A visit to Fir Park at around 10am saw the all to familiar site of the hot air blowers sitting idly on the trackside and the ground staff tidying the covers away. As the picture shows, the grass pitch looks green but the referee took the view that it was too dangerous for the game to go ahead. Everyone accepts that the safety of the players is paramount but there remain some unanswered questions.
Ten o’clock this morning – green grass but unplayable
Given that we had a game cancelled last year, (29/12/01 v Dundee) because the hot air balloon was torn by high winds, why was it not able to give the necessary protection twelve months later?
Has the cost cutting regime imposed by Bryan Jackson restricted the ability of the ground staff to protect the pitch? The club will lose a considerable amount of money as a result of the postponement. Matchday expenses will still have to be paid, a probable smaller midweek crowd and so on will cause further financial irritation.
A year ago – match v Dundee cancelled
What’s the point of a winter shutdown in January if we can’t have a playable pitch in mid December?