Warrington

[soss]

Hi Stuart, it has been good here we even had a bit of sun. The forecast is a few light showers over the next few days with a breeze. The pitch has never had an issue with standing water and drains really well. There are two problem areas on the pitch which are the entrance from the players changing room and the 20 mtr line at the Willy Horn stand. These are being addressed but unfortunately it's in the hands of the Gods and the RFL.

No jokes on the last statement please...lol

[bwa]

Why don't we use the entrance to the pitch at the 30/40 mtr section at the end if the stand like we have in the past.

and give the traditional entrace a rest. besides its closer to the players changing rooms and doesnt mess up the area for visiting board members and guests etc who use the board room under the stand.

ps can't remember if its still accessible or its been bricled up!!

[Campeze]

A pitch inspection has taken place and tomorrow's game Barrow v Warrington is definitely ON!!

KO 7pm. LIAM HARRISON'S TESTIMONIAL GAME!!!

Spread the word!!

[lifer]

Fantastic news, well done to Rod and everyone in getting the pitch sorted.

[Baaarrow]

Phew ......................

[CINNABULL]

Thanks for the info soss

 

I'll be there tomorrow

 

stuart

[Shipbuilder]

Great news for Liam - lets hope for a good crowd

[CINNABULL]

Just heard the game is now OFF

 

Stuart

[lifer]

Warrington website saying after pitch inspection this morning (29th), game has been called off.

[Baaarrow]

Yep its off. Well done to the short sighted fools for demanding that the two friendlies be played in unplayable conditions thus wrecking the pitch. Liam asked the club to call off last sunday's Oldham match but he was was ignored. I feel for Liam, who must have been so looking forward to tonight for many reasons, including a handsome payout, and for all the players and supporters. This will leave a sour taste in the mouth for many including me. I'm gutted.

It stinks of the Des Johnstone era !!!!!

[joe142]

What a joke, the Oldham game should not have gone ahead. Gutted for Liam who has been a fantastic player for this club. Lack of respect from the club towards Liam

[The Vet]

Absolutely stinks of corruption,Warrington havnt wanted to play all week and surprise surprise they get what they want,by all accounts the pitch is slightly better than when it was deemed fit yesterday,how can Warrington demand another inspection,also wasn't the inspection meant to be at 3pm? Gutted for Liam

[lifer]

There will be a bit of a do in the raiders bar for Liam tonight from 07:00pm, get down and show your support for a true servant of barrow raiders.

[Baaarrow]

 

Absolutely stinks of corruption,Warrington havnt wanted to play all week and surprise surprise they get what they want,by all accounts the pitch is slightly better than when it was deemed fit yesterday,how can Warrington demand another inspection,also wasn't the inspection meant to be at 3pm? Gutted for Liam

 

Its nowt to do with Warrington. Its all about Barrow screwing up by demanding that the Oldham friendly went ahead on an unplayable pitch, despite Liam's plea, just to pocket a few grand. Bet Liam is gutted and disgusted, as I am.

[The Vet]

My point is about Warrington though,yesterday a local ref deemed the pitch playable,today Warrington have demanded another pitch inspection and despite the pitch seemingly improved from yesterday the same ref has deemed it now unfit,Warrington have made it obvious they haven't wanted this game to be played and so now have got what they want,maybe it's me being suspicious but has a Wolves official been in the refs ear?

[Baaarrow]

Warrington have always wanted this to go ahead, or else they wouldn't have been sending a first team squad would they ?

[SJD]

It's difficult to criticize the board as overall they have done a pretty good job under difficult circumstances, BUT, this problem began with the playing of the Town game. 

We understand the club is a business and needs cash flow but how much did we actually earn from that game, a crowd of around 700 will bring in a maximum income of £7,000, that is assuming every one who turned up was a full paying adult, in reality there were many children and concessions reducing that figure significantly.  Now, take out the normal match day expenses, give Town their share of the gate and there isn't much left, maybe a couple of grand.

What has that cost us in the longer term, firstly a terrific grounds man and now the opportunity to challenge ourselves against top class opposition with the potential to put probably as much money in the coffers through the concession stands, more importantly rewarding a long standing servant to the club.

I'm no gardener but I suspect if the BOD had listened to Dick and not played the Town game the pitch, with his magic hands, would have been good enough to survive the Oldham game and not given Warrington any opportunity to call it off.

[Baaarrow]

Well said SJD.

[Alias]

It's interesting that the local ref who passed the pitch fit to play yesterday is the same ref who called it unplayable today . And even more interesting he was the ref who said the pitch was playable for the Workington and Oldham games .

[Baaarrow]

The friendlies were money over the gate for the club, tonight isn't. The friendlies would have been postponed if they were league matches.

[The Vet]

I can see what people are saying totally re the club playing the games when maybe they could have left it,I didn't realise it was the same local ref which deemed the pitch fit for the first 2 games yet when a SL club start whining all of a sudden it becomes an unplayable pitch,which has had a great deal less rain in the week leading up to it than the previous games

[Alias]

To quote baaaaaarrrrrroooow

It stinks of the Des Johnstone era !!!!![

How insulting to the barrow board is that ?? I suggest you calm down

[sonofholty]

this wudnt have happened if my daddy was still coach

[boat builder]

To quote baaaaaarrrrrroooow

It stinks of the Des Johnstone era !!!!![

How insulting to the barrow board is that ?? I suggest you calm down

Well said Alias! Unbelievable some of the hystertical comments. How people can compare the cancellation of a game to the prolonged shenanigans and mis-management of the Johnstone era is beyond understanding. People soon forget what this BOD have achieved in a short time.....and the club cannot function without cash flow!

[Campeze]

Yep its off. Well done to the short sighted fools for demanding that the two friendlies be played in unplayable conditions thus wrecking the pitch. Liam asked the club to call off last sunday's Oldham match but he was was ignored. I feel for Liam, who must have been so looking forward to tonight for many reasons, including a handsome payout, and for all the players and supporters. This will leave a sour taste in the mouth for many including me. I'm gutted.

It stinks of the Des Johnstone era !!!!!

just to put you straight on something.

 

ABANDONMENT, POSTPONEMENT OR SUSPENSION OF MATCHES

DECISION TAKEN BY INSPECTOR PRIOR TO MATCH COMMISSIONER’S ARRIVAL

B2:5 In the event that the home Club suspects that its Ground will not be fit for play owing to frost or any other cause, the home Club must immediately call a Match Official who is on a list provided by the RFL Match Officials department prior to the start of the season,to inspect the Ground. If the Match Official states the Ground is not fit for play and in his opinion, there is no chance of it being so fit for kick-off, then the match should be postponed and that decision must be communicated to the visiting Club, the RFL and to the media immediately. It is unlikely that a decision under this Rule can be made more than 24 hours before the Match is due to kick off save in exceptional circumstances.

If, having made such inspection, the Match Official says there is a doubt as to the fitness of the Ground but is not certain that it will be unfit, the home Club must immediately advise the visiting Club and the RFL of the position and the appointed Match Commissioner must be called to inspect the Ground. In such event, the Match Commissioner shall arrive not less than 2½ hours before the advertised time for kick-off.

The competing Clubs shall not place the Match Commissioner under any undue or adverse pressure whilst he is making such a decision, and the Match Commissioner (Referee) shall consult with the Ground Safety Officer and where appropriate the RFL Broadcast Partner prior to reaching his decision. The decision should be immediately communicated to the RFL, the competing Clubs, the spectators and the media.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So the home club didn't contact the RFL for a pitch inspection WARRINGTON DID last week and twice this week.

The same ref came yesterday and today, yesterday it was on, today it was off. so there was obviously doubt. we could have had a pitch inspection at 4pm where im certain the ground would have passed. but we couldn't because the local ref was working today and couldn't come back after 3pm, and could only come at 9.30am.

 

Don't take my word for it, ask Liam yourself if the pitch was playable.

 

So once a match is sanctioned by the RFL it can only be called off by the match officials and in all friendlies so far the match officials deemed the pitch as "fit for play". Basically once we put a game on and both us and the away team agree, we cant call it off. the games had to go ahead.

 

Warrington and the RFL have let Liam Harrison down very badly. Warrington have made every excuse not to play this game, (not reported in the press) they said the pitch and the ground and facitilies are "sub standard" they watered down the team that they were sending up here so as to not risk further injuries, they were only sending 4 or the 1st 13 squad up here, when Tony Smith said in the local press he was send his 1st 24 up here. they sent Carl Fitzpatrick one of their operational guys up here twice to protest about things.

And the RFL by not having qualified match commissioners in this area have let Liam down, they should've followed the correct procedure but didnt.

 

As for monies from the friendlies, its not short sightness or greed, without the revenue from these games quite simply the club would shut. weve been paying players wages since mid November and had no monies coming in. we get 10 guaranteed home games this season. its impossible for any club to survive on that. you can pick holes in this statement but these are the facts. As you don't have anything to do with the running of the club I understand that you wouldn't know this. but this is true.

On a personal level, im absolutely gutted for Liam. after Curtis said it was defo playable yesterday if we put some sand down It would improve things, so me and Rod Scarr shovelled and spread 2 ton of sand onto patchy areas through the afternoon in driving wind and passing rain to improve it. Everybody at Barrow Raiders wanted this game to go ahead for Liam and we all did our up most to make it happen.