Chaotic scenes at Portman Road before Town's match against Middlesbrough is abadoned
Simon Clegg praises groundsmen who say they could have done nothing more
By Dave Gooderham
Monday, February 13, 2012
7:17 AM
SIMON Clegg has heaped praise on the dedication and hard work of the Town grounds-staff who spent a week ensuring Portman Road had every chance of staging a match on Saturday.
While the match against Middlesbrough lasted just 37 minutes, it was certainly not through the want of trying on the part of head groundsman Ben Connell and his team.
The chief executive said: “I am hugely disappointed, especially for all the groundsmen who have put so much time and effort into trying to get the pitch prepared for the match.
“We have had people working here through the night, the bubble has been up since Wednesday, all the hot air and burners that have gone into the pitch - people don’t recognise how much work goes into it.
Speaking just an hour after the abandonment, Clegg added: “I just walked out on the pitch, it is no different to the time the referee said yes we can play. But at the end of the day you have to respect his decision.
“I am disappointed for our fans and also Middlesbrough fans who have come a long way to have the game abandoned after 37 minutes.”
Connell, in his first season in the top job following Alan Ferguson’s decision to join David Sheepshanks at national football centre St George’s Park, said he felt his team could have done nothing more to try and get the game played.
He explained: “We are all very disappointed as we have been working for a week to make sure this game goes ahead. We thought we got there but I can’t argue with the referee. It is in his hands. He felt that it was not safe to carry on and we are fully supportive of that.
“I feel we have done, as a team and a club, everything we could to get the game as far as we did.”
Connell said the hard work in trying to get the game played started eight days ago after last weekend’s heavy snow.
The inflatable dome, that the club use to protect the pitch in bad weather, went up on Wednesday and Connell revealed the pitch was “absolutely fine” when he left the ground at 9pm on Friday night.
But with temperatures plummeting to around -11 Celsius overnight, the game was always going to be in doubt.
Referee Dean Whitestone underwent two pitch inspections, at 11.15am and then 1.45pm, and deemed it playable.
But after watching just 37 minutes of football, Connell added: “We were all quite happy the pitch was fine and confident the game could go ahead. It is just that the temperatures dropped.
“If we had undersoil heating, which is something we would like one day, it would be an advantage but it would also come at a cost.
“But we play with what we got. The boys have done really well to move around the heaters and get the game on to start with – that is the big thing in terms of our grounds-staff.”
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15 comments
NB The article doesn't mention Tony Mowbray either, yet your comments do........so that spoils your logic somewhat
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Kevin Bailey
Monday, February 13, 2012
Kevin Bailey- If you read my initial comments you will see that they are based on the article under which they were written, i.e. ‘Simon Clegg praises groundsmen who say they could have done nothing more’. Where has the 50% issue been raised in this article? The meaning of my comments, which when you look at the headline is pretty obvious, is that no one can be blamed for the conditions. In your eagerness to say that I have missed the point, you couldn’t have been further from it yourself.
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NB
Monday, February 13, 2012
bristan.....my comments are factually based......joined at the hip to Keane....turnstiles....15 year olds moving to Suffolk...academy....contracts all running out in 2011....won't happen again....contracts all running out in 2012....50% ticket fiasco, and they are just ones I can think of. Had Clegg have delivered on his statement that we would be an established premiership club by December 2012, then maybe I would feel differently. Perhaps you can tell me two things. What Clegg has actually done to help the club since his arrival, and what a real fan is?
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Kevin Bailey
Monday, February 13, 2012
ed Maul......wimbledon? Tennis is not played when it is raining, so rather like using cricket as an example it is absurd. Look at Rugby, a far better example, and the conditions England played in on Saturday in Rome. For your information, I held a season ticket for a considerable number of years, even supporting the club buy purchasing a 5 year ticket when they were offered. Even buying shares (now worthless) twice, when asked. So no, I don;t currently hold a season ticket, because I have principles, and I am doing the only thing left available to me to make my point, which is to add my number to the 10,000 or so fans that are staying away. In my case, until Clegg leaves. Sadly, I have been proved right, in that the club is going down the pan under the ownership of Evans, and the CEO 'skills' of Clegg. Nice turnstiles, shame about everything else
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Kevin Bailey
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tom, you miss the point. Sometimes in life the question is not what could we do, it is what should we do. I am angry, and have said so. Not sure what makes you think I am shocked? MK Dons and Middlesborough at least treat their supporters with a bit of respect.
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Kevin Bailey
Monday, February 13, 2012
NB...Clegg has once more set the agenda by the comments he made. He was the one raising the 50% issue, and I am simply responding to that. Even if the club now retracts from that position, we are still a laughing stock, and were still wrong to have said what was voluntarily said on Saturday. Equally, you made the initial comment on this thread that 'you can't blame this one on him' Well, frankly, in condemning the comments Clegg made, who would you like me to blame? Who should take responsibility for what the CEO said? I am not sure what a more levelled opinion is, so I am unlikely to give it, although I would point out that all of my comments are considered, and have an evidence based conclusion. Only Clegg could suggest that fans should pay 50% to see a game abandoned before half-time, when he then went on to say that conditions hadn't worsened! Remarkable behaviour, and if you wish to defend it, then feel free.
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Kevin Bailey
Monday, February 13, 2012
Kevin, as has been said before, why are you angry and shocked that the club are doing the very thing that you agreed to happen when you bought the ticket? It is stated clearly that the replayed match will cost 50%. You may not agree with the principle, but you must have known that this was the case, in which case why are you surprised?
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Tom
Monday, February 13, 2012
Mowbray isn't daft is he, he came away very pleased I'm sure when he saw how much better we were playing than his lot. ITFCPJ should not have caved in so easily. 3 vital points down the drain.
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JOHN BURLS
Monday, February 13, 2012
Kevin Bailey - It’s not a case of missing the point, it’s a case of not jumping to what may be the wrong conclusions, which I might add is exactly what you may very well be doing. Why not wait until Mr Clegg has made the official announcement on the situation for the rearranged game against Middlesborough so that you are able to give a more leveled opinion on the situation. You never know, you may even be praising him.
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NB
Monday, February 13, 2012
Ye Gods Kevin you really must try and take better control of these anti Clegg comments. His first comment regarding the 50% was correct until any other decision is made so what is the problem? Perhaps some of these highly paid players could dip their hands in their pocket and subsidise some of the supporters on here, who continually vilify them, as a sign of good will. I really hope most of the posters on here do not turn up on match days as we could do with some real supporters.
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bristan
Monday, February 13, 2012
I can't understand all this whinging by the part-time non-season ticket holding fans. You watched nearly 50% of a match and paid for 100%, so for the re-arranged game you pay 50% for 100%. Sounds fair to me. Look up how much you get back when Wimbledon is rained off after 2 hours.
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Ted Maul
Monday, February 13, 2012
NB I think you miss the point. There is frustration at the abandonment of the match. There is anger at the fact that Clegg has said that supporters need to pay ANOTHER 50% to see the re-arranged game. The club may alter that position, although as I type this, it IS the position. If we are not to blame Clegg for the 50% comments, that Clegg made, then please can you enlighten me, as to who we are to blame? It is another shocking example of his inability to read situations properly, and his utter disdain of Town fans. If Evans thinks Clegg is doing an outstanding job, then the job description must be very unusual, to say the least.
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Kevin Bailey
Monday, February 13, 2012
'I feel sorry for the fans' says Clegg, whilst they were clearly barely thought about when he spoke about us over the weekend. Mis-managementfest.
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I am Spartacus
Monday, February 13, 2012
Whether we like Clegg or not, say what you like, but you can't blame this one on him, it's just one of those things. I think it's true to say that Tony Mowbray has probably come out of this the better, but whether or not he was influential over the referees decision or not I'm not sure. What is more important is Sonko's injury, I don't like the idea of going to Pompey with Smith and Delaney at centre half. Bring someone in Paul Jewell, the gamble is starting to crack wide open.
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NB
Monday, February 13, 2012
More Hot Air from Clegg :-(
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ElmswellFerret
Monday, February 13, 2012