Exeter City (A)

[laker]

What a ridiculous decision. Hold a pitch inspection three hours before kick off when it takes five hours to get there. Got Morecambe away written all over it.

The latest this inspection should be happening is 9am, just out of consideration for anyone travelling.

[groundsman]

Didn’t look like the pitch had any blowers under the covers darler raises the sheeting in the areas most at risk and has blowers going..My guess is the ref is expecting the frost to come out of the ground a lot quicker than it will those day time temperatures are still cold with no sun .Definitely more chance of the game being off than on .

[westchestertonbear]

Jan 19, 2024 15:28:11 GMT Jerry1971 said:

This update from Exeter really doesn’t help anybody. No doubt City will have stocked up bars/food etc. our team will be on its way, and no doubt an advance guard of fans too, with more setting off early tomorrow morning, so is it sensible to wait until lunchtime? If there is doubt, call it now.

Seems broadly positive that the game can go ahead tbh.

[btb]

So despite saying they were doing an early inspection because of the distance involved it’s now a late inspection with a disregard for everyone. That changed quickly.

[groundsman]

But then again I thought darling was conference so what do I know

[rewsan]

Really? People like to moan about pretty much anything, this kind of thing happens pretty often. All seems pretty sensible to me and i'd much rather the game is given as much chance of happening as possible, not really a trip i'd want to add to our every groing list of midweek matches.

If it does get called off it's not like they hasn't been any warning, unlike the Morecombe debarcle.

[btb]

Jan 19, 2024 15:44:49 GMT rewsan said:

Really? People like to moan about pretty much anything, this kind of thing happens pretty often. All seems pretty sensible to me and i'd much rather the game is given as much chance of happening as possible, not really a trip i'd want to add to our every groing list of midweek matches.

If it does get called off it's not like they hasn't been any warning, unlike the Morecombe debarcle.

What time are you setting off in the morning?

[rewsan]

Jan 19, 2024 15:46:12 GMT btb said:

Jan 19, 2024 15:44:49 GMT rewsan said:

Really? People like to moan about pretty much anything, this kind of thing happens pretty often. All seems pretty sensible to me and i'd much rather the game is given as much chance of happening as possible, not really a trip i'd want to add to our every groing list of midweek matches.

If it does get called off it's not like they hasn't been any warning, unlike the Morecombe debarcle.

What time are you setting off in the morning?

I'm not, but come on, would you rather the match be called off today only to find the match is perfectly playable tomorrow afternoon?

It's all part of the risk this time of year, and to me it looks like Exeter are doing the right thing here.

[milesfenton]

Using made up percentages:

If they think the game is only 50:50 to go ahead or worse, then they should call it off now, given the travel distances involved. If they think there's a 75% chance it goes ahead, but that it needs a check again nearer the time to be sure, then this is the right way to do it.

Whatever the distances involved, I think it would be hard to justify calling off a game that you think has a better than 50:50 chance of going ahead. You'd expect the roads/pavements to be perfectly fine, so it really does just come down to the playing surface.

[El Goodo]

Jan 19, 2024 15:50:43 GMT rewsan said:

I'm not, but come on, would you rather the match be called off today only to find the match is perfectly playable tomorrow afternoon?

It's all part of the risk this time of year, and to me it looks like Exeter are doing the right thing here.

When you're talking about the potential of needing to turn around halfway into a 4.5-hour journey, then yes it's better it be called off today or early tomorrow morning, even if it then turns out to be playable.

The way they're doing it suggests they think it's pretty likely to be alright so hopefully all will be fine, but it's going to look pretty amateurish if the game now doesn't go ahead.

[Tom Shaw's Fist of Rage]

Are the referees allowed to take fans into account? I'd assume they'd be supposed to disregard this and just go off the pitch condition.

[btb]

Jan 19, 2024 15:50:43 GMT rewsan said:

Jan 19, 2024 15:46:12 GMT btb said:

What time are you setting off in the morning?

I'm not, but come on, would you rather the match be called off today only to find the match is perfectly playable tomorrow afternoon?

It's all part of the risk this time of year, and to me it looks like Exeter are doing the right thing here.

Easy to say when you aren’t travelling. Quite different after a 200 mile journey to find out when you have virtually arrived. Not sure I will take the risk now, much like yourself.

[El Goodo]

Jan 19, 2024 16:06:42 GMT Tom Shaw's Fist of Rage said:

Are the referees allowed to take fans into account? I'd assume they'd be supposed to disregard this and just go off the pitch condition.

Kick-offs can be delayed because of issues with fans' travel so I don't see why it wouldn't at least factor into the thinking, although I don't know. That was the reason an inspection was done today in the first place anyway, but I guess that was to do with the team travel.

[imp566]

For an inspection though, as long as the spectator areas are clear, it all depends on the pitch itself, whether it is a local derby or away support is travelling 200 miles.

[hoolaohanrahanrahan]

Last week (or maybe the week before) Truro postponed a match at 2pm against Welling. Pretty brutal that one as you'd have thought any fans, if there were any travelling, would have already been balls deep in Cornwall at that point!

Anyway, fingers crossed, could really do without another game being called off whilst we're playing saturday/saturday.