The pitch, a few observations.

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Lose a few matches and it's sack the Manager.
A few matches get postponed and it's sack the Groundsman.
You'd expect nothing different on AVFTT.
So for those that don't know, the current incumbent is Paul Flynn who joined us from Oldham last December.
He replaced Harry Bradley who went off to Qatar to work on the pitches for the World Cup.
Harry was responsible for the first pitch renovation in the Summer of 2019 and he was the one that found the builders rubble under the SW corner which was a previous cause of concern.
I think the pitch was relaid again last summer so Harry is primarily responsible for what we have now.
If you ever watch the EFL highlights it's noticeable, ON THE SURFACE, how good the Bloomfield Rd pitch looks compared to many others. It's flat, there's plenty of grass and a distinct absence of sand.
So firstly to what extent can any blame be apportioned to Paul Flynn bearing in mind he hasn't been given a close season yet to work on it?
I don't know the answer but there was an interesting exchange on Paul's twitter a few weeks back. He didn't blame the drainage but said the problem was with the water movement which is how the water gets through to the drainage quicker. It's on his "to do list" for the summer. He added that the Club's support of the surfaces is fantastic.
So that's the case for the defence what does the prosecution have to say.
I'll leave that to the usual suspects (I do have some thoughts).
 
Lose a few matches and it's sack the Manager.
A few matches get postponed and it's sack the Groundsman.
You'd expect nothing different on AVFTT.
So for those that don't know, the current incumbent is Paul Flynn who joined us from Oldham last December.
He replaced Harry Bradley who went off to Qatar to work on the pitches for the World Cup.
Harry was responsible for the first pitch renovation in the Summer of 2019 and he was the one that found the builders rubble under the SW corner which was a previous cause of concern.
I think the pitch was relaid again last summer so Harry is primarily responsible for what we have now.
If you ever watch the EFL highlights it's noticeable, ON THE SURFACE, how good the Bloomfield Rd pitch looks compared to many others. It's flat, there's plenty of grass and a distinct absence of sand.
So firstly to what extent can any blame be apportioned to Paul Flynn bearing in mind he hasn't been given a close season yet to work on it?
I don't know the answer but there was an interesting exchange on Paul's twitter a few weeks back. He didn't blame the drainage but said the problem was with the water movement which is how the water gets through to the drainage quicker. It's on his "to do list" for the summer. He added that the Club's support of the surfaces is fantastic.
So that's the case for the defence what does the prosecution have to say.
I'll leave that to the usual suspects (I do have some thoughts).
If builders rubble is underneath the playing surface in certain areas , the surface water will Not be able to percolate quickly to the drainage pipe thus it gathers on the surface. It is also possible that the drainage pipes have been damaged . The previous incumbents had the drainage done by a farm drainage contractor ( cheaper). We have had land drained by the same contractor, very successfully, but sports field drainage requirements and agricultural land requirements are very different.
 
If he wants to get the water through to the drainage maybe he could try "hollow tining" the pitch.
This breaks up a tight root growth allowing better grass growth and better drainage.
But he's a grounds man he should know that.
 
You think the pitch was relaid last year that's not really good evidence your honour.

It's been a bit of rain this morning and got heavy around 3 calling the game off is farsical when over the years we've had a hell of a lot more tipped down and whoever is to blame someone is for tonight.

If that's the O's, Ex/new groundsman or those running the club it really doesn't matter but unless you learn from mistakes you won't move on.
 
He took the covers off too early against Burton.

The pitch clearly didn't receive the attention needed today either.

Both his fault, and yes it just is not good enough
I d like you and him to have a chat.. Just so you can put him right to where he's going wrong.
In my experience, as a gardener incidentally, it's them that know least about YOUR job who try n tell you the most about how to do it properly!
 
I'm sure if it is the groundsman's fault there will be repercussions as Simon Sadler doesn't suffer fools gladly.
I don't live in Blackpool so I don't know how long it rained today or how how hard it rained.
You can't blame him for heavy and prolonged rain though.
I honestly don't think covers for rain are solution.
If the pitch was watered this afternoon (or was TAM just being mischievous) then that is a serious misjudgement.
I can't remember when we had a match called off for a waterlogged pitch prior to this season. Has something happened to the make up of the surface since the 2019 renovations that is the underlying cause?
Or has Paul failed to do something during the heavy rain that his predecessors have done more efficiently?
 
You think the pitch was relaid last year that's not really good evidence your honour.

It's been a bit of rain this morning and got heavy around 3 calling the game off is farsical when over the years we've had a hell of a lot more tipped down and whoever is to blame someone is for tonight.

If that's the O's, Ex/new groundsman or those running the club it really doesn't matter but unless you learn from mistakes you won't move on.
The pitch was certainly re-seeded last summer.
 
Calling for his head is extreme but I think its reasonable that people are asking questions of what has happened recently regarding the pitch.

4 games off in just over a month is absolutely unheard of, its probably rare over an entire season. It may well be that it is just down to freak weather conditions and bad luck. Put yourself in that position in your own job, if 4 times in a short space of time the main aspect of your role was found to be unworkable, questions would be asked - you could have a perfectly reasonable explanation for it but the questions would be asked.

The back log we were facing from the covid postponements was bad enough, now we are seriously in a pickle with 4 additional games postponed due to our own pitch. This is a significant problem now at the club, it makes us look farcical and is directly causing problems with our season. I think its fair people are discussing why it might be happening on twitter and here, the Blackpool FC forum - as always there will be those who take it too far though.
 
The pitch can be relaid but if the problem is the subsoil, the water still can’t reach the drainage. The ground staff can’t affect the the subsoil structure without major excavation. Not sure how deep the relay went but from memory the pictures didn’t suggest a major excavation down to the drainage system itself.
 
Calling for his head is extreme but I think its reasonable that people are asking questions of what has happened recently regarding the pitch.

4 games off in just over a month is absolutely unheard of, its probably rare over an entire season. It may well be that it is just down to freak weather conditions and bad luck. Put yourself in that position in your own job, if 4 times in a short space of time the main aspect of your role was found to be unworkable, questions would be asked - you could have a perfectly reasonable explanation for it but the questions would be asked.

The back log we were facing from the covid postponements was bad enough, now we are seriously in a pickle with 4 additional games postponed due to our own pitch. This is a significant problem now at the club, it makes us look farcical and is directly causing problems with our season. I think its fair people are discussing why it might be happening on twitter and here, the Blackpool FC forum - as always there will be those who take it too far though.
Where is the freak weather I've worked outside every day for a month without a day off and for over 25 years it hasn't been that bad this year.
We had a cold spell for about ten days big deal.

The pitch is at fault and whatever comes with that.
 
I was in the ground quite a lot last summer and saw a lot of the routine maintenance first hand. There was no lack of effort and no lack of equipment.
I haven't a clue what goes on between the grass on the surface and the drainage system below.
 
Over the years when the surface has been skimmed off during reseeding has the level of the pitch dropped a little? The old pitch, prior to redevelopment, was above the cinder track and drained into the paddocks. No such benefit now.
 
Where is the freak weather I've worked outside every day for a month without a day off and for over 25 years it hasn't been that bad this year.
We had a cold spell for about ten days big deal.

The pitch is at fault and whatever comes with that.
I'm not saying there has been freak weather, just saying a random thing that could have been a reason to explain - making the point that he COULD have a perfectly reasonable explanation for why its happened out of his control but we have a right as supporters to question why so many games are being called off. I've never known this many its bonkers.
 
Lose a few matches and it's sack the Manager.
A few matches get postponed and it's sack the Groundsman.
You'd expect nothing different on AVFTT.
So for those that don't know, the current incumbent is Paul Flynn who joined us from Oldham last December.
He replaced Harry Bradley who went off to Qatar to work on the pitches for the World Cup.
Harry was responsible for the first pitch renovation in the Summer of 2019 and he was the one that found the builders rubble under the SW corner which was a previous cause of concern.
I think the pitch was relaid again last summer so Harry is primarily responsible for what we have now.
If you ever watch the EFL highlights it's noticeable, ON THE SURFACE, how good the Bloomfield Rd pitch looks compared to many others. It's flat, there's plenty of grass and a distinct absence of sand.
So firstly to what extent can any blame be apportioned to Paul Flynn bearing in mind he hasn't been given a close season yet to work on it?
I don't know the answer but there was an interesting exchange on Paul's twitter a few weeks back. He didn't blame the drainage but said the problem was with the water movement which is how the water gets through to the drainage quicker. It's on his "to do list" for the summer. He added that the Club's support of the surfaces is fantastic.
So that's the case for the defence what does the prosecution have to say.
I'll leave that to the usual suspects (I do have some thoughts).
A helpful post.
 
I think, on reflection, the nemotodes, although a bit of a bugger for the grass did a brilliant job of huddling together to keep the frost away and aerated the sub structure to aid drainage.

We have a choice, ropey grass and green food dye or a greater risk of matches being called off due to climate change in FY1.

It's a tough one for sure, especially with our tikka takka play it to feet style.
 
I'm fairly sure that Harry Bradley , upon having the SW corner investigated, found that the builders rubble issue was a myth . What he did find however. was that there had been multiple attempts to relay the turf in that corner that resulted in the morass under the surface that was causing the problems in that area . I distinctly remember Seasider Lee ? on his webcasts highlighting this . Still , there has to be an underlying problem with the water retention. Strangely, could we have too much grass on our pitch?
 
We clearly have an issue with the pitch.
Blackpool was a Yellow weather warning from the Met Office; Carlisle had one of the few Amber warnings, yet their match went ahead.
At least the supporters weren’t massively inconvenienced.
 
If anyone on here is unsure how water gathers in wet a spell, you are most welcome to come to our allotment and witness what is around four inches under the surface. And where a couple of inches of water plus another couple of inches of mud is on two of our paths.

Honestly, some of the ridiculous posts on this board tonight take the biscuit.
 
As bad as the tin pot tossers ran the club, do people actually believe the pitch was laid on builders rubble
Yes. Can believe that. Part of it anyway.
Along with hazardous waste from the old railway station under the stand.
And more rubble dumped in at least two other locations.
 
If Paul knew that there are problems to the pitch then surely any knowledgeable groundsman would have put into place temporary solutions. I saw a twitter post a week or two ago saying that his girlfriend and his girlfriends parents were putting the covers onto the pitch. Im sorry but what has happened this season with this new guy in charge is unacceptable and should be shown the door. This isn't a shitty league two club. Time for a change.
 
If Paul knew that there are problems to the pitch then surely any knowledgeable groundsman would have put into place temporary solutions. I saw a twitter post a week or two ago saying that his girlfriend and his girlfriends parents were putting the covers onto the pitch. Im sorry but what has happened this season with this new guy in charge is unacceptable and should be shown the door. This isn't a shitty league two club. Time for a change.
Spot on, he needs to go, and get someone competent in.
 
Spot on, he needs to go, and get someone competent in.
if we can get someone like Harry bradley in then surely we can someone alot better than out current groundsman. This is not a dig at ss but i thought he wanted the best for our club and supporters.
 
Over the years when the surface has been skimmed off during reseeding has the level of the pitch dropped a little? The old pitch, prior to redevelopment, was above the cinder track and drained into the paddocks. No such benefit now.
when it rained heavy you could see the water pouring out of the drains at the bottom of the wall in the old ground
 
if we can get someone like Harry bradley in then surely we can someone alot better than out current groundsman. This is not a dig at ss but i thought he wanted the best for our club and supporters.
the young lad ash at fleetwood won apprentice groundkeeper of the year several years ago when he worked at fleetwood and liverpool were begging him to come and join their groundstaff but he chose to stay at fleetwood under their old groundsman dale who was awesome at his job so he could learn from the best dale went as an advisor if i remember correctly i think ash is still at fleetwood
 
He took the covers off too early against Burton.

The pitch clearly didn't receive the attention needed today either.

Both his fault, and yes it just is not good enough
Are you going to apply for the job, given your obvious expertise? Or are you deciding between Real Madrid and Barcelona for your next career move?

Social media lynch mob types seem determined to create a toxic environment for anyone who works for BFC in any capacity. Sooner or later nobody will.

I wonder who is next?
 
I'm sure if it is the groundsman's fault there will be repercussions as Simon Sadler doesn't suffer fools gladly.
I don't live in Blackpool so I don't know how long it rained today or how how hard it rained.
You can't blame him for heavy and prolonged rain though.
I honestly don't think covers for rain are solution.
If the pitch was watered this afternoon (or was TAM just being mischievous) then that is a serious misjudgement.
I can't remember when we had a match called off for a waterlogged pitch prior to this season. Has something happened to the make up of the surface since the 2019 renovations that is the underlying cause?
Or has Paul failed to do something during the heavy rain that his predecessors have done more efficiently?
I expect that questions will be directed at the contractors who relaid the pitch at some cost in 2019. Either they failed to deal with the drainage problem, didn’t bring it to the boards attention, or did and were told to leave it.
 
Something does not look right when we are the only club in the whole of the EFL last night to have a waterlogged pitch. In recent seasons the pitch has not always drained properly and to be fair to the current groundsman he neither installed the drainage or prepared and relaid the pitch pre--season. Something on the drainage needs to improve. I recall that the previous groundsman said that he had put scanners down thd drains and they were ok. He also said they had dug down and removed the rubble from the front of the south stand and replaced the sub--soil.
The pictures / video from last night appeared to show surface water problems not just at the south end but also in the middle of the pitch. I don't live in Blackpool so don't know how heavy the rain was yesterday, but I do know that the ground is generally sodden from rain over the last few months. The fact that other clubs in the area managed to play last night does suggest that we may still have a problem with the drainage
 
We have had no freak weather it's rained that's all. There is no guarantee that this will be the last postponement because there's a lot of home games left to play and I predict that yesterday will not be the last time it rains this season, probably why it's not been rearranged for tonight. something isn't right and it needs addressing in the close season but a short term fix would be to get better groundsmen in maybe.
 
I’m sure Simon and the board will look hard at this. Blackpool wasn’t the only place it rained heavily yesterday, but ours was the only game called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Somethings not right.
 
Lose a few matches and it's sack the Manager.
A few matches get postponed and it's sack the Groundsman.
You'd expect nothing different on AVFTT.
So for those that don't know, the current incumbent is Paul Flynn who joined us from Oldham last December.
He replaced Harry Bradley who went off to Qatar to work on the pitches for the World Cup.
Harry was responsible for the first pitch renovation in the Summer of 2019 and he was the one that found the builders rubble under the SW corner which was a previous cause of concern.
I think the pitch was relaid again last summer so Harry is primarily responsible for what we have now.
If you ever watch the EFL highlights it's noticeable, ON THE SURFACE, how good the Bloomfield Rd pitch looks compared to many others. It's flat, there's plenty of grass and a distinct absence of sand.
So firstly to what extent can any blame be apportioned to Paul Flynn bearing in mind he hasn't been given a close season yet to work on it?
I don't know the answer but there was an interesting exchange on Paul's twitter a few weeks back. He didn't blame the drainage but said the problem was with the water movement which is how the water gets through to the drainage quicker. It's on his "to do list" for the summer. He added that the Club's support of the surfaces is fantastic.
So that's the case for the defence what does the prosecution have to say.
I'll leave that to the usual suspects (I do have some thoughts).
Work was carried out on the pitch last summer, but only the top layer of sand and soil was removed and replaced due to the lack of time between the season being cancelled and the new season starting. Simon Sadler & Harry Bradley both wanted to completely replace the pitch with new drains, soil types, remove rubble etc but the time was not enough to allow it to happen. I'm sure Simon Sadler released a statement saying similar and that relaying the pitch completely would be achieved at the next available opportunity. The issue is a lack of neglect from the Oyston's and not something the current regime can be blamed for.
 
I’m sure Simon and the board will look hard at this. Blackpool wasn’t the only place it rained heavily yesterday, but ours was the only game called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Somethings not right.

Maybe we could play our home games at the Cods ground. 😳
 
Can anybody on this thread hold their hands up and say they know anything in detail about the Bloomfield Road pitch ? I would guess no.

As someone reasonably qualified to comment on this subject, there could be many reasons as to why the pitch is seemingly holding water.

If you think the groundsman has had the sprinklers on pre game , you are quite frankly dim.

I dont know Paul personally, but he has inherited a pitch from HB. Hes been in the job for around 2 months , give him chance.

There will be a reliance on less surface disruption ,that will be a key factor in the maintenance schedule , sometimes it isnt just as simple as people make out.

Saturday/Tuesday schedule also impacts how much a groundsman and his team can do.
 
Work was carried out on the pitch last summer, but only the top layer of sand and soil was removed and replaced due to the lack of time between the season being cancelled and the new season starting. Simon Sadler & Harry Bradley both wanted to completely replace the pitch with new drains, soil types, remove rubble etc but the time was not enough to allow it to happen. I'm sure Simon Sadler released a statement saying similar and that relaying the pitch completely would be achieved at the next available opportunity. The issue is a lack of neglect from the Oyston's and not something the current regime can be blamed for.
I still think the pitch covers being put on would have ' saved ' last nights game particularly if accompanied by a team being on hand to brush away / remove excess water

Whether the extent of and impact of the deluge was foreseeable is another matter

I suspect they didn't think the downpour would have been quite so heavy
 
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