Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to bcfcforum.co.uk. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Portsmouth Postponement Suspicious?
Topic Started: Jan 16 2010, 10:15 PM (1,282 Views)
poppa999
Member Avatar
Mikael Forssell
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Sus?


I would have thought a team who have short term cash poblems would not afford to have fixtures held up. But them again they can save on policing etc.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
pop_pop
Frank Worthington
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
poppa999
Jan 16 2010, 10:15 PM
Sus?


I would have thought a team who have short term cash poblems would not afford to have fixtures held up. But them again they can save on policing etc.

Blunt Thread :whistle:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mr_Blue_Sky
Member Avatar
Paul Tait
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
I was really angry at the time and I thought straight away maybe they meant to prospone the game on purpose ...

I think just to prove that this wasnt the case, the FA should make them play with exactly the same team/squad they were gonna use today ... It only seems fair should the result of an enquiry (If there is one) uncover the fact it was a plot to delay the game on purpose...

Anyone else agree that they should be made to use the same players in the rematch if found guilty of any foul-play?

Also werent we on the verge of being hit with a point deduction or something when our pitch was messed up and we couldnt play on it? It rings a bell, a few seasons ago
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MikaelForssell
Member Avatar
Jeff Hall
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
It being suspicious was the first thing I thought when I woke up this morning to be greeted with the news that 'the Blues match is off because of a waterlogged pitch after a pitch inspection'. Well I for one hadnt heard there would be a pitch inspection, when was this decided? Blues have done a good job keeping us informed about the home games weve had recently about meetings with council etc... so surely they wouldve talked with Portsmouth in the build up to let us know, especially with the distance to travel for our fans/players etc.

Id saw the people claring the snow off the Fratton Park surface , and the covers were on, and the main problem was the snow. I understand that has to melt and water will come of it, but surely not the amount of water needed to postpone a game?

I then proceeded to fall back to sleep and forgot all about it until I woke up, and found out that Bournemouth could still play and they are close to Pompey... how can they get a game on fine, and a Premier League side not?

According to Tatts' Twitter page, Blues have no complaints about the pitch or anything, but it does all add up to being something suspicious so can see where the conspiracy theories come from.

1. They're missing their African players.
2. Jamie O'Hara is back at Spurs due to Pompey's transfer embargo
3. They played 120 mins midweek in the cup at Coventry.

Then, and I didnt know until the link above,

4. The planned Portsmouth fans protest
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
poppa999
Member Avatar
Mikael Forssell
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
pop_pop
Jan 16 2010, 11:22 PM
poppa999
Jan 16 2010, 10:15 PM
Sus?


I would have thought a team who have short term cash poblems would not afford to have fixtures held up. But them again they can save on policing etc.

Blunt Thread :whistle:

Your concentration levels are pretty low pop-pop! tomatoes
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Muntz75
Member Avatar
Bob Hatton
[ *  *  *  * ]
But the referee looked at the pitch and said it was too dangerous in areas... So how have portsmouth 'cheated' in any way if it was the referee's decision?

Just a question.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
djguinness
Member Avatar
Garry Pendrey
[ *  *  *  * ]
Sprinklers?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
terminator666
Member Avatar
Trevor Francis
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Also why would they be giving two free tickets away to all the snow clearers in the week.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Deleted User
Deleted User

TomBcfc
Jan 16 2010, 10:32 PM
But the referee looked at the pitch and said it was too dangerous in areas... So how have portsmouth 'cheated' in any way if it was the referee's decision?

Just a question.

according to tatts "Combination of melting snow/frost and heavy rainfall turned it into a quagmire. Blues looked at it and said it was the right decision"
Quote Post Goto Top
 
railwayboy
Member Avatar
Paul Tait
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Was 45 minutes away from Southampton when we found out about a pitch inspection. They could of atleast told us there was going be a pitch inspection on the night or early hours this morning then we would not have set out so early, an absoloute joke! I struggle to fund my traveling and ticket money every week as it is and now i have to pay to travel there again and it isn't cheap. :angry:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
SiL3NtB
Member Avatar
Geoff Horsfield
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Apparently the melting snow blocked the drainage and heavy overnight rain pushed it to saturation point. It looked pretty waterlogged by the corner flag, that was all they showed on soccer saturday.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
andyjjj
Geoff Horsfield
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
TomBcfc
Jan 16 2010, 10:32 PM
But the referee looked at the pitch and said it was too dangerous in areas...  So how have portsmouth 'cheated' in any way if it was the referee's decision?

Just a question.

The referee has to inspect what's put in front of him.

It's portsmouths job to make sure the pitch is playable, which they couldn't/didn't do.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
alfred E nueman
Member Avatar
Mikael Forssell
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
More time for quality training back at Wast Hills with Michel acclimatising as well. No knocks, no players missing as a result of...
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
SuttonBluenose
Geoff Horsfield
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Lukey_H
Jan 16 2010, 10:24 PM
I was really angry at the time and I thought straight away maybe they meant to prospone the game on purpose ...

I think just to prove that this wasnt the case, the FA should make them play with exactly the same team/squad they were gonna use today ... It only seems fair should the result of an enquiry (If there is one) uncover the fact it was a plot to delay the game on purpose...

Anyone else agree that they should be made to use the same players in the rematch if found guilty of any foul-play?

Also werent we on the verge of being hit with a point deduction or something when our pitch was messed up and we couldnt play on it? It rings a bell, a few seasons ago

Yeh, exactly what i said to my mate this morning.

If playedin February, then they are not allowes their african cup of nations players back, and the injured ones should not be allowed to play if they recover, and any transfers made (jamie o hara), he should be eligible to play for portsmouth, at tottennham's permission.

FA Sort it out
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ian
Member Avatar
Alex Govan
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
I have to say that this situation needs more investigation and coverage than it has been given. I feel Portsmouth could have potentially cheated here and I am very angry that the Premier League or the FA have not even issued a statement about this. We as fans are so far down the football priority list its shameful. Portsmouth is hardly half an hour down the road and yet we get hear about it a relatively short while before the game starts.

Establishing the facts

As has been mentioned the referee deemed the pitch unplayable and rightly so, we all saw the news, it was a quagmire. Its important we remember that the referee does not have to investigate why the playing surface may be unplayable he just has to establish if its playable or not.

Portsmouth have a duty to make sure that the playing surface is of a reasonable standard.

Based on recent events we know that Portsmouth had been actively removing the snow from the playing surface. We all saw the coverage of the supporters etc shoveling the snow off the playing surface, pitch side, terraces, walkways and external areas. We also saw as a consequence of this that Portsmouth were using a pitch cover.

The Weather forecast predicted was for a heavy down pour. The groundsman knew what was coming and any groundsman worth his wages would be able to tell you the weather forecast 5 days in advance.

What cause would Portsmouth have to make sure the fixture was postponed?

Portsmouth currently have Belhadj, Yebda, Dindane & Kanu all at the African Cup of Nations. Whilst Portsmouth are a very poor side at the moment, the ability to pick a full strength side is a massive advantage.

Tuesday the 12th January, 5 days earlier than this fixture Portsmouth played 120 minutes of football against Coventry City away at the Richo arena.

Birmingham are certainly an in form team at the moment, playing us later in the season may see a change in our form to there advantage.

The Portsmouth Supporters planned a massive protest at the game in what has become a battle of wills between the supporters and managemnet of the lub over the current managmenet and there lack of communications to the fans. (Sound familiar ;) ). This has been exasperated by apparent anti arab chants at the Pompey V Arsenal game which has not curried favor in the Middle East where the Pompey owner is trying to secure additional funding. Postponing this game would give them precious time to repair the owner & fan relationship before the next game.

What could have & should have been done to prevent the Postponement?

The groundsman knew the weather forecast and should have covered the pitch to prevent the pitch becoming water logged. Contrary to reports there has been drainage issues with Fratton Parks playing surface.

If there was a frost under the surface of the pitch again the groundsman should have been aware of it. One of the key elements of maintaining a good pitch is the drainage and the under surface frost he or she should be aware it would effect it and they would have had the blowers on (No undersoil heating at Fratton Park the heathens :P ).

The snow that was cleared away from the playing surface, pitch side, terraces & walkways was on Sky Sports News being clearly placed outside the ground so who was letting the muppet with the snow filled wheel barrows back in last night to put on the pitch to melt? [/u}There was no snow in the ground to melt!!!

Who is to blame and what do we believe happened?

Me, i believe in my own opinion that there is the possibility that the covers could have been left off on purpose because they knew it would rain and they knew that the frost under the surface would prevent the drainage of that rain. I also believe that they were that desperate to have the game postponed that they could possibly have gone to such lengths as to water the pitch continually over night to achieve the desired results.

What reasons do Portsmouth give for this postponement?

Portsmouth state that they left the cover off the pitch to allow it to breath prior to the match.

Portsmouth state that the melt water and the heavy rain made the pitch water logged.

Portsmouth state that a frost under the pitch surface prevented drainage.

Who is to blame and what should happen?

I believe that there should be an enquiry into this incident. I think that its a total farce that this has been allowed to happen with no repercussions! I think that there is someone potentially responsible for this issue. Firstly the groundsman could be viewed as incompetent. He left a pitch with very poor drainage due to frost under the soil without the cover on. Secondly he knew that there was frost under the surface and never put the blowers on to melt the frost. The management could be implicating themselves as there has been no report of any action being disciplinary action being taken against a groundsman who seemingly cannot get the basics right. This could indicate that the groundsman was instructed to act in the manner he had and even to exasperate the circumstances by possibly watering the ground to make it worse because as we have established there was no snow near the pitch to create melt water.
I believe we should be awarded the three points for the match because the circumstances when we next meet can never be recreated as they were when the match was cancelled e.g. team selections and our mental approach towards the match. I also believe that they should be docked points but no financial fine as they already lose out on the revenue they would have got from the game (All tickets could be redeemed for face value). There groundsman should face disciplinary action as should whoever took the decision to orchestrate this situation.


This is possibly the longest post i have written but i cannot tell you how infuriating it is to feel that someone could potentially orchestrate a postponement of Premier League foot ball match because it suited them and they get away with it without anyone even thinking to question it. If the situation is what potentially could have happened & we lose the replay it would be a travesty of justice in my opinion. If you got this far then well done **thumbup
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Blacksmith
Member Avatar
Jeff Hall
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
So should we have been investigated when Newcastle fans (or was it Sunderland) travelled to St Andrews a couple of seasons ago only to find the match had been called off at the last minute? These things happen, I'm afraid, and I see no conspiracy at all.

If we have any pretentions to be a decent side we should be thinking we can beat teams like Portsmouth at any time and not just when they have players missing. Or don't we really think we are good enough?

I think we will beat them whenever the match is rearranged, whether they have their best squad or not.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
topbird
Kenny Burns
[ *  *  *  * ]
Another angle on this is, the later we play them the more will become evident as to whether they are going bust or not and I for one would rather then have a 3 point deduction than 6 .

I also agree that it was quiet a delibertate act of sabbotarging the pitch........
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Oby
Member Avatar
Mikael Forssell
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Blacksmith
Jan 17 2010, 09:45 AM
So should we have been investigated when Newcastle fans (or was it Sunderland) travelled to St Andrews a couple of seasons ago only to find the match had been called off at the last minute? These things happen, I'm afraid, and I see no conspiracy at all.


Tend to agree Blacksmith,

some people are getting all worked up on here, whatever happened to the pitch, be it drainage problems or anything, the Ref called the game off end of i'm afraid.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
barneyrubble
Jose Dominguez
[ *  *  * ]
I actually think it's a blessing in a way that it was called off. I'm sure the players that have started every game lately will now go into the Everton game refreshed and have a better chance of getting something from that game than if they had played the Portsmouth game. I reckon that now we're pretty much guaranteed not to be relegated it would be nice to see a good cup run.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ricky_rodent
Member Avatar
Geoff Horsfield
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
MikaelForssell
Jan 16 2010, 11:26 PM


I then proceeded to fall back to sleep and forgot all about it until I woke up, and found out that Bournemouth could still play and they are close to Pompey... how can they get a game on fine, and a Premier League side not?

Bournemouth is at least 35 miles from Portsmouth as the crow flies.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
rob
Member Avatar
Ian Handysides
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
There was an awful lot of rain overnight, but I'm a little surprised that they hadn't got the pitch covered.
It was forcast days before, so they knew it was coming.

Pompey's pitch does hold the water & apparently the referee postponed the game because he thought it would get worse, as there was further heavy rain forecast. As I live around 5 miles from Fratton, I was watching the local weather forecast & was surprised when I saw this as a reason for calling the match off - there was no more heavy rain forecast on any medium that I saw (& that includes the Met Office web site), nor did we have any more rain.

I think the ref could have been right, in that the pitch was very wet, but I'd like to know who told him that it was going to rain again later :unsure:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
jassyblue80
Member Avatar
Trevor Francis
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
what throws this suspicious thing up in the air was all the hard work put in to clear the snow etc... why would they bother if they didn't want the game on?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
rob
Member Avatar
Ian Handysides
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
jassyblue80
Jan 17 2010, 02:15 PM
what throws this suspicious thing up in the air was all the hard work put in to clear the snow etc... why would they bother if they didn't want the game on?

On the subject of free tickets, there is a big stink down here about some of those "wonderful fans" helping out.

Apparently, there were many people there who changed their clothes 2 or 3 times in order to get extra tickets.

They are now selling these in pubs / on line.

Great fans eh? A club that can't even pay their players have "fans" that are ripping off the club they claim to support :copno:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
KROSOTV22
Garry Pendrey
[ *  *  *  * ]
jassyblue80
Jan 17 2010, 01:15 PM
what throws this suspicious thing up in the air was all the hard work put in to clear the snow etc... why would they bother if they didn't want the game on?

A good cover up story to make the fans think they wanted the game to go ahead!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
tony123
Alex Govan
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Quote:
 
jassyblue80
what throws this suspicious thing up in the air was all the hard work put in to clear the snow etc... why would they bother if they didn't want the game on?


To me this makes it look even more suspicious rather than less. Why would you go to all this effort of clearing snow and then deliberately leave covers off the pitch (in order to breathe) when a heavy downfall was forecasted.

Every length was made to get the game on but they decided to leave the covers off. Funny that?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Blues Chat · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Forum Design by Hirsty.