RAG Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) 22 minutes ago, chubbs said: Not fussed to be honest. Better to have a grass pitch in our financial situation then it is probably better for the club to put down astroturf .... until the Champions League cash comes in. There's really 3 tiers innit? The traditional grass park, 3G and the Hybrid surface for when you've the CL or EPL cash coming in! The gold standard is the hybrid pitch these days in the UK, complicating matters further. Putting a traditional grass surface down just doesn't work in Modern stadium with 4 high sided stands a deep concrete foundations in crap British weather. Putting a grass pitch down or relaying the 3G would be a second class surface in the greater scheme of things. Is a difficult one.. Edited January 14, 2019 by RAG 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 17 hours ago, Fudger said: Unfortunately it’s not just the fact we have astro, it’s also the fact that it’s not a particularly good one. There are many better surfaces in Killie and the surrounding areas. Get rid as soon as we possibly can. Where are there better surfaces? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldkillie Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Fletch said: Where are there better surfaces? Townholm and Stewarton 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLANCY2KTID Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 12 minutes ago, Oldkillie said: Townholm and Stewarton Ironically, I'm told Bonnyton had asked us if we wanted involved in the redevelopment of Townholm to help us with training and squad development but we knocked it back, believe this was during MJ's tenure though, so hardly surprising. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 Keep the plastic pitch! It's worth it for the moaning Old Firm fans and pretend experts in sporting injuries alone. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallus Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 Took them at the last game at Tynecastle. If that's a hybrid, we should get a hybrid!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) 50 minutes ago, Oldkillie said: eTownholm and Stewarton I'd be surprised if the Bonnyton surface is better. The Rugby Park surface is excellent compared to your standard 3G surface. Don't be fooled by the way it looks from the stands. It's maybe not as aesthetically beautiful as other surfaces but under foot it's far superior to any other artificial surface I've ever played on. Edited January 14, 2019 by Fletch 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 23 minutes ago, Gallus said: Took them at the last game at Tynecastle. If that's a hybrid, we should get a hybrid!! Think theirs is something like 95% grass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdevoy Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 24 minutes ago, Gallus said: Took them at the last game at Tynecastle. If that's a hybrid, we should get a hybrid!! I could live with that. It's nothing to do with "dangerous plastic" or some kind of stuck in the past nostalgia for me. It is all about image. The playing surface we have now looks like a cheap imitation of the Hamilton surface. Surely we have some self respect? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallus Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) @CB@gdevoy It looked great. I'm not even sure the photos do it justice Edited January 14, 2019 by Gallus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 46 minutes ago, Fletch said: I'd be surprised if the Bonnyton surface is better. The Rugby Park surface is excellent compared to your standard 3G surface. Don't be fooled by the way it looks from the stands. It's maybe not as aesthetically beautiful as other surfaces but under foot it's far superior to any other artificial surface I've ever played on. I played at RP in the summer and the surface is genuinely one of the worst about at the moment. I regularly play in Stewarton and it’s far better, I played in beith on Friday night and that’s even better. RP is pretty s**te compared with most I’ve played on which really disappointed me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangodog Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 Hybrid would be great but unless we have a rich benefactor we can't afford £1m+ for that surface. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piffer Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 I doubt it will be a popular choice but is a better artificial surface an option. In terms of time frame relaying grass seems unlikely imo. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbs Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 18 minutes ago, piffer said: I doubt it will be a popular choice but is a better artificial surface an option. In terms of time frame relaying grass seems unlikely imo. I think an upgrade is probably what we go for. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Gallus said: Took them at the last game at Tynecastle. If that's a hybrid, we should get a hybrid!! Give us £1m+ and I'm sure we would. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumpetree Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 It's ironic that Hearts have an great surface suited to getting the ball down and passing it, but also Craig Levein as a manager 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craigie11 Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 The pitches at St.Josephs in New Farm & Kilwinning Academy which i think are the same are the best I've been on & way ahead of Rugby park. If we're considering putting down a new plastic pitch that would be disappointing to say the least. Did Hamilton not spend 3/4 of a million on their new pitch? If the board are considering spending that kind of money then surely a decent grass/hybrid isn't unthinkable? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb_506 Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 A lot of our fans really need a reality check here. The article by John Barnes is just conjecture based on a comment in the AGM preamble about a feasibility study in replacing the pitch. The feasibility study is to determine if we need a replacement pitch this season or next and whether we can afford it or not. We still owe Billy Bowie £850,000 for installing the current synthetic pitch, how in god's name are we even talking about hybrid pitches or even grass when that would cost almost double what we owe already and we also have fans moaning about not being able to compete in the transfer market? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casual observer Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 The pitch needs replaced sooner or later, and sooner is more likely based on the fact a feasibility study is even being undertaken. Understandable people have an opinion on that. I don’t know the cost of relaying a new artificial surface at RP, but Accies reportedly paid upwards of £750k last summer, so it’s likely to be in that ballpark. Therefore a hybrid alternative isn’t quite pie in the sky. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 I can't say I care all that much about 'appearance'. I can safely say I've never attended a game and thought 'The football was absolutely terrible, but it's ok because the grass looked nice', or 'Great result! Shame the playing surface didn't have a lovely pattern on it though'. This season's Killie and Hearts are a good case in point - Tynecastle pitch looks lovely but I think it's clear to anyone with eyes that watching Killie on plastic is a better footballing experience than watching Hearts on ultra-soft, uber-hybrid posh grass. Moaning about pitches is just one of those things that football fans do to fill in the time between games, but in the grand scheme of things it clearly doesn't have much/any impact on our football - we were rubbish when we had rubbish managers; we're excellent with an excellent manager. Any organisation has to manage expenditure to stay afloat. Spending millions on fancy grass would be a complete waste of money if it meant no training facilities (so more money going out of the club), and poorer players and risking relegation to be able to do it. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skygod Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, rb_506 said: ...how in god's name are we even talking about hybrid pitches or even grass when that would cost almost double what we owe already.... It's not like a pitch is really important in a football club, is it? The decision to lay an artificial pitch was taken by Johnston and Bowie without any consultation so, as fans, we had it foisted upon us. Clearly, a significant proportion are anti. The idea that we should have another one - with another four or five years' lifetime - without consultation is going to be controversial. We hear from the uninformed, which should not include John Barnes, that we derive commercial income from the pitch. Can someone explain to me what this is? There was two or three rugby matches once upon a time; there was a Rod Stewart show, but then we had Elton John when the pitch was grassed. What else? Anything of substance? Laying another artificial pitch would commit us for four or five years, as I say, yet we would expect to develop a training centre in that time. What's the point of having a pitch which serves the purpose of the training ground? The training ground would, I assume, include a grass pitch so we seem to be doing things arse about face. It's also about what kind of football club we see ourselves as, and would like to be seen as. Artificial pitches are not really taken seriously in European football. To be frank, they are seen as being for wee clubs who need to hire them out to bring in a bit more revenue, to the detriment of the core business. They are not popular with players, which makes recruitment even more difficult than it already should be. So it's not a decision to be taken lightly and I sincerely hope that the Trust representative on the board will ensure that the fans have a say. Edited January 14, 2019 by skygod -2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdevoy Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 1 hour ago, skygod said: It's also about what kind of football club we see ourselves as, and would like to be seen as. Artificial pitches are not really taken seriously in European football. To be frank, they are seen as being for wee clubs who need to hire them to bring in a bit more revenue to the detriment of the core business. They are not popular with players, which makes recruitment even more difficult than it already should be. This articulated my view better than I could have done myself. For 30 or maybe even 40 years I have heard the prophets proclaim that the future is plastic. That the crap plastic surface in existence will soon be replaced by plastic that is better than real grass. It never happened and plastic is still associated with "low budget". When Chelsea and Real Madrid and Juventus are ripping up grass to put in plastic maybe that will be the time to think seriously about it. When SPFL clubs with average crowds around 2,500 are the only ones using them I think it speaks for itself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skygod Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 All 92 league clubs in England can afford and maintain grass pitches and, while artificial pitches are permitted below that level, many non-league clubs have immaculate grass pitches. I know the argument of climate has been raised in the past to counter this but there are many clubs in the north of England including Carlisle, Barrow and Gateshead who seem to manage. As for the cost of converting back from artificial to grass, I can think of Dunfermline at least who have achieved this. I can't see how a club such as Kilmarnock is incapable of installing and maintaining a good quality grass pitch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 The pitch 100% has led to us losing out on some signings since it was laid, I know that as a fact. I'd love to see us on grass again but I think with the lack of training ground we're between a rock and a hard place. Kilwinning or Townholm would have been ideal to get a joint training facility but Mr John Michael Johnston's stubbornness f**ked that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontera Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 Kilwinning could still be an option. Putting in a new 4G pitch and with Buffs likely moving there bound to be some improvements made. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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