CARDIFF GAME OFF

[SantiagoFox]

Seeing as the snow seemed to have missed that part of the world, I was very surprised to hear that there was going to be an 11.30 inspection; we'd got half way before the news of a 10:30 inspection came through.

Don't think I'll bother giving them any money for the re-arranged game.

[stez]

Shit as it was, can't seem to understand how some people seem to have got all the way to Cardiff before it was even announced?! Surely if you know there's a morning pitch inspection, you fvck off the hours in the pub to ensure there's actually a game to get to? Nobody coming from Leicester or anywhere south of it needed to leave before 10.30.

wow! thanks for the advice. can you advise me on more things, i should've done, after the event please?

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

Didnt even occur to me this morning that there was a possibility of this being called off. I found out at 12, just as we were approaching Bristol.

Pathetic. Can't even afford undersoil heating. wankers

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Didnt even occur to me this morning that there was a possibility of this being called off. I found out at 12, just as we were approaching Bristol.

Pathetic. Can't even afford undersoil heating. wankers

This.

Its a disgrace. There should be some sort of rule now that every new ground has undersoil heating creectly installed. But like I have already put, Wales did not get any where near as much snow as Peterborough and despite some of the pitch still having snow/ice (picture on previous page) on it it could go ahead! I think Cardiff always wanted it called off.

[The Doctor]

This.

Its a disgrace. There should be some sort of rule now that every new ground has undersoil heating creectly installed. But like I have already put, Wales did not get any where near as much snow as Peterborough and despite some of the pitch still having snow/ice (picture on previous page) on it it could go ahead! I think Cardiff always wanted it called off.

tbh from the pictures you posted earlier in the thread the p'boro game should have been called off.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

tbh from the pictures you posted earlier in the thread the p'boro game should have been called off.

I agree with you it should have been, but my point is that Cardiff could not have been any worse than that so why was it called off?

[CosbehFox]

There should be some sort of rule now that every new ground has undersoil heating creectly installed.

They do in the Premiership.....but simply not workable for the likes of Scunny and P'boro to be expected to stump up.

[stez]

They do in the Premiership.....but simply not workable for the likes of Scunny and P'boro to be expected to stump up.

wasn't the weather lovely in cardiff today? absolutely gorgeous!

[nuneatonfox]

They should however, have seen the weather report and pulled out all the stops to get it finished. They did predict this cold spell didn't they

I agree they should have delayed kick off to a prabs 5pm annouce the news the night before if the pitch is not ready by 11:30am the game is off, meaning the coach would have to leave till later than it should.

[nuneatonfox]

Also why not every football league club & premiership club have back up ground prabs. Say if Leicester Walkers Stadium is flooded then the game would be played at Welford Road. Like Cardiff if the New Stadium is frozen then Millennium Stadium. Also If The City Ground Nottingham Forest flooded then if Notts County aren't playing then at the Meadow Lane. If Notts County are playing prabs Forest Sunday kick off at Meadow Lane.

[Maybes]

Also why not every football league club & premiership club have back up ground prabs. Say if Leicester Walkers Stadium is flooded then the game would be played at Welford Road. Like Cardiff if the New Stadium is frozen then Millennium Stadium. Also If The City Ground Nottingham Forest flooded then if Notts County aren't playing then at the Meadow Lane. If Notts County are playing prabs Forest Sunday kick off at Meadow Lane.

Not really feasible due to many reasons. Ticket allocations, staff trained to work in the relevant stadium etc etc

[Bluefoxtim]

Am I the only one completely stumped on the use of 'prabs'? Someone, please enlighten me!

[Fox You Forest]

Am I the only one completely stumped on the use of 'prabs'? Someone, please enlighten me!

I think he means 'perhaps', was thinking about it for about ten minutes.

[lcfcadam]

How many people were there do you reckon?

Only just got back! I reckoned about 1500 and it says 1460 on their website. Was totally brilliant and I'm really glad I didn't decide to just hop straight on the train back to Brum...

[z-layrex]

We should get the 3 points as Cardiff's forfeit due to their incompetence and obvious underhand tactics.

[BoneDog]

Only just got back! I reckoned about 1500 and it says 1460 on their website. Was totally brilliant and I'm really glad I didn't decide to just hop straight on the train back to Brum...

Sounds like you made the most out of what could of been a depressing situation!

I was wondering if the attendance at Newport was boosted much because of Cardiff being called off. Not sure how many they usually get down there.

[Radovan's Caravan]

Cheers, their injury situation crossed my mind but I thought surely not...

I'm assuming you're in Cardiff?! How's the weather been?? (Apologies if you've addressed this!)

It is blindingly obvious to me that the CC board had an ulterior motive in calling this match off and 'injuries' would appear to be the prime suspect. All the inconsistencies in the reports, the climate/geography axis, the second inspection etc suggests that something very fishy was going on.

Looks like Cardiff are guilty of failing to fulfill a fixture. I Seem to remember that a decade or so ago (?) Boro forefeited three points for a similar offence (crying off sick) and were ultimately relegated as a consequence.

How about starting your own little campaign for the points?

[stez]

you've gotta love, everything that EVER happens is down to some sort of conspiracy.

[davieG]

you've gotta love, everything that EVER happens is down to some sort of conspiracy.

Yes it's like the world of commerce etc. has proved it is totally competent in every aspect of running a business so it can't be simple incompetence which leaves conspiracies.

[DB11]

I agree with you it should have been, but my point is that Cardiff could not have been any worse than that so why was it called off?

Different referees have different thresholds.

It may have been a "50-50" so the referee and assistants thought, "Do we want to be here today or shall we go home?" - it does happen.

[bakedalasker]

What a load of bollocks. Like a few on here I made the trip down there, left at 9 from Junction 24 and got as far as Newport before it was announced on the radio the game was off.

Conspiracies that the boiler system was not connected is difficult to believe. The reaction from all Cardiff mates and fans I met is one of embarrisment. There is not alot more I can say on the subject.

[davieG]

CARDIFF CITY chairman Peter Ridsdale apologised to furious fans who saw yesterday’s big Championship showdown with Leicester called off . . . because the club’s undersoil heating wasn’t working.

Red-faced City had to announce the match was postponed after overnight frost made the pitch unplayable.

Ridsdale confirmed the club had gone to great expense to install underground pipes to ensure games could always go ahead at the new Cardiff City Stadium.

But he revealed the system was not yet functioning properly and said he was angered by the situation.

The Bluebirds boss said engineers were scheduled to arrive at the ground tomorrow to get the system into full working order.

He pledged it would be working properly in time for the Boxing Day visit of Plymouth Argyle.

Supporters were left frustrated by the cancellation and bemused that the club’s new £50m stadium could be at the centre of such farcical scenes.

While Cardiff, embarrassingly, had to call off their game, two rugby games went ahead at other new stadia in Wales.

The Ospreys were able to host Viadana in the Heineken Cup because the undersoil heating at the Liberty Stadium is up and running.

Further west, Llanelli’s Parc y Scarlets ground hosted the European match between the Dragons and Biarritz.

Just 10 miles up the road from Cardiff, Newport County’s home match with Staines was given the green light.

City missed out on a potential bumper pay day. With parks football in and around the Welsh capital virtually wiped out, their attendance would have swelled for the clash with Leicester – which was being dubbed the Championship’s game of the day.

The match was called off just after 10.30am yesterday when referee Michael Oliver inspected the pitch and declared it too dangerous for play.

It was decision accepted by Bluebirds boss Dave Jones and Leicester manager Nigel Pearson.

It was a situation though which left supporters angered and confused. Visiting fans were already on their way to South Wales from Leicester and many Cardiff supporters who live away from the Welsh capital also found they had travelled in vain and were out of pocket.

Ridsdale said that after checking weather forecasts and realising the heating system would not be working in time, other measures were taken to try to get the playing surface fit for the clash.

Groundsmen worked through the night, with the pitch covered and hot-air blowers used.

But it was not successful with one third of the playing surface still deemed too dangerous for play to go ahead.

“I’m devastated by the postponement. I’m almost speechless, upset and angry, to be honest,” said Ridsdale.

“The undersoil heating system was installed at great expense and was due to be fully commissioned this week. Engineers will be coming in on Monday to do that and we expect it to be fully working by the end of the day.

“It will certainly be working by the Boxing Day match and hopefully we will not get a situation like this again.

“If there is two feet of snow on it then that would be a problem, but we should not see fixtures postponed again in conditions like this.

“We had not been able to test the new system beforehand because it cannot be tested in the summer. You need to have a frost first to see how it copes under those conditions.

“So when we saw the forecast and the cold snap expected we pulled out the stops to put contingency plans in place to try to get the fixture to go ahead.

“Hot-air blowers were brought in, again at great expense, and staff worked right through the night to try to make sure the pitch was playable.

“Unfortunately, despite their efforts, that was not to be. It was disappointing because it is a system plenty of clubs have used in the past with success.

“I have apologised to our supporters and those of Leicester who were travelling down.

“We did try to give people as much notice as we could by announcing there would be a pitch inspection in the morning the evening before.

“There was really no way of really knowing until the morning of the match if the game could be played or not.

“Two thirds of the pitch were in fact fine, but the referee concluded that areas of it were too dangerous and the managers agreed with his decision.”

Cardiff’s match was one of just three postponed in the Championship.

S****horpe’s home tie with Ipswich failed to go ahead and West Brom saw their clash at Blackpool called off too.

But the weather has been a lot worse in other parts of Britain than it has been in Wales.

Paul Corkery of the Cardiff Supporters’ Trust said plenty of fans had been inconvenienced and left out of pocket.

“I knew of fans who had flown in from Dublin, driven down from Scotland and London, only for the game to be cancelled,” said Mr Corkery.

“It is a situation that should not really have happened and we hope it never happens again.”

Bluebirds fan Viv Grandfield, a 51-year-old lorry driver from Pontypridd, said the situation was incredible.

“To have a brand new stadium like that and not an undersoil heating system that was working is unbelievable to me,” he commented.

“Why was it not tested ahead of time and fully working ahead of the winter when everyone knows you are going to get frozen pitches? A lot of supporters feel very let down by the club about this.”

[Ford Super Sunday]

CARDIFF CITY chairman Peter Ridsdale apologised to furious fans who saw yesterday’s big Championship showdown with Leicester called off . . . because the club’s undersoil heating wasn’t working.

Red-faced City had to announce the match was postponed after overnight frost made the pitch unplayable.

Ridsdale confirmed the club had gone to great expense to install underground pipes to ensure games could always go ahead at the new Cardiff City Stadium.

But he revealed the system was not yet functioning properly and said he was angered by the situation.

The Bluebirds boss said engineers were scheduled to arrive at the ground tomorrow to get the system into full working order.

He pledged it would be working properly in time for the Boxing Day visit of Plymouth Argyle.

Supporters were left frustrated by the cancellation and bemused that the club’s new £50m stadium could be at the centre of such farcical scenes.

While Cardiff, embarrassingly, had to call off their game, two rugby games went ahead at other new stadia in Wales.

The Ospreys were able to host Viadana in the Heineken Cup because the undersoil heating at the Liberty Stadium is up and running.

Further west, Llanelli’s Parc y Scarlets ground hosted the European match between the Dragons and Biarritz.

Just 10 miles up the road from Cardiff, Newport County’s home match with Staines was given the green light.

City missed out on a potential bumper pay day. With parks football in and around the Welsh capital virtually wiped out, their attendance would have swelled for the clash with Leicester – which was being dubbed the Championship’s game of the day.

The match was called off just after 10.30am yesterday when referee Michael Oliver inspected the pitch and declared it too dangerous for play.

It was decision accepted by Bluebirds boss Dave Jones and Leicester manager Nigel Pearson.

It was a situation though which left supporters angered and confused. Visiting fans were already on their way to South Wales from Leicester and many Cardiff supporters who live away from the Welsh capital also found they had travelled in vain and were out of pocket.

Ridsdale said that after checking weather forecasts and realising the heating system would not be working in time, other measures were taken to try to get the playing surface fit for the clash.

Groundsmen worked through the night, with the pitch covered and hot-air blowers used.

But it was not successful with one third of the playing surface still deemed too dangerous for play to go ahead.

“I’m devastated by the postponement. I’m almost speechless, upset and angry, to be honest,” said Ridsdale.

“The undersoil heating system was installed at great expense and was due to be fully commissioned this week. Engineers will be coming in on Monday to do that and we expect it to be fully working by the end of the day.

“It will certainly be working by the Boxing Day match and hopefully we will not get a situation like this again.

“If there is two feet of snow on it then that would be a problem, but we should not see fixtures postponed again in conditions like this.

“We had not been able to test the new system beforehand because it cannot be tested in the summer. You need to have a frost first to see how it copes under those conditions.

“So when we saw the forecast and the cold snap expected we pulled out the stops to put contingency plans in place to try to get the fixture to go ahead.

“Hot-air blowers were brought in, again at great expense, and staff worked right through the night to try to make sure the pitch was playable.

“Unfortunately, despite their efforts, that was not to be. It was disappointing because it is a system plenty of clubs have used in the past with success.

“I have apologised to our supporters and those of Leicester who were travelling down.

“We did try to give people as much notice as we could by announcing there would be a pitch inspection in the morning the evening before.

“There was really no way of really knowing until the morning of the match if the game could be played or not.

“Two thirds of the pitch were in fact fine, but the referee concluded that areas of it were too dangerous and the managers agreed with his decision.”

Cardiff’s match was one of just three postponed in the Championship.

S****horpe’s home tie with Ipswich failed to go ahead and West Brom saw their clash at Blackpool called off too.

But the weather has been a lot worse in other parts of Britain than it has been in Wales.

Paul Corkery of the Cardiff Supporters’ Trust said plenty of fans had been inconvenienced and left out of pocket.

“I knew of fans who had flown in from Dublin, driven down from Scotland and London, only for the game to be cancelled,” said Mr Corkery.

“It is a situation that should not really have happened and we hope it never happens again.”

Bluebirds fan Viv Grandfield, a 51-year-old lorry driver from Pontypridd, said the situation was incredible.

“To have a brand new stadium like that and not an undersoil heating system that was working is unbelievable to me,” he commented.

“Why was it not tested ahead of time and fully working ahead of the winter when everyone knows you are going to get frozen pitches? A lot of supporters feel very let down by the club about this.”

Verbal. Bullshit.

Fack off Ridsdale

[Radovan's Caravan]

you've gotta love, everything that EVER happens is down to some sort of conspiracy.

Silly PC liberals like you are so obsessed with rationalising everything that you cannot accept that bad things happen often by design rather than by accident. I would sooner be called a conspiracy theorist than be called naive or gullible.

Anyone who believes that the postponement of your fixture was the result of incompetence also must accept that Ridsdale's (absurd) comments were made in good faith.

You cannot have it both ways.

[Alexikokopops]

Got on the train at 6:40am. Arrived in Cardiff just as I got the news that the game was off. Train back was at half 8pm. Ridiculous.