RevidgeBlue

There's no way they can award us 3 points when it's our fault our pitch isn't fit for purpose and the game was only at 1-0 with 10 mins plus injury time to go. If we were 1-0 up at their gaff and the same thing happened, or it was here and we were 5-0 up with a minute to go there would at least be an argument to be had I'd imagine.

If we dont then Ipswich will just be awarded the 3 points. What good does that do us or Ipswich's promotion rivals?

That was just certain sections of the pitch as I recall. (Round the penalty spot etc) May be wrong

Stop trying to defend the indefensible John. So why then, according to Mike Graham, after the previous debacle to this one,did Waggott wish to put in place a solution (that Pasha turned down on the basis of cost) if it was allegedly undoable? You'll correct me if Im wrong on this but as far as I'm aware the major infrastructure of the pitch (drainage etc) hasnt been done since it was built over 30 years ago and a complete pitch replacement hasn't been done in years if at all, with for as long as I can remember the Club choosing to merely undertake the cheaper option of turning over the soil on the top part of the pitch. We never got these problems when the drainage system was new. If it needs upgrading/renovating or the method of drainage has simply been superceded by events, the work needs doing otherwise this will happen again and again. We're (temporarily at least) playing in the second tier of English football, not the Dog and Duck competing in a Sunday Pub League. As it stands the pitch is currently unfit for purpose.

chaddy - if it had been the other way round you'd have been delighted with the abandonment and would be hailing it as exactly the correct call. You're just gutted that it was not possible to complete the last ten minutes of the game which is understandable, but to then call out other posters for having the correct opinion because you're disappointed is very poor form. The only question now is, does the underlying problem get sorted or do we have to witness the same sort of scenario again and again?

Again I could have sworn I viewed the ManUre game from the upper tier of the new JW stand which if thats the right Wimbledon game would mean the stand would have had to have opened between 03/01/94 and 02/04/94 yet I dont remember it opening mid season.

Ok thanks - Im obviously wrong with my recollection of when the new JW stand opened.

Same opponents but are you sure that's the same game? I thought the new JW stand opened well before that.

I was still in the old Nuttall St stand at the time so I doubt it was.

Me too! I was telling Bill Fox to get the ******* off the pitch!

Nearest to it I can remember was pre Jack Walker, a biblical deluge just before a game against the old Crazy Gang from Wimbledon, Vinnie Jones etc al, which left huge pools of standing water on the pitch and resulted in the game being abandoned with everyone in the ground. No issues at all for years after the New Ewood was built until relatively recently.

Spot on. It would sum up the Venky's period of ownership if we lost the replay and skimping on the pitch infrastructure sent us down by less than 3 points this season.

You might have a point but surely it's incumbent on Rovers to sort their own solution out?

We put astronauts on the moon in 1969. It shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to come up with a solution, they just dont want to spend any money on it. Or on anything else for that matter.

100%.

I agree with this point in theory but how can you guarantee exactly the same players will be available on any new date? Don't think there's a cat in hell's chance this doesn't get replayed from scratch.

Tinpot doesn't even begin to describe it. We're an absolute embarrassment at all levels. Owners/management with a modicum of self respect would have sorted something after the first washout. We all knew something like this was going to happen, the only surprise is that it happened after 80 mins, we all thought it would be called off at the last minute before the game again. As a temporary fix, surely my idea of covering the pitch until just before kick off would have allowed for an extra 10-15 mins and the game to be completed? The forecast was known in advance for days.

What do you think?

That would be the fairest solution. Would have to be at our expense obviously.

Needs sorting out properly. Expenditure on this wouldnt be caught by FFP rules. And they no longer have to provide a guarantee when money is sent over. We really are a joke of a Club. "Welcome to Ewood Park for today's fixture" (Unless it rains)

At this stage of the season it will be replayed surely. Plenty of time to fit in in. Can you imagine if we lose the replay and get relegated by 3 points or less. You reap what you sow............

Let's get it right, the only party to blame is the Club because we no longer seem able to fulfill a fixture when it rains. Don't think the infrastructure of the pitch has been touched since the new Ewood was built.

Coming back on?

Im aware of the drainage problem and the fact that the only long term solution is to completely overhaul the system but I refuse to believe it wouldnt make a big difference in most cases if the majority of the water could be kept off the pitch until just before kick off and and there was only a couple of hours precipitation to worry about!

Steady rain but not torrential at the moment - really will be a poor do if we can't get the game on somehow or other. Do we cover the pitch?