Waghorn out for 6 weeks

[ian1964 10,415]

Ronny Deila brands criticism of artificial pitches "old fashioned" - and reveals he would by happy for Celtic to play on plastic

 

RONNY Deila has launched a robust defence of artificial pitches - and revealed he would be happy for Celtic to play on one at Parkhead.

 

Rangers boss Mark Warburton last week blamed the knee injury his top scorer Martyn Waghorn suffered in the Scottish Cup replay against Kilmarnock on the astroturf at Rugby Park.

 

The Englishman also stated that plastic pitches should not be allowed at the highest level in Scottish football - as is currently the case in all four senior leagues down south.

 

However, Deila, whose side take on Hamilton on their 3G surface at New Douglas Park in the Ladbrokes Premiership tomorrow night, believes they pose no danger to his players if they are of a high standard and are maintained properly.

 

The 40-year-old also rated the artificial pitch at Kilmarnock as the best in the country and admitted he would approve of one being installed at Celtic Park if he was asked.

 

“I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” he said. “I would say yes. It has to be perfect with a proper watering system, but yes. I think it would take a few years to get to that stage.

 

“If we had it at Celtic Park, all the teams could play there. Imagine what Celtic Park could be. You could train there every day, you could be very familiar with it, get perfect circumstances all the time. So there are a lot of positive things.

 

“I think that Kilmarnock is okay if it’s watered. The Hamilton one also should be okay, but it’s slippy. I don’t know why it should be so slippy, it’s not normal. You can see that it’s not the best quality.

 

“The Kilmarnock one and the others, they are better. You have to use money on it if it’s going to be really good. I haven’t seen a top, top, top one. The one we have here (at the Celtic training complex at Lennoxtown) is the best.

 

“A very good grass pitch is No.1 and then a very good artificial pitch is No. 2. What is important if we get more artificial pitches in Scotland is that they have to be of the best quality. You know, we have to spend money on real quality."

 

Deila, who will be looking for his side to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership to nine points with a win over Hamilton, dismissed claims that artificial pitches can be responsible for players suffering injuries if they are well looked after.

 

“That is not true,” he said. “There is no truth in that. I can assure you, there has been a lot of research into that and there’s nothing that says you get more injuries on artificial.

 

“But you need to water the pitch. That’s very important because, if not, you can twist joints, the ball bounces and it has a harder touch, so it’s easy to get twisted. But, if you water it, there is no science that says an artificial pitch is more dangerous.”

 

The former Stromsgodset manager revealed that half of the top flight clubs in his native Norway play on synthetic pitches – and attributed the emergence of a generation of talented youngsters in his homeland to them training and playing on them.

 

Deila is adamant that Scottish football could benefit greatly from its most promising players working more on artificial surfaces also and rubbished suggestions that senior sides need to play competitively on grass.

 

“In my view, that’s very old fashioned in my opinion,” he said. “You don’t get perfect grass all the time in Scotland, so it seems like a good thing, artificial pitches. If you are going to develop talent, it’s so important that you have good surfaces.

 

"That way you can lift your eyes up and look for a pass, instead of worrying about the ball bouncing away from your feet. Everything is about quality - quality in training and quality of pitches, as well. That is very important if we want to develop skills in Scottish football.

 

"In Norway, half of the top league play on artificial pitches. That has been a positive thing. That is why there have been so many talented players coming from Norway.”

 

Deila admitted that he wasn't a fan when plastic pitches were first introduced in Norway during his time as a player - and was only won over after playing on them on several occasions.

 

He believes attitudes towards plastic pitches in Scotland will also change as our top players grow more accustomed to them and begin to see their benefits.

 

“I think in 20 years’ time the artificial pitches are going to be unbelievably good," he said. "Already the kids are loving playing on it.

 

“I understand the concerns. I was also very sceptical when I was a player, I wasn’t sure about artificial pitches. But I played my last year on artificial and it was okay, no problem.

 

"I think opinions will change when you have it. Because they don’t know what it is. Go out there on our artificial surface on the training ground, that’s a good one. And we keep it like that."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14299937.Deila_reckons_plastic_is_fantastic___and_insists_Celtic_could_play_on_an_artificial_pitch_at_Parkhead/

[craig 5,195]

Delia is full of shite. The one at Rangers is, AFAIK, the newest synthetic surface in the country. We also have it laid indoors too.

 

Same as how they claim that Lennoxtown is better than Auchenhowie..... Anyone I've spoken to says their midden is like legoland and only a third the size of Auchenhowie.

[pete 2,499]

Delia is full of shite. The one at Rangers is, AFAIK, the newest synthetic surface in the country. We also have it laid indoors too.

 

Same as how they claim that Lennoxtown is better than Auchenhowie..... Anyone I've spoken to says their midden is like legoland and only a third the size of Auchenhowie.

.

 

What do you expect from the NHS.

[jhunter 0]

You have to use money on it if it’s going to be really good.

 

so why wouldn't you just spend that money on a top quality grass pitch with maintenance?

 

MW says they're shit

 

dela says they're fine - but then goes on to say the hamilton one is actually shit

 

who to believe eh.

[MacK1950 2,231]

Every time Deila or Collins opens their mouth some fool speaks:bouncy2:

[Darthter 542]

Rangers boss Mark Warburton last week blamed the knee injury his top scorer Martyn Waghorn suffered in the Scottish Cup replay against Kilmarnock on the astroturf at Rugby Park.

 

That is just a blatant lie......from memory MW stated that the injury wasn't HELPED by the surface @ Killie - not that it was caused by the surface.

[ian1964 10,415]

Watt gives expert view on pitch debate

Friday, 26 February 2016

 

The Scottish FA’s Facilities Manager, Cammy Watt, believes state-of-the-art 3G and natural grass can co-exist in Scottish football as he scratches beneath the surface of the pitch debate.

 

Watt, whose role requires him to preside over the Scottish FA’s pitch strategy for the recreational and professional game, has been an interested spectator in the discussion around the viability and safety of modern artificial surfaces.

 

While some views remain entrenched, he is convinced the future for Scottish football is to remain open-minded to the ever-improving technology, while being mindful of the impact harsher and more prolonged winter periods are having on traditional grass surfaces.

 

“It is a complex topic and one that should bring a wider discussion: that’s why we partnered with PFA Scotland to undertake the professional player 3G perception survey back in 2014,” he said.

 

“Gauging the views of current pro players is a vital part of the debate – but it is also just one part. The core issues stretch far beyond the pro game too.

 

“In an ideal world, football at all levels would be played on high quality, natural grass pitches. However the reality here in Scotland is that neither the weather or the financial climate is perfect at the moment. 3G therefore has a vital role to play across the game."

 

Fundamentally, 3G pitches are here to stay and greatly help to ease the burden on grass pitches which can only be used for football between five to eight hours a week due to a number of factors, weather and over-use being the most critical. Add to that the fact that pitch maintenance budgets are continually under threat given the wider financial challenges faced by local authorities who look after the vast majority of pitches in the country, and we are faced with real difficulty in supporting our national game in facility terms.”

 

“The climate in Scotland - in both financial and weather terms - means that the commercial opportunities offered by a 3G pitch are extremely attractive to clubs at all levels of the game, from grassroots to the highest level of the professional game.. With that in mind, there is clearly a place in the game for 3G.”

 

Exactly where that place is, is the subject of an intense debate which is currently centered on the aesthetic impact of artificial grass and its safety. Whilst the community and commercial aspects of artificial surfaces are well documented, a common criticism has been the alleged detrimental impact through injury to professional footballers."

 

Watt has pored over reams of 3G injury incidence research conducted globally - and while he firmly believes all injury concerns must be taken seriously, he is in no doubt of its dependability from a health perspective as well as its practical durability.

 

“A number of studies have been undertaken on this subject, primarily in Scandinavia given the high number of 3G pitches in use at all levels of the game there,” he said.

 

“The consistent key finding across these studies is that there is no significant difference in the number or severity of injuries sustained on 3G versus that on natural grass. In fact, one study showed that recovery times were actually slightly longer for injuries sustained on natural grass compared to that on 3G, although is hould be said that the differences are negligible on both sides.

 

“Developments in pitch technology means 3G pitches are only becoming safer and closer to mirroring the performance characteristics of natural grass.”

 

These developments, along with the stringent testing standards in the European Union for the materials used in the production of the rubber crumb infill, make these facilities safe to use.

 

“The rubber used in the production of crumb infill - and the properties therein - are subject to stringent testing standards in the UK and EU”, Watt said.

 

“The source product and the test standards applied to 3G pitch infill mirrors that applied to the use of materials in children’s toys - in other words, the testing is as stringent as possible”.

 

While the focus of the debate tends to focus on the senior professional level, Watt considers the evolution of 3G to have had a significant impact on the grassroots game. With nearly 150,000 registered players in Scotland, 3G pitches provide a critical link in supporting such a significant number of players in the country. This challenge is aided by the Scottish FA’s partnership with the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme, diverting proceeds of crime into community-driven facilities."

 

With professional clubs a traditional hub for their communities, the ability to turn stadiums into a facility for all every day of the week has had an immeasurable impact on the grassroots game.

 

He said: “The impact on the development of our game is huge - the increase in access, hours of use and the ability to address, at least in part, the climatic challenges of playing football in a northern European country like Scotland is undeniable. That these facilities can be provided by clubs allows them to become a hub for football within their own communities, as opposed to football being spread sporadically across an area, making club development more challenging for all concerned.”

 

This, from a commercial angle, has obvious benefits too. Facilities that previously had restricted use as natural grass now have virtually unlimited access all year round. New revenue streams, combined with the savings that can be made in other areas, make 3G pitches a smart move financially as well.

 

“3G pitches can often introduce new revenue streams for clubs that previously did not exist”, Watt explained.

 

“It changes the level of pitch use to seven days a week, 365 days a year, instead of the traditional six hours every other Saturday during a July-May season. And perhaps even more crucially, the expenditure clubs can save by not having to pay out for external training facilities can make a significant dent in the vitally important replacement fund required to replace the 3G surface at the end of it’s lifespan – usually around 7 or 8 years depending on use.

 

Watt added, “I’ve had a number of conversations with clubs where the money they save annually on training facilities equates very closely to that which requires to be invested in their longer term pitch replacement fund – in that regard alone it can be cost neutral."

 

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=15985&newsCategoryID=1

[jhunter 0]

Watt gives expert view on pitch debate

Friday, 26 February 2016

 

The Scottish FA’s Facilities Manage

 

maybe he should concentrate on the hampden pitch.

[MacK1950 2,231]

He says expenditure saved by not having to pay for external hiring for training etc. can be used in renewing after 7-8 years.Is a financial rule going to be introduced to ensure that such savings will be used in this way I doubt it very much.!!!!