Jamie Murphy injury/ Performance yesterday

If it is then it’s the worst excuse imaginable. We have a plastic pitch the HTC so it’s not acceptable for them to say they are “scared” of plastic. It’s not acceptable.
 
It maybe had some influence what with the Rapid fixture coming up but it does not provide a full pardon for the team.
They didn't turn up yesterday at all and had better make it up to us very soon.
 
If it is then it’s the worst excuse imaginable. We have a plastic pitch the HTC so it’s not acceptable for them to say they are “scared” of plastic. It’s not acceptable.

It isn't acceptable, however you are putting emphasis on the word scared - I don't think that is the case at all. They may have been subconsciously affected by Murphy's injury and the talk surrounding the plastic pitches. Unfortunately there is very little you can do when it comes to the subconscious!
 
Yes. Lafferty made a run in the first half and tried to stop but couldn’t. He didn’t kick his arse after it. The performance was unacceptable but players do need to factor the surface into how they play and the pitch certainly had an effect yesterday.
 
Yes. Lafferty made a run in the first half and tried to stop but couldn’t. He didn’t kick his arse after it. The performance was unacceptable but players do need to factor the surface into how they play and the pitch certainly had an effect yesterday.

Of course it did. The last 2 weeks we have been playing high tempo 1 and 2 touch stuff through midfield and in to the offensive third. Yesterday, players were taking 2 or 3 touches just to get the ball under control, or to have the confidence that they had it under control.

I don't like making excuses, and regardless of the surface we should have been better, but the pitch played a much bigger part than people are crediting it.
 
Of course it did. The last 2 weeks we have been playing high tempo 1 and 2 touch stuff through midfield and in to the offensive third. Yesterday, players were taking 2 or 3 touches just to get the ball under control, or to have the confidence that they had it under control.

I don't like making excuses, and regardless of the surface we should have been better, but the pitch played a much bigger part than people are crediting it.
Exactly. Whether we have a plastic pitch at Auchenhowie is immaterial. You simply cannot play the game on plastic that you can on grass. You try to play a fast game and turn or change direction quickly and the ball goes one way, your knee ligaments and career go the other way.
 
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our mistake was to wait for the ball to bounce on that pitch......it went high and erratic.......also I think there was a reluctance to commit to a tackle.....that was our undoing.....apart from that we were shite right enough
 
It can't be right that players can't play a natural game because teams have elected to play on an artificial surface.It is like a Ice Hockey team electing to play on wood and saying when you come to our place bring your roller skates as ice skates won't be any good.
 
I'm all for banning these shitey pitches, but we've got Hamilton coming up shortly on theirs . Better get used to it. Nothing we can do about it right now.
 
Im not even gonna watch a game live on one of those plastic pitches that are chock full of little black beads.

They're a blight on the game and drag you down to Killie, Hamilton and Livi's level. You need to go all the way down to the conference league to find pitches like that in England

They've played for years on their plastic so training 5 days for a match on plastic will help no one and increases your injury risk IMO

Templeton down
Waghorn down
Murphy down
 
I also thought that there was something to the OP -- as others noted, the players weren't running nor tackling as per usual.

I thought Ejaria was the only one on our side who was trying to twist and turn.
Even Kent (who excels at those sorts of changes in direction) showed little appetitie for it.

What does annoy me though is how Livi didn't just play brutal football -- a lot of their stuff was actually quite decent, especially when they cleverly carved us open at the back several times.

If we are to become the complete team that can play and defeat all sorts, in Scotland we are also going to have to learn to play with equal quality on such surfaces.
 
Maybe it had nothing to do with how poor we were yesterday and yes Livingston had to play on the same pitch etc...but do you think subconsciously some of our team had his injury at the back of their heads with the artificial pitch?? Something just wasn't right. Nobody seemed to show up at all!?

100% yes.

The pitch is a fucking disgrace and not suitable for decent quality football.

Morelos, Lafferty and Ejaria all fell down several times early in the match, when they tried to turn or control the ball, with no-one near them. The whole team looked very wary of the surface and we didn't play our usual game. Even when Middleton came on, he passed the ball several times, when I would have expected him to take on his man, as normal.

Livingston have played 7 games at home this season and conceded only 2 goals. That is unheard of for a newly promoted club.

They pack their defence and the middle of the park, safe in the knowledge that it's almost impossible for the opposition to turn quickly when they pass or receive the ball. This reduces them to pumping high balls into their box, which is not our usual game and bread & butter for a packed defence.

Livingston depend on free-kicks or long throws, for most of their goals, as they are more used to playing on their shit-heap and use it to their benefits.

There is no way that they will be relegated this season as they have such a huge home advantage, bizarrely more so against the top teams who try to pass, turn & move, rather than punt and hope for a knock down.

I'm not a gambling man, but if you can bet on which stadium will see the least amount of goals this season, it will be the Toni Macaroni.
 
No. But that’s not to say the pitch wasn’t hugely influential.

The players all needed a second and third touch at simple times. They missed the bouncing ball completely at others. They also struggled to keep their feet first 10-20 mins.

I have watched us play on Falkirk, Hamilton and Kilmarnock surfaces and felt that our game didn’t massively suffer. But that game was an absolute mess from the start. Our players badly struggled on it while theirs were well used to it.

I play at the corn exchange sevens pitch every week. It’s a black pellet pitch like this one and it 100% favours people with power and pace as the game is always a battle with awkward unpredictable bounces. As one of the better players on the pitch in my opinion (but a lighter guy) there are some weeks that it just feels impossible to play good football on the surface.
 
100% yes.

The pitch is a fucking disgrace and not suitable for decent quality football.

Morelos, Lafferty and Ejaria all fell down several times early in the match, when they tried to turn or control the ball, with no-one near them. The whole team looked very wary of the surface and we didn't play our usual game. Even when Middleton came on, he passed the ball several times, when I would have expected him to take on his man, as normal.

Livingston have played 7 games at home this season and conceded only 2 goals. That is unheard of for a newly promoted club.

They pack their defence and the middle of the park, safe in the knowledge that it's almost impossible for the opposition to turn quickly when they pass or receive the ball. This reduces them to pumping high balls into their box, which is not our usual game and bread & butter for a packed defence.

Livingston depend on free-kicks or long throws, for most of their goals, as they are more used to playing on their shit-heap and use it to their benefits.

There is no way that they will be relegated this season as they have such a huge home advantage, bizarrely more so against the top teams who try to pass, turn & move, rather than punt and hope for a knock down.

I'm not a gambling man, but if you can bet on which stadium will see the least amount of goals this season, it will be the Toni Macaroni.

Hearts will do well there I bet, they play basic direct football. Livi will take plenty points at home and a good few skelpings on the road.

Hibs goal was scrappy and came from a long throw. Speaking to one of their home and away fans they also barely turned up on the day and never passed the ball freely once.
 
I play at the corn exchange sevens pitch every week. It’s a black pellet pitch like this one and it 100% favours people with power and pace as the game is always a battle with awkward unpredictable bounces. As one of the better players on the pitch in my opinion (but a lighter guy) there are some weeks that it just feels impossible to play good football on the surface.

Are you Colin McKenzie?

Those who were on the old Board a few years ago will get where I'm coming from. Memories of an all-time classic FF thread. :D
 
Maybe it had nothing to do with how poor we were yesterday and yes Livingston had to play on the same pitch etc...but do you think subconsciously some of our team had his injury at the back of their heads with the artificial pitch?? Something just wasn't right. Nobody seemed to show up at all!?
The problem is looking at how well livingstone and kilmarnock are performing on their plastic pitches. It might encourage other teams to gain an advantage by installing them. We are trying to raise the profile of the scottish game and get a big tv deal.

People who say the pitch doesnt make a difference probably hasnt played football. If that game was played on grass we would have won. The ball runs and bounces completly differently.
 
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