| Groundsmen in Austria 11:35 - Jul 22 with 2967 views | blue_curacao |
Interesting to note from KM's interview that we had our own groundsmen out in Austria before and during the training camp to prepare the playing surface. I've no idea if it's normal practice or not at this level but I love how it displays the attention to detail that seems to run through everything the club does these days. Great stuff!
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 11:37 - Jul 22 with 2923 views | burnbudgiesburn |
Saw that.
Did we play the match at the training centre too? Because that looked a tricky surface and cut up a bit in the middle. Nowhere near as good as the actual training pitches. | | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 11:48 - Jul 22 with 2856 views | PhilTWTD |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 11:37 - Jul 22 by burnbudgiesburn |
Saw that.
Did we play the match at the training centre too? Because that looked a tricky surface and cut up a bit in the middle. Nowhere near as good as the actual training pitches. |
From what I was told that was the same pitch. Wasn't an awful lot more to the centre. Pitch probably cut up more than expected as it rained an awful lot! |  | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 11:51 - Jul 22 with 2843 views | SitfcB |
Apparently normal practice for Premier League clubs, so someone in the industry told me. |  |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:13 - Jul 22 with 2684 views | NIblue |
It would probably scare the life out of most of us if we knew the level of detail that went into preparing for matches etc |  | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:43 - Jul 22 with 2569 views | Plums |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 11:51 - Jul 22 by SitfcB |
Apparently normal practice for Premier League clubs, so someone in the industry told me. |
Which probably (I have little direct evidence for this but circumstances suggest it is so) has its roots at Portman Road. Our very own David Sheepshanks delivered the St Georges Park vision and if I recall correctly, our groundsman at the time went to work there. What I do know is that when the Wembley pitch is cut or treated, the first team England pitch (which nobody else is allowed to use) at SGP is also cut using the same parameters etc.
Detail matters. |  |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:46 - Jul 22 with 2540 views | Deano69 |
pretty sure town cut the pitch to 18mm..... precisely
It is watered at the same times with the same amount of water on a match day....precisely
its very particular these days [Post edited 22 Jul 2024 12:47]
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:51 - Jul 22 with 2484 views | blue_curacao |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 11:51 - Jul 22 by SitfcB |
Apparently normal practice for Premier League clubs, so someone in the industry told me. |
Thanks, I hadn't seen this.
It makes you wonder why some of the big clubs don't buy up warm whether training venues like this and run them themselves, especially in this age of ownership groups that own multiple clubs. | | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:53 - Jul 22 with 2451 views | PhilTWTD |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:43 - Jul 22 by Plums |
Which probably (I have little direct evidence for this but circumstances suggest it is so) has its roots at Portman Road. Our very own David Sheepshanks delivered the St Georges Park vision and if I recall correctly, our groundsman at the time went to work there. What I do know is that when the Wembley pitch is cut or treated, the first team England pitch (which nobody else is allowed to use) at SGP is also cut using the same parameters etc.
Detail matters. |
That is true. Alan Ferguson had a Wembley pitch at SGP, which he believed was even better than the real one! He now works for FIFA, incidentally.
 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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| Groundsmen in Austria on 13:43 - Jul 22 with 2230 views | davblue |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:51 - Jul 22 by blue_curacao |
Thanks, I hadn't seen this.
It makes you wonder why some of the big clubs don't buy up warm whether training venues like this and run them themselves, especially in this age of ownership groups that own multiple clubs. |
Cost would outweigh the return I suspect. |  | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 13:44 - Jul 22 with 2234 views | Illinoisblue |
Imagine falling asleep in the Evans/Leon Best era then waking up to find us in the premier league, sponsored by one of the biggest music stars in the world, just secured two successive promotion clinchers at home, breaking our transfer record many times over, AND FLYING OUT OUR OWN GROUNDSMAN TO WORK ON A PRE SEASON PRACTICE PITCH.
Football, bloody hell. |  |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 13:49 - Jul 22 with 2166 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:53 - Jul 22 by PhilTWTD |
That is true. Alan Ferguson had a Wembley pitch at SGP, which he believed was even better than the real one! He now works for FIFA, incidentally.
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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He looks the spitting image of Joachim Löw |  |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 14:05 - Jul 22 with 2058 views | Whos_blue |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 13:49 - Jul 22 by Swansea_Blue |
He looks the spitting image of Joachim Löw |
I wondered what Frank Carson was up to these days too. |  |
| Distortion becomes somehow pure in its wildness. |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 14:12 - Jul 22 with 2029 views | Hugoagogo_Reborn |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:46 - Jul 22 by Deano69 |
pretty sure town cut the pitch to 18mm..... precisely
It is watered at the same times with the same amount of water on a match day....precisely
its very particular these days [Post edited 22 Jul 2024 12:47]
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I was told by Alan Ferguson when he was still at ITFC, that even the smallest factors matter. Playford Road has sand-based soil, for example, whereas Portman Road had clay-based soil.
The challenge was to make the pitches respond in the same way, i.e, the ball bounced the same, travelled as far on both pitches. Micro gains add up.
It's a very technical field, excuse the pun. |  | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 14:17 - Jul 22 with 1994 views | DJR |
I believe customs in Austria became suspicious when they discovered two bags of Levington Compost in his hold luggage. |  | | |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 15:45 - Jul 22 with 1822 views | GeoffSentence |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:46 - Jul 22 by Deano69 |
pretty sure town cut the pitch to 18mm..... precisely
It is watered at the same times with the same amount of water on a match day....precisely
its very particular these days [Post edited 22 Jul 2024 12:47]
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The sprinklers on match days going on regardless of the weather strikes me as a little odd.
It can be plssing down and the pitch still gets sprinkled.
It's all very well trying to contol every aspect, but the weather is one thing they can't control but it appears that they go ahead with the sprinkler routine despite prevailing weather conditions. |  |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 15:49 - Jul 22 with 1789 views | SchancheITFC |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 12:46 - Jul 22 by Deano69 |
pretty sure town cut the pitch to 18mm..... precisely
It is watered at the same times with the same amount of water on a match day....precisely
its very particular these days [Post edited 22 Jul 2024 12:47]
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Partly true. The first team management decide how much water they want | | | |
| Kim Wilde's less successful follow up to her big hit. (n/t) on 17:53 - Jul 22 with 1634 views | BlueBadger |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 19:35 - Jul 22 with 1555 views | Deano69 |
| Groundsmen in Austria on 15:49 - Jul 22 by SchancheITFC |
Partly true. The first team management decide how much water they want |
KM decides on timing, quantity etc I am aware that even things happen on the pitch (presentations etc) will need to work round this. | |
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| Groundsmen in Austria on 20:14 - Jul 22 with 1490 views | FrimleyBlue |
This is why I really enjoy all things pitch related. Its not just watching grass grow. There's so much involved. |  |
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