I find it [i]tizer[/i] poor that the club can't even be bothered to apologise

[POPPY1]

Luckily I can still attend on Tuesday evening, but if not I would have had to find some way of getting a refund.

A simple apology with comments around having a review to ensure all bases are covered in the future would suffice.

It seems they learnt nothing from the games at Christmas.

All they needed to do was melt the frost, once melted the ground would have been perfectly playable.

[leagueconvert]

Looking at the bigger picture - how many superleague fixtures were cancelled at the weekend because of frozen pitches? I certainly think we need to have plans in place (and they may already be there to be honest) to ensure that when we get to superleague, we dont lose so many games at the start of the season....can't see the RFL being happy if we have to cancel week after week!!! 

[acetheviking]

Looking at the bigger picture - how many superleague fixtures were cancelled at the weekend because of frozen pitches? I certainly think we need to have plans in place (and they may already be there to be honest) to ensure that when we get to superleague, we dont lose so many games at the start of the season....can't see the RFL being happy if we have to cancel week after week!!! 

LC when did we ever cancel a SL game ?

Im struggling to think of any.

Dare I say if it was cost effective to put measures in place then they would have been like ofr the

[acetheviking]

That should have said............. like the Warrington friendly earlier this year.

Who exactly are we apologising to aswell. I believe that Judes have been offered free coach travel for the return game.

[leagueconvert]

LC when did we ever cancel a SL game ?

Im struggling to think of any.

Dare I say if it was cost effective to put measures in place then they would have been like ofr the

I havent said we have cancelled any Superleague games. My point was that this week (had we been in Superleague) we would have had to cancel the game and been the only team to have done so (I think). Not a good position to be in I am sure you would agree. I am confident that when we enter Superleague provision will be made to protect the pitch from bad weather etc as much as possible. I just dont want people to be saying 'Widnes have a great stadium and superb facilities (which we do) but its a shame that they can't use them when it gets frosty'.

At a time when there is so much positivity around the club and its future, its the little things like this that damage reputations and unfortunately stick in peoples minds.....

[The Horses Mouth]

I would imagine if we do get in SL then ground sheets would be on a list of things to purchase out of the vastly greater revenue we recieve.

But as we aren't then I presume it's a case of make do for now.

[Ratboy]

What the club should have done is advertise everyone to boil their kettle or berco and bring to the satadium.Then all the fans sprinkle on the pitch. Maybe a big hosepipe full of hot water.

[angie]

Don't really understand why straw wasn't put on the ground at the start of the week, cheap, easy and efficient, that's what the farmers used to do to keep the frost off their crops.  Then a host of fans to rake it off before the match, only needed to do down one side not the whole pitch!

[Ron Burgundy]

I was wondering whether it is the clubs responsibility to ensure the pitch is fit. As it is a community stadium, does the responsibility of the pitch fall with Widnes Vikings or Halton Borough Council ?

[The Ghost Of Ethel]

If straw was put down at the start of the week it would have to be raked off for the players to train, then put back down, then raked off for the players to train, then put back down, then raked off for the players to train, then put back down, then raked off for the match to take place.

The groundsman is a council employee and works nine to five, who is going to put the straw back down at 9.30/10.00 in the evening?

[wildej]

If straw was put down at the start of the week it would have to be raked off for the players to train, then put back down, then raked off for the players to train, then put back down, then raked off for the players to train, then put back down, then raked off for the match to take place.

The groundsman is a council employee and works nine to five, who is going to put the straw back down at 9.30/10.00 in the evening?

It wouldn't matter as we do not have another home game until the Halifax game.

[POPPY1]

What the club should have done is advertise everyone to boil their kettle or berco and bring to the satadium.Then all the fans sprinkle on the pitch. Maybe a big hosepipe full of hot water.

Water out of the tap would have done, how long would it have taken?

Someone should be sacked

[The Ghost Of Ethel]

It wouldn't matter as we do not have another home game until the Halifax game.

Sorry, I meant he wouldn't have been available after training during the past week to have put the straw back, should we have had any.

[greggs69]

The groundsman is a council employee and works nine to five, who is going to put the straw back down at 9.30/10.00 in the evening?

Also dont forget, the groundsman can only make his reccomendations as to what would help the game go ahead, the decision to make a big purchase would then have to be approved by his manager (i.e. ground sheets) so lets not all take it out on the groundsman, dont forget a couple of years ago wasnt he voted the best groundsman in rugby league?! 

Im in no way defending anybody in whats happened here, as I agree its madness that the game was called off, but lets not forget, the Council are running on VERY tight budgets at the moment, not just HBC but all councils acrss the country.  People will argue that putting the game would have outweighed the costs of the covers, but until we know all the facts, its hard to justify or berate the decisions that have been taken.

[Glynn]

i dont know what all the fuss is for, its a game against a pub side that will now be played tomorrow or another date its hardly the end of the world. there probally wouldnt of been that many there anyway