v Portsmouth (h) - 15/1/2025 - 19:45

[Parsonblue]

6 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

To question why we are the only game in the top three divisions postponed is ‘ridiculous’? I’d say it’s a fair question that shouldn’t be just batted away with ‘the river’.

What state is the Ewood drainage system in etc seems a reasonable question to ask…

From official government website.

Updated 2:31pm on 23 November 2024

Rising river levels are expected to cause flooding this afternoon.

Flooding is expected from 3 PM on 23/11/2024.

Areas most at risk include properties adjacent to the River Darwen, including Ewood Park, Stancliffe Street, Griffin Mill and River Mill.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

10 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

What state is the Ewood drainage system in etc seems a reasonable question to ask…

Very possibly,as with the rest of the Stadium,down to lack of maintenance.

Edited November 23 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Mattyblue]

So the game was called off for a flood risk in the surrounding area? Or a waterlogged pitch? 

I imagine it was because it was waterlogged at 11am.

Is the drainage worse than it was a decade ago at Ewood Park? Simple question, as to me we seem to be getting a lot more postponements. Remember post ‘95 the pitch and its facilities were totally revamped (the pitch was a bog at times in 94/95) - we then didn’t have a single postponement for pretty much 20 years for rain.

I don’t know the answer, and neither do those trying to paint this purely as a River Darwen issue.

Edited November 23 by Mattyblue

[Parsonblue]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

So the game was called off for a flood risk in the surrounding area? Or a waterlogged pitch? 

I imagine it was because it was waterlogged at 11am.

Is the drainage worse than it was a decade ago at Ewood Park? Simple question, as to me we seem to be getting a lot more postponements than in the twenty years pre these owners. I don’t know the answer, and neither do those trying to paint this purely as a River Darwen issue.

I image a combination of both waterlogged pitch and potential later flood risk.  The ref would simply have been concerned with the pitch - local authorities might have been looking at the wider picture. 

If the River Darwen is flooded there is nowhere for the water from Ewood to go.  Fortunately it doesn't happen often but the ground's situation is always going to put it at risk and days like this.

[Mattyblue]

So nothing at all to do drainage, glad that’s cleared up. Ah well, act of god, so there will be another postponement coming along soon enough then.

Edited November 23 by Mattyblue

[tomphil]

4 hours ago, martonrover said:

Yes, that’s always been the problem.

It used to be worse in the 80s and any band of rain before a game often led to a postponement.

Now it has to be quite severe.

Yes i remember a few games postponed ate 80's.

We are always looking for signs of incompetence at Rovers and they are often the gift that keeps giving but this problem can't be laid at Waggot or his partners door.

It really does rest with the (weather) gods although in saying that i don't know the situation with covering the pitch but water still falls on that and has to get away.

Without building some kind of soakaway lake or holding tanks not sure what they can ever do about this that is economically viable.

[JHRover]

I don't think any of us know for certain one way or the other. Unless you're a civil engineer and have been lucky enough to have been down in the River Darwen inspecting the drainage pipes recently.

It might just be bad fortune of being next to a river that is flooding during intense rainfall. It might be down to a sustained lack of investment in facilities stretching back decades. It is probably a combination of the two creating a dismal situation. 

 

 

[roversfan99]

It was mentioned in the minutes fron a fans forum meeting a year or 2 ago initially that the owners had approved the cost of a total pitch overhaul which was needed after 30 years. It was confirmed soon after that they had chosen not to fund it and it just led to stitching sections of the pitch and not doing the full overhaul which included pipes and drainage.

Considering the age of the pitch and how a total refurb was deemed necessary yet not funded. Surely common sense suggests that had the owners funded it, the pitch would have stood more chance of standing up to the rain.

The fact that postponements have become so much more common as the pitch ages surely isnt coincedental.

[Michael123458]

3 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I don't think any of us know for certain one way or the other. Unless you're a civil engineer and have been lucky enough to have been down in the River Darwen inspecting the drainage pipes recently.

It might just be bad fortune of being next to a river that is flooding during intense rainfall. It might be down to a sustained lack of investment in facilities stretching back decades. It is probably a combination of the two creating a dismal situation. 

 

 

Agree pal. But remember shit happens as they say and you have to get on with it. It was beyond control today a freak of nature. I’m sure the club done all they can to rescue the situation and try to get the game on enjoy your weekend lad. 👍

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

4 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

It was mentioned in the minutes fron a fans forum meeting a year or 2 ago initially that the owners had approved the cost of a total pitch overhaul which was needed after 30 years. It was confirmed soon after that they had chosen not to fund it and it just led to stitching sections of the pitch and not doing the full overhaul which included pipes and drainage.

Considering the age of the pitch and how a total refurb was deemed necessary yet not funded. Surely common sense suggests that had the owners funded it, the pitch would have stood more chance of standing up to the rain.

The fact that postponements have become so much more common as the pitch ages surely isnt coincedental.

How many postponements have there been recently? I can’t remember many. Any modern drainage system still needs somewhere for the water to go.

[JHRover]

2 minutes ago, Michael123458 said:

Agree pal. But remember shit happens as they say and you have to get on with it. It was beyond control today a freak of nature. I’m sure the club done all they can to rescue the situation and try to get the game on enjoy your weekend lad. 👍

It may have been beyond the control of anyone today, but I'm firmly of the belief that this situation is, at least in some part, a consequence of years of bare-minimum cost cutting operation.

I'd be surprised if the drainage was any different to the rest of the stadium - lighting, sound system, pitch, seats, steps, jumbo screen - all of which have deteriorated over the years

Enjoy your weekend

[had.e.nuff]

14 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I don't think any of us know for certain one way or the other. Unless you're a civil engineer and have been lucky enough to have been down in the River Darwen inspecting the drainage pipes recently.

It might just be bad fortune of being next to a river that is flooding during intense rainfall. It might be down to a sustained lack of investment in facilities stretching back decades. It is probably a combination of the two creating a dismal situation. 

 

 

It would go into melt down on here if they wanted to move the ground to a better drained site so they can play a few games in 20 years that were postponed

[den]

A number of years ago Ewood was one of the worst draining pitches in the country. The river was always blamed for that until it was discovered that the drains into the river were found to be pointing against the current meaning the drainage water would back up. The drains were then altered to allow water from the pitch to fall into the river “with” the rivers flow, rather than against it.

The drainage since then has been greatly improved. So for me any postponements are more to do with either the amount of rainfall being just too much, or very possibly the maintenance of the pitch draining system not being what it should be. 
 

 

Edited November 23 by den

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

 

Not sure how the process works.

I’m less than a mile away and the heaviest of the rain seemed between 6am and 8am, so I imagine it was playable from a waterlogging perspective last night. 

@arbitro I presume only the match official can call the game off after inspection? If the club contacts the referee at 8.30 and says we may have a problem, is there any pressure on the referee to come immediately? 

The referee should be available to inspect the pitch provided he is in the area otherwise a local referee would do it. As I said earlier inspecting a pitch several hours before kick off is difficult and several factors have to be considered including the forecast and more importantly the travelling supporters. Interestingly all the Scottish Premier league kick offs were delayed and all are going ahead now. Delaying a kick off is not something I can recall in the Premier League or even EFL.

[M_B]

45 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

So the game was called off for a flood risk in the surrounding area? Or a waterlogged pitch? 

I imagine it was because it was waterlogged at 11am.

Is the drainage worse than it was a decade ago at Ewood Park? Simple question, as to me we seem to be getting a lot more postponements. Remember post ‘95 the pitch and its facilities were totally revamped (the pitch was a bog at times in 94/95) - we then didn’t have a single postponement for pretty much 20 years for rain.

I don’t know the answer, and neither do those trying to paint this purely as a River Darwen issue.

I've just seen a video showing the height of the river, and a separate still of the pitch  drain underwater. I'd imagine that's the problem.

 

[AAK]

56 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

So the game was called off for a flood risk in the surrounding area? Or a waterlogged pitch? 

I imagine it was because it was waterlogged at 11am.

Is the drainage worse than it was a decade ago at Ewood Park? Simple question, as to me we seem to be getting a lot more postponements. Remember post ‘95 the pitch and its facilities were totally revamped (the pitch was a bog at times in 94/95) - we then didn’t have a single postponement for pretty much 20 years for rain.

I don’t know the answer, and neither do those trying to paint this purely as a River Darwen issue.

We did, Wimbledon at home circa 97 maybe

[OldEwoodBlue]

Tinpot from the club simple.

 

Basically they have shit themselves at 11am that a few dozen Pompey fans are on the way.

If we had been playing someone more local it would have been called at 2:30 with the ground filling up.

That is what should have happened because it would be being played.

All the apprentices and ground staff should have been making it playable from about 8am to 3pm.

Else.... tinpot which is exactly what we are and prove it over and over again.

[Mattyblue]

6 minutes ago, AAK said:

We did, Wimbledon at home circa 97 maybe

‘93

[AAK]

3 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

‘93

Definitely post title season pal I remember it, also we had a game against Swansea called off for a waterlogged pitch in 2021 I think.

Edited November 23 by AAK

[Mattyblue]

No, definitely 93/94.

[AAK]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

No, definitely 93/94.

You're right pal. I've been under thr impression for about 20 years that we had a game versus the dons called off circa 97 I literally must have dreamt that.

[tomphil]

Another thing worth noting is over the last 20 years how much extra run off water is now finding its way into the river along it's course above Ewood ?

Lack of dredging culverts and clearing grids etc that has blighted the whole country due to cutbacks, extra building ,concrete, tarmac being laid everywhere and new drains running into it. Changing farming practises using heavy machinery and rollers flattening fields to grow grass instead of animals and new ditches dug leading to the river.

It all adds up and makes things worse.

Edited November 23 by tomphil

[Mashed Potatoes]

17 minutes ago, OldEwoodBlue said:

Tinpot from the club simple.

 

Basically they have shit themselves at 11am that a few dozen Pompey fans are on the way.

If we had been playing someone more local it would have been called at 2:30 with the ground filling up.

That is what should have happened because it would be being played.

All the apprentices and ground staff should have been making it playable from about 8am to 3pm.

Else.... tinpot which is exactly what we are and prove it over and over again.

Pompey had sold 1900 tickets - not a few dozen.

If the club believed that the responsible approach was to have an inspection at 11.00 I don't understand your criticism.

[simongarnerisgod]

just been informed (unofficially) that the groundstaff refused to clear water off the pitch and do any work in getting the pitch ready today ,swag has cut their free food and drink allocation that they are usually entitled to when on duty during match day and now the staff have all threatened to walk out unless they get their pies and coffee back,swag reportedly told them working here  is privilege and you should be grateful,players also not happy and have had a whipround for the groundstaff,dolan was sent to levers on bolton road to get the grounstaff their lunch,everybody  at the club now hate swag more then ever,it this carries on there will no no one left staff wise at ewood🥴

[Cherry Blue]

2 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Another thing worth noting is over the last 20 years how much extra run off water is now finding its way into the river along it's course above Ewood ?

Lack of dredging culverts and clearing grids etc that has blighted the whole country due to cutbacks, extra building ,concrete, tarmac being laid everywhere and new drains running into it. Changing farming practises using heavy machinery and rollers flattening fields to grow grass instead on animals and new ditches dug leading to the river.

It all adds up and makes things worse.

Add to this the number of games other than Rovers Championship games now played at Ewood.