| Am I missing something...? 11:23 - Jan 19 with 3480 views | SitfcB |
Quizzed on whether he’ll be pleased to get back home playing on the surface there, Lambert said: “That’s not much better, it’s not great Portman Road but it is what it is. But to be back home the way that we’re playing I’m really happy.” [Paul Lambert]
How is the Portman Road pitch ‘not much better’ than the two we’ve just played on? 
I know it’s not what it used to be but compared to the Oxford and Tranmere pitches it’s a lush bowling green!! |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 11:26 - Jan 19 with 3433 views | bluefunk |
I wondered about that - a very strange comment. |  | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 11:29 - Jan 19 with 3430 views | Wickets |
Yes it is much better than the last couple we have played on but it needs improving and that is the point he was makeing .Why do have to examine every tiny word our manager makes then try and find fault . |  | | |
| Indeed on 11:33 - Jan 19 with 3389 views | Dyland |
| Am I missing something...? on 11:29 - Jan 19 by Wickets |
Yes it is much better than the last couple we have played on but it needs improving and that is the point he was makeing .Why do have to examine every tiny word our manager makes then try and find fault . |
Couldn't give a hoot, and as you say, he has a (good) habit of trying to set higher standards when it comes to the state of the ground etc. He is super sensitive though. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 11:51 - Jan 19 with 3325 views | Bluefish |
I think his norwich roots came out then. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 12:04 - Jan 19 with 3295 views | Fixed_It |
The Portman Road pitch is a shadow of its former self. Still miles better than the last two, but needs investment. Even Mick acknowledged that. But until we get to the promised land it'll have to do. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 12:42 - Jan 19 with 3225 views | PJH |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:04 - Jan 19 by Fixed_It |
The Portman Road pitch is a shadow of its former self. Still miles better than the last two, but needs investment. Even Mick acknowledged that. But until we get to the promised land it'll have to do. |
Going back a long long way Portman Road was generally recognized as being the best surface in the Country other than Wembley when Wembley was seen as a near perfect playing surface.
That was a long time ago though. |  | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:44 - Jan 19 with 3221 views | factual_blue |
There are - and always have been, and always will be - problems with the Portman Road pitch. They're all to do with the geology and soil of the area, the water table etc.
That can be ameliorated by the care of the pitch, but it's known that there's substantial investment needed in the longer term, and winning the Champions League in 2022-23 should fund that. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 12:46 - Jan 19 with 3215 views | Warkystache |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:42 - Jan 19 by PJH |
Going back a long long way Portman Road was generally recognized as being the best surface in the Country other than Wembley when Wembley was seen as a near perfect playing surface.
That was a long time ago though. |
A mate of a mate was one of the groundsmen working under Alan Ferguson in the early 00's. He said it was treated like Alan's own back lawn. He'd oversee every little detail himself and he cared.
Speaks volumes for how the club is run today, methinks |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 12:49 - Jan 19 with 3187 views | PJH |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:46 - Jan 19 by Warkystache |
A mate of a mate was one of the groundsmen working under Alan Ferguson in the early 00's. He said it was treated like Alan's own back lawn. He'd oversee every little detail himself and he cared.
Speaks volumes for how the club is run today, methinks |
The pitch was very good when Ferguson was the groundsman but I was thinking a lot further back than that.
In fact when we won the title in 1961/62.... | | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:56 - Jan 19 with 3150 views | jeera |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:49 - Jan 19 by PJH |
The pitch was very good when Ferguson was the groundsman but I was thinking a lot further back than that.
In fact when we won the title in 1961/62.... |
Grass hadn't long been invented back then though so everyone was still keen.
I wonder what's changed there then. Whatever is underneath is still there.
Wasn't there a recognised issue with the stands being built higher so blocking X amount of sunlight? Although the retractable was supposed to counter some of that. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 13:00 - Jan 19 with 3144 views | Wickets |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:04 - Jan 19 by Fixed_It |
The Portman Road pitch is a shadow of its former self. Still miles better than the last two, but needs investment. Even Mick acknowledged that. But until we get to the promised land it'll have to do. |
Well Mick might of acknowledged it but i know for a fact that he was quite happy for the grass to be longer and the pitch to be poorer , i can tell you he had a running battle with the head groundsman as he did not want it improved . | | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 13:07 - Jan 19 with 3115 views | PJH |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:56 - Jan 19 by jeera |
Grass hadn't long been invented back then though so everyone was still keen.
I wonder what's changed there then. Whatever is underneath is still there.
Wasn't there a recognised issue with the stands being built higher so blocking X amount of sunlight? Although the retractable was supposed to counter some of that. |
I think I am right in saying that there is a second world war rubbish tip under the pitch and it really was regarded as the best club playing surface in the country.
I think the development of the ground over the years and therefore the change in sunlight getting to it has not helped.
For what ever reason(s) it certainly is not anything like as good as it used to be. | | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 13:18 - Jan 19 with 3084 views | jeera |
| Am I missing something...? on 13:07 - Jan 19 by PJH |
I think I am right in saying that there is a second world war rubbish tip under the pitch and it really was regarded as the best club playing surface in the country.
I think the development of the ground over the years and therefore the change in sunlight getting to it has not helped.
For what ever reason(s) it certainly is not anything like as good as it used to be. |
No, there's no disputing it's nothing like the standard it was for years, even in more recent times under Ferguson's watch.
But the chap who took over from him was his under-study wasn't he (I think!) so you'd assume that the approach would be along the same lines.
Like you I thought it was based upon what used to be a tip, which had supposedly contributed to the drainage and so a better surface.
Perhaps underneath has become compacted over the years and needs to be hauled up and the drainage re-sorted. Although perhaps I've made some of that up. I don't know. | |
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| Am I missing something...? on 13:21 - Jan 19 with 3062 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Am I missing something...? on 11:29 - Jan 19 by Wickets |
Yes it is much better than the last couple we have played on but it needs improving and that is the point he was makeing .Why do have to examine every tiny word our manager makes then try and find fault . |
Maybe he has also noticed our home form compared to our away form and would rather take some pressure off the players than step it up. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 17:04 - Jan 19 with 2886 views | HARRY10 |
Lambert was probably comparing our pitch to those of his previous PL clubs.
They have the money and the requirement to have first class pitches - so anything less than that is seen as being 'the same'.
Irony is that these are the very type of pitches we played on in the successful era of the seventies, away grounds that were not always full and fans who were full (beer) so felt the game needed their presence on the pitch occasionally,
And as regard to the latter a way of dealing with our arrested fan (yesterday) used to be to hold him/them in the local nick until their coach had headed back. Cost effective punishment as they saw it. |  | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 17:24 - Jan 19 with 2829 views | PhilTWTD |
| Am I missing something...? on 13:07 - Jan 19 by PJH |
I think I am right in saying that there is a second world war rubbish tip under the pitch and it really was regarded as the best club playing surface in the country.
I think the development of the ground over the years and therefore the change in sunlight getting to it has not helped.
For what ever reason(s) it certainly is not anything like as good as it used to be. |
It's needed work deep down for a long time now. Ian Milne talking about it in the first story, Alan Ferguson in the latter part of the second.
The last major work on it at a deeper level was done in the summer of 1977 so it's long overdue an overhaul.
It was on a rubbish dump and bricks and things like that appear when they do the annual scrape and reseed.
 Milne: State of Pitch Down to Number of Games and Weather 3rd Apr 2018 12:04MD Ian Milne says the poor current state of the Portman Road pitch is down to the number of games played on it during January and adverse weather conditions, however, he says the club are looking at ways of improving it going forward.  31
 Ex-Blues Groundsman Ferguson at World Cup Ahead of New FIFA Role 20th Jun 2018 11:10Bartosz Bialkowski and Jonas Knudsen aren’t the only ones with Town links at the World Cup, former Blues groundsman Alan Ferguson is also currently in Russia, having been involved in the preparations for the finals for almost a year, ahead of starting a prestigious new job with FIFA. Blair Ferguson, Alan’s son, caught up with him for TWTD. 19
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| Am I missing something...? on 17:28 - Jan 19 with 2798 views | BackToRussia |
| Am I missing something...? on 13:07 - Jan 19 by PJH |
I think I am right in saying that there is a second world war rubbish tip under the pitch and it really was regarded as the best club playing surface in the country.
I think the development of the ground over the years and therefore the change in sunlight getting to it has not helped.
For what ever reason(s) it certainly is not anything like as good as it used to be. |
Provides good drainage, a rubbish tip. It's like putting crockery shards at the bottom of a pot.
You do wonder why it's a bit rubbish now and it was lush under Ferguson. It's a question of management, factually. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 17:33 - Jan 19 with 2770 views | Dubtractor |
| Am I missing something...? on 17:24 - Jan 19 by PhilTWTD |
It's needed work deep down for a long time now. Ian Milne talking about it in the first story, Alan Ferguson in the latter part of the second.
The last major work on it at a deeper level was done in the summer of 1977 so it's long overdue an overhaul.
It was on a rubbish dump and bricks and things like that appear when they do the annual scrape and reseed.
Milne: State of Pitch Down to Number of Games and Weather 3rd Apr 2018 12:04MD Ian Milne says the poor current state of the Portman Road pitch is down to the number of games played on it during January and adverse weather conditions, however, he says the club are looking at ways of improving it going forward. 31
Ex-Blues Groundsman Ferguson at World Cup Ahead of New FIFA Role 20th Jun 2018 11:10Bartosz Bialkowski and Jonas Knudsen aren’t the only ones with Town links at the World Cup, former Blues groundsman Alan Ferguson is also currently in Russia, having been involved in the preparations for the finals for almost a year, ahead of starting a prestigious new job with FIFA. Blair Ferguson, Alan’s son, caught up with him for TWTD. 19
This post has been edited by an administrator |
I thought that last season the pitch actually held up well all season, though it was a mostly mild and dry winter.
After the amount of rain we've had over the last few months I expect it will be struggling over the coming 2 months. |  |
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| Am I missing something...? on 17:38 - Jan 19 with 2745 views | Churchman |
| Am I missing something...? on 13:00 - Jan 19 by Wickets |
Well Mick might of acknowledged it but i know for a fact that he was quite happy for the grass to be longer and the pitch to be poorer , i can tell you he had a running battle with the head groundsman as he did not want it improved . |
Since the ball was in the air most of the time it didn’t matter what the pitch was like. They could have planted crops and it’d have made no difference. Seriously, the state of the playing surface is just a reflection of the neglect in everything else about the club over many years now. |  | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 17:55 - Jan 19 with 2696 views | PhilTWTD |
| Am I missing something...? on 17:33 - Jan 19 by Dubtractor |
I thought that last season the pitch actually held up well all season, though it was a mostly mild and dry winter.
After the amount of rain we've had over the last few months I expect it will be struggling over the coming 2 months. |
It did much better last year than the previous season because that year there were about seven games played on it in about six weeks in January and early February, the worst period, including and FA Cup tie, two Youth Cup ties and a Premier Cup match, some in heavy rain. Absolutely ruined it and it never recovered.
Not sure it's currently quite as bad as PL suggested, although I think he was joking to some extent. | | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 18:29 - Jan 19 with 2594 views | GaryCooper |
As someone who is called 'PR Paul' by some, he is not really good at PR. |  | | |
| Am I missing something...? on 09:44 - Jan 20 with 2301 views | monty_radio |
| Am I missing something...? on 18:29 - Jan 19 by GaryCooper |
As someone who is called 'PR Paul' by some, he is not really good at PR. |
I think he's just not very comfortable where he's not out on the training ground calling the shots. When he praises, it's by numbers; and when he comes out with such stuff as people feel need to pick apart they're really affording it more significance than his occasional , stilted venturing into off-the-cuff merits. | |
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| Am I missing something...? on 11:25 - Jan 20 with 2187 views | GeoffSentence |
| Am I missing something...? on 12:44 - Jan 19 by factual_blue |
There are - and always have been, and always will be - problems with the Portman Road pitch. They're all to do with the geology and soil of the area, the water table etc.
That can be ameliorated by the care of the pitch, but it's known that there's substantial investment needed in the longer term, and winning the Champions League in 2022-23 should fund that. |
Basically, they built the place on a marsh. |  |
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