ground can be a medium term option, would it be possible to bite the bullet and complete the required pitch work in full over a period of a couple of months? | |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 13:35 - Nov 4 with 1961 views | dingdangblue |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 13:09 - Nov 4 by MAK |
There's almost definitely a clay layer at some level under the COA. A short stroll onto the grass in Denehurst Park gives enough info about the natural soils. It is wet through this time of year and decent waterproof boots are needed. Interestingly, the article mentions an ash layer. There's a lot of ash tipped in Rochdale from many years ago and this layer may pre date the building of the ground, or it could have been imported as a draining material back before people cared about it's chemical composition. Ash drains brilliantly.
What concerns me is the mention of sand covering the drains. Sand should be nowhere near perforated land drains. Fine materials block the drain holes and water struggles to escape into the drainage system. Drainage pipes should be buried to quite a depth in good clean aggregate. If sand is anywhere it should be in a top soil mix to help that layer drain freely. I don't know if one was added in 2020 but a geo textile layer would also go a long way to prevent blocking of the drainage system by any washed out fines. A proper job all adds to the cost though.
At least this morning's news is positive. The original Sunday,/Monday/Tuesday forecast was clearly wrong and there's been nowhere near as much rain as expected. The good news is that the pitch seems to be draining to some extent and together with a lot of hard work from the groundstaff, we may get a game on.
The problem comes if this match is postponed. The weather has been damp for days, but in no way exceptionally so. Just fairly typical autumn stuff at 150m altitude next to the Pennines. There'll be plenty more weeks like this in the next 4 months. |
I'm sure it was mentioned in an external report a few years ago that the drains had become clogged up because 'the wrong sand' had been put on the pitch by groundstaff. I thought that it had been sorted when the work was done in 2020 but it might have happened again? | |
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| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 14:05 - Nov 4 with 1815 views | TalkingSutty |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 13:35 - Nov 4 by dingdangblue |
I'm sure it was mentioned in an external report a few years ago that the drains had become clogged up because 'the wrong sand' had been put on the pitch by groundstaff. I thought that it had been sorted when the work was done in 2020 but it might have happened again? |
I'll admit i know bugger all about tending to football pitches but over the years there has always seemed to be the same plan when it comes to dealing with drainage problems at the club...throw tonnes of sand at it, sometimes the wrong sand as has been mentioned. Sand has been used over the last few years, i remember seeing piles of it near the corner of the TDS stand. My guess is that the sand has solidified deep down and clogged everything up and the water can't escape anywhere. A daft question...does the standing water/ pitch smell? I bet it does. The whole pitch and everything underneath is probably rotten. | | | |
| Rochdale v Scunthorpe on Tuesday on 14:32 - Nov 4 with 1606 views | Bainesy15 |
Officially postponed |  | | |
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