The only party that matters, the officials, all agreed. So that's that. Not that I agree with their decision personally but nothing I can do. Now **** off back to Twatter or Facey with your conspiracy WUM bollocks.
Match Day Thread Hull City v Watford
- Thread starter Chazz Rheinhold
- Start date
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Watford don’t have a history of calling games off just before kick off? Hang on
Get a grip.
- Fixture: Watford vs Ipswich Town in the Championship (English second tier).
- Scheduled Date: Boxing Day, 26 December 2010.
- Status: Postponed due to a frozen pitch after a pre-match inspection. The referee and officials deemed the surface unsafe for play because parts of it were frozen, so the game was cancelled.
- Venue: Vicarage Road, Watford’s home ground.
- The referee carried out a pitch inspection around 13:15 and concluded that conditions were inconsistent — some areas looked playable while others were hard and frozen, leading to the postponement.
Get a grip.
I was glad to get some scran in before the journey home, plus it was all I had to show from my trip over.
I was told it was off while in the queue, so I asked the guy at the counter if that was right and he clearly had no clue, which kind of sums up the afternoon.
On all their socials 5-10 minutes before announced in the ground.
Those of us in the ground could see something was happening because the Watford players went over to their fans up to the barriers and our warm up completely stopped and our players were just stood there.
It’s those still on the concourse that were left in the lurch still buying food and drink for a game they weren’t going to see.
I cannot remember a match being called off for this reason. I assume that the area just off the playing area is now artificial grass, which is difficult to defrost. For the future, they need to find a way of covering this area to stop it happening again.
They can still eat and drink though, they don't have to give it back.
Would have thought the food outlets should have remained open until kick off time or at least until prepared food ran out.
Pulling the shutters down immediately would have resulted in wasted food but saved on minimum wage payments to the servers.
Depends on our injury list? And if we are playing the modern day Brazil.
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I asked the Watford idiot twice yesterday if Watford had ever cancelled a game but got no reply twice.
This is interesting from Baz's report in the paper today.
Referee Anthony Backhouse, along with City boss Sergej Jakirovic, Watford manager Javi Gracia, the club's safety staff and other officials, collectively decided that - despite the pitch being playable - the safety of the players and officials couldn't be guaranteed, and the decision was made to call the game off.
Had time to think this one over now. I was fuming yesterday to be told by someone sat in front of me in the stadium who had a text on their mobile saying the game was off at 2.45 and I can understand everyone's anger and frustration, especially the Watford fans.
All postponed games are a huge disappointment. I travelled to Blackpool by myself, Christmas 1968/69? only to find out when I finally got there that the game had been called off because of fog, it does happen and every time it is a huge disappointment.
Did the same at York a few years back, drove there and booked into the hotel hoping to make a week end of it, having heard on the local radio that the game was on, and when we went into the first pub the landlord told us it was off and everyone in York knew the night before that it had been postponed...........but the referee had to rubber stamp the decision hence the delay.
Several home games have been called off over the years of course but that was the first time I've actually been inside the ground when the decision was made. Worst one was a game called off by on the advice of Humberside Police because the walkways leading up to the stadium were deemed dangerous because of ice, which was a new one on me. They don't close shopping centres because the surrounding paths and roads have ice on them.
Watford FC are seemingly pouring petrol on this one claiming they were not asked for their opinion, which I don't think matters, if the referee deems the pitch unplayable then the game does not go ahead.
In hindsight City could have been better prepared for the overnight frost, and another referee may well have come to a different decision on the state on one of the touchlines? We don't know and probably never will.
But there is going to be some flak over this, whipped up by social media and I've read countless angry posts from people who had no intention of venturing out yesterday to go to the match but all have a strong opinion on it.
The conspiracy theories will no doubt run and run.
For me the conclusion is, it was badly handled, poorly planned, and it will no doubt happen again, but we move on because we cannot control the weather, or the man in black's decision.
My question is at what time was it identified that the area around the pitch
might be a problem ?
Surely with the recent weather you have groundstaff there at 9 am looking at everything ?
I'm sure you could have sorted any problem in 6 hours
might be a problem ?
Surely with the recent weather you have groundstaff there at 9 am looking at everything ?
I'm sure you could have sorted any problem in 6 hours
It looks like the areas around the pitch needed a lot of work and the technical area was the last bit that needed doing. They had shovels and tractors on it so they obviously gave it a good go.
Is it me? I watched some of the highlights of those games that were played and noticed that several had areas beyond the pitch that didn't look any better than those at the MKM yesterday, in fact if anything more dangerous. I get the 'cannot guarantee player safety' stuff and understand it, but does it apply in every case.
Whatever happened to tarpaulin? Surely if laid on the suspect areas say on Saturday evening, it would have prevented the frost from penetrating into the dodgy spots. Is it no longer in fashion? Or is it more down to the incompetence of the ground staff?
Whatever happened to tarpaulin? Surely if laid on the suspect areas say on Saturday evening, it would have prevented the frost from penetrating into the dodgy spots. Is it no longer in fashion? Or is it more down to the incompetence of the ground staff?
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Seems the truth is way too hard to swallow than a lie ….
Note the words surface, yours was declared fit. And yes I remember that old Vicarage Rd pitch, it was 6 foot lower at one end with barely functioning undersoil heating from the seventies ... Of course Pozzo changed all that before we got promoted to the Premiership in 2015 and there's been no issues since. Nowadays WFC's pitch wins awards.