LAST Saturday, five of our players slipped on the pitch in the first 20 minutes. One or two did the same thing early in the second half. This has now been happening for the last three seasons at least, presumably as a result of watering the pitch. The strange thing is that it is virtually always Town players and not the opposition to whom this happens. Surely we need to wear the appropriate footwear?
John, Huddersfield
WHY do you always water the Galpharm pitch excessively when it results in our players losing their footing? It seems to affect us far more than it does the opposition. Surely we should be trying to prepare the pitch to our advantage if anything?
Paul, Stocksmoor
I AM aware of the problem of some of our players slipping, and it’s something I'm looking into closely.
It’s not a case of excessive watering. We did water before games earlier in the season when the weather was hotter and the surface harder to aid us in playing a passing game. But at the moment, it’s nothing untoward and it’s certainly not dramatically different from other clubs.
Our pitch may be slightly different to other clubs in that it has a synthetic element and has to be kept a certain way because we play both football and rugby on it.
But plenty of other clubs do that, and I’m perfectly happy with its condition.
As you both point out, the problem seems to affect us more than other sides.
Chris Brandon was struggling when he first came on against Forest on Tuesday, and he changed his studs at half-time.
I think it’s a case of having a really good look at the pitch before each match, having a run on it and deciding the best length of studs.
It’s common place to do this for away games, and we’ll be stressing the importance of going through the same procedure before home games too.
DO you have a policy of fining players for red and yellow cards? If so, will you be punishing Danny Cadamarteri for his dismissal against Forest?
John, Holme Valley
LIKE most clubs, we have a fines system for red and yellow cards and things like poor punctuality and leaving bottles on the training pitch! This season, we are donating all money levied to the Forget Me Not Trust, which is a charity the club is actively supporting.
However I won’t be fining Danny for his second yellow, and therefore red card, because I still don’t think he deserved it.
I’m aware of the rules on over-excessive goal celebrations, but I think they’re over the top.
You have to take into account the tension of a match, the elation of scoring a goal, and the fact that we are supposedly an entertainment industry. Where’s the.harm in a little bit of showmanship as long as it doesn’t incite the opposition fans.
I’ve seen opposition players score in front of the away end at our stadium and do something similar to what Danny did without punishment.
And when Forest equalised on Tuesday, five of their players left the pitch and raced into the dug-out and yet only the scorer, Kris Commons, was yellow carded.
I think the referee should have applied some common sense and had a word with Danny, nothing more.
That said, all our players are now aware of the danger of leaving the pitch to celebrate, and in future, any who are booked as a result will be fined.
I NOTICE the Examiner gave Joe Skarz their man of the match award against Luton. What do you make of him?
Jim, Huddersfield
I’VE been very happy with his performances of late.
At 18, he’s still growing and learning, but he has bags of ability, a good temperament and a great attitude and workrate in training, as you can see from the way he’s got stronger.
He needs to become a bit more communicative on the pitch, but if he can continue to develop at the rate he is doing, I think we’ll have a very good left-back on our hands.
