Match of the Day tonight.

[sambaDTR]

These football pitches look like it is the start of the season. Wonder what the old footballers think of it!

 

[TeessideCleveland]

Remember the Baseball Ground back then?

 

[BobUpnDown]

Playing reserve games away from their main ground for most teams has improved pitches massively, plus those mobile sun racks they use to keep it in tip top condition...

 

[jeff_potato]

It's watching the highlights from the EFL which makes me think about pitches, when you compare those surfaces with the sandboxes and mudpits which the Premier League played on from the 90s and early 00s.

 

[Boro1964]

Premier pitches are now mixed with a small % of artificial grass, this helps a lot, to keep them in great condition.

 

[Zoophonic]

Premier pitches are now mixed with a small % of artificial grass, this helps a lot, to keep them in great condition.

Drainage systems have improved significantly plus the sunlight racks.

 

[TheYorkshireTerrier]

I was watching the Boro Roma home game the other day on YouTube and the pitch looked like a swimming pool... I didn't remember it being that bad.

 

[Lemmy_kilmister]

In the 70s I remember watching Liverpool in various european midweek ties. It always was misty and the Anfield pitch resembled a turnip field.

 

[Brian Marwood]

Only down to global warming.

 

[newusername]

An interesting read if you've 10 minutes to spare...

‘The Silicon Valley of turf’: how the UK’s pursuit of the perfect pitch changed football

The long read: They used to look like quagmires, ice rinks or dustbowls, depending on the time of year. But as big money entered football, pristine pitches became crucial to the sport’s image – and groundskeepers became stars

www.theguardian.com

 

[Lefty]

In the 70s I remember watching Liverpool in various european midweek ties. It always was misty and the Anfield pitch resembled a turnip field.

And Anfield and Ayresome Park were reckoned to be the two best pitches in the country, weren't they?

 

[Capybara]

Playing reserve games away from their main ground for most teams has improved pitches massively, plus those mobile sun racks they use to keep it in tip top condition...

Not sure it's to do with playing reserve games elsewhere. I was at Newport on Friday night and the pitch was immaculate. A fourth division pitch and they play rygbi on it.

 

[FatFrank]

I was watching the Boro Roma home game the other day on YouTube and the pitch looked like a swimming pool... I didn't remember it being that bad.

I think the condition of the pitch that season did benefit us at times. The likes of Roma, Basel etc didn't come and knock the ball around us for fun.