On Radio Stoke the other night they said a couple of times that if we’d been at home last Saturday, it would have been off because the pitch was still unplayable. 

Personally I think the criticism of Byers is justified & it's not difficult to be our "best player" among this shower and results / performances have been just as bad when he's played.
You mention Ojo but Byers does exactly the same when he plays but that's acceptable ? I have no idea on figures but how many assists does Byers have this season ?
For someone who allegedly is among our top earners and also captain I would expect more for the money. 

How many times does it need to be said, that's not his game. He's not someone who will provide loads of assists or goals but is someone that every team needs. He does play it forwards and is always available for the ball.

Just watch him next time he plays. He rarely ever gives the ball away and often dictates play. He's like Luke Joyce but with far more ability.

This isn't directed at you specifically but it's infuriating when our fans can't pick out the best of our players because they don't run around a lot or score 30 goals.

Football is a sum of parts, each providing essential components to the team. Just look at how poor our midfield is without him. I can guarantee that as soon as he's fit, he'll be straight back in the team.

We look a disjointed rabble when he doesn't play.

5 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

How many times does it need to be said, that's not his game. He's not someone who will provide loads of assists or goals but is someone that every team needs. He does play it forwards and is always available for the ball.

Just watch him next time he plays. He rarely ever gives the ball away and often dictates play. He's like Luke Joyce but with far more ability.

This isn't directed at you specifically but it's infuriating when our fans can't pick out the best of our players because they don't run around a lot or score 30 goals.

Football is a sum of parts, each providing essential components to the team. Just look at how poor our midfield is without him. I can guarantee that as soon as he's fit, he'll be straight back in the team.

We look a disjointed rabble when he doesn't play.

He's often to be found behind the back four looking for a pass and taking the play up the pitch. It's something Barry Bannan does and we really missed Byers against Exeter as we looked clueless. Him and Garrity are a huge miss when they're out. 

The strange thing is after about 5 games of the season l was thinking BG would be surplus to requirements when we had Byers, Walters, Croasdale and Ojo to go with. Walters has been out for whatever reason, Croasdale has plateau'd and Byers and Garrity injured so we've struggled.

Pitch looked awful near the dugouts but we need to get it on. 

33 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

How many times does it need to be said, that's not his game. He's not someone who will provide loads of assists or goals but is someone that every team needs. He does play it forwards and is always available for the ball.

Just watch him next time he plays. He rarely ever gives the ball away and often dictates play. He's like Luke Joyce but with far more ability.

This isn't directed at you specifically but it's infuriating when our fans can't pick out the best of our players because they don't run around a lot or score 30 goals.

Football is a sum of parts, each providing essential components to the team. Just look at how poor our midfield is without him. I can guarantee that as soon as he's fit, he'll be straight back in the team.

We look a disjointed rabble when he doesn't play.

Ojo is a not so much a poor mans Byers, but a bankrupt mans Byers.

1 hour ago, Santa said:

On Radio Stoke the other night they said a couple of times that if we’d been at home last Saturday, it would have been off because the pitch was still unplayable. 

Portsmouth game was waterlogged recently due to the ground being saturated. which is unusual . We have had a wet winter,  but was there over use of the sprinklers in the late Autumn early Winter period ?

I wouldn’t have thought so because the grass and the roots were still alive and could deal with the water at that point.

Ive heard two different stories around the pitch. One is that the drainage channels work well themselves but the bits of pitch in betweenl still get waterlogged badly (!)

The other version I’ve heard is that one of the drainage channels is damaged and needs repairing (in the corner by the police tower),  however this is a big undertaking that can’t happen until the close season. 

Edited February 5Feb 5 by Santa

2 hours ago, Birches Head Fred said:

If it keeps on raining like this I doubt the game will be on.

Given how the game is on Sky I imagine they will have the heaters available like they did last time. 

23 minutes ago, ValiantHan said:

Given how the game is on Sky I imagine they will have the heaters available like they did last time. 

So it will be Warm standing water then ?   Heaters don't get rid of standing water, they get rid of frost.   Standing water is gotten rid off by an army of labourers with brushes . Even after the water has been brushed off, if it continues to rain the water will just puddle again . 

Shame we spent so much and believed that the new pitch would be far superior to the old pitch - it isnt .

Never mind its Thursday and they have till 10am Saturday to get rid of some standing water and prey it stops raining.  Me I'll just prey we can score a goal if its on. 

Depends if the Sky Covers protect against rainfall as well as frost otherwise will be a doubt, raining into next week then cold with snow potentially again FA Cup weekend! so we might be playing in June at this rate.

If Bristol goes that has to be played the midweek which is the only free one we have end of Feb so unsure if both went where the Stockport game could be fit in, and with the final in April it may need to postponed one of the midweek league games to get those played.

26 minutes ago, valefan16 said:

If Bristol goes that has to be played the midweek which is the only free one we have end of Feb so unsure if both went where the Stockport game could be fit in, and with the final in April it may need to postponed one of the midweek league games to get those played.

If that happens then the Northampton game will most likely be the one to be moved (again).

59 minutes ago, valefan16 said:

Depends if the Sky Covers protect against rainfall as well as frost otherwise will be a doubt, raining into next week then cold with snow potentially again FA Cup weekend! so we might be playing in June at this rate.

If Bristol goes that has to be played the midweek which is the only free one we have end of Feb so unsure if both went where the Stockport game could be fit in, and with the final in April it may need to postponed one of the midweek league games to get those played.

We'll end up playing Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday . Its happened before due to inclement weather and too many matches to be fitted in . The Cup matches have a finite time to be played before their next rounds so cannot slip much . Our end of season must be finished when all other teams is , so that cant be extended.  So there will be a few extra Thursdays to come in my mind . 

As for the covers, do sky bring covers ?  I thought they just brought heat lamps and relied on the clubs own pitch coverings. Either way if they do supply proper plastic covers then any standing water will need to be removed prior to laying it.  Our pitch problems all stem from when the pitch stopped being 3'6" above the lowest part of the terraces. Many many times I saw the lowest walk way on the terracing flooded with run off from the pitch drainage . I suppose the young uns today havent got a clue what Im talking about on that score.

didn't we win all four games within a week once, including a win over Stoke?

19 minutes ago, pensioner said:

We'll end up playing Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday . Its happened before due to inclement weather and too many matches to be fitted in . The Cup matches have a finite time to be played before their next rounds so cannot slip much . Our end of season must be finished when all other teams is , so that cant be extended.  So there will be a few extra Thursdays to come in my mind . 

As for the covers, do sky bring covers ?  I thought they just brought heat lamps and relied on the clubs own pitch coverings. Either way if they do supply proper plastic covers then any standing water will need to be removed prior to laying it.  Our pitch problems all stem from when the pitch stopped being 3'6" above the lowest part of the terraces. Many many times I saw the lowest walk way on the terracing flooded with run off from the pitch drainage . I suppose the young uns today havent got a clue what Im talking about on that score.

The other thing is matches wouldn't have been postponed with some lying water as they are now. Remember the game against Sjoke 😁

covers are on the pitch  the hot air ones 🤞it works