Dumbarton vs Stirling Albion

[FifeSons]

16 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

We’ve got some c**t on Twitter calling for a Police investigation. Superb stuff.

Sake, he’s screen shotted this. I’ve got my 15 minutes of fame.

[Clarko_son]

The most accurate tweet about the whole incident 

[FifeSons]

I wonder how much of this is actually our fault. I mean, most of it, but maybe not quite all of it?

The pitch already being screwed is clearly our fault, from the groundsman situation and sharing with Sevco B. I don’t really see that calling an early inspection would’ve made a difference, though. We were a few mins late to tweet it, but I don’t think that’s the biggest crime ever. The optics are fucking horrific, though. Even more so than the phrase ‘optics’.

[WC Boggs]

11 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

I genuinely can’t believe that’s off. Well, I mean, I can.@lionel wicksonmust have clocked about 1,000 miles to see this.

You can both feel free to join me in a little dance if you like.  

 

[FifeSons]

8 minutes ago, pleslie99 said:

Poor old Stirling…..

We’ve given them the league by getting beaten every week. We’ve already done our bit for them.

[Sweet Pete]

25 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Ah, Jimmy85. He's a massive WUM. 

He's also a top bloke.

8 minutes ago, Clarko_son said:

The most accurate tweet about the whole incident 

FS what have I done? I've only just got back in the house.

[WC Boggs]

The browsing numbers are phenomenal. Everybody DUCK AND COVER !!!

[BallochSonsFan]

1 hour ago, Greenmachine said:

There is no such thing as “Juniors”

Gemmell was at Cambuslang ffs and any Darvel player would walk into your team.

 

Which tends to happen when you have businessmen throwing money at a team. Darvel couldn't survive on the money they earn legitimately.

[FifeSons]

5 minutes ago, WC Boggs said:

The browsing numbers are phenomenal. Everybody DUCK AND COVER !!!

We're bigger than City Bayern.

[Sweet Pete]

12 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

We're bigger than City Bayern.

I saw City Bayern support Scorpions at Castle Donnington in 1991.

[BallochSonsFan]

19 minutes ago, FifeSons said:

I wonder how much of this is actually our fault. I mean, most of it, but maybe not quite all of it?

The pitch already being screwed is clearly our fault, from the groundsman situation and sharing with Sevco B. I don’t really see that calling an early inspection would’ve made a difference, though. We were a few mins late to tweet it, but I don’t think that’s the biggest crime ever. The optics are fucking horrific, though. Even more so than the phrase ‘optics’.

It is our fault. 100%.

I can't say what the weather was like in Dumbarton all day. I can say that it was only just starting to rain when I got off the train at Dumbarton Central at 5pm. So unless it was absolutely pelting down all day, weather up until tea time wasn't really an issue. The problem is that it has rained heavily from just after 5pm. 2 1/2 hours of heavy rain before the game was called off. Forecast was for more rain. Even if the game had started, it was never going to finish.

Should the club have called for an earlier pitch inspection? No. At 5pm that game was almost certainly not at risk. Ref would probably have been at the ground not long after 6pm. At what point would folk have had the club call an inspection?

The problem is that the pitch can't cope with heavy rain. It wasn't draining and no amount of forking would have helped. 2 1/2 hours of heavy rain and the pitch went from playable to unplayable. That's 100% on Dumbarton. That's not something that could have been done on the day. It's a problem that has it's root cause way further back. Our pitch has been badly maintained and it's had 2 teams playing on it. It can't cope and we can't afford to spend enough money to give it a fighting chance. Tonight's postponement is down to nearly 2 years of absolutely woeful ground work. You don't fix that kind of neglect over a 2 month period at the tail end of winter.

I didnt leave the house until after 7. I didnt get into the ground until at least 7:20. The club were still letting fans in at that point, but presumably the ref had already indicated that he was doubtful about the state of the park. Decision should have been made to stop letting people in for 10 minutes and, if needed, to delay the game to 8pm. Would have saved even more people getting into the ground and having to look for a refund. Even when the players were shaking hands and walking off the park, nobody was making an announcement that the game was postponed. Fans were still coming in to the ground. Nobody had advised the turnstile operators that the game was off.

Organisation immediately after the call off was shambolic.

The club can't control the weather. It can try to control the state of the pitch by employing a competent groundsman and making enough money available to maintain the park. Its one thing that you can't compromise on as a football club. To have 2 teams using a poorly maintained park is an impossible situation to deal with. 2 1/2 hours of rain shouldn't be enough after the weather we've had for the Easter weekend to make a pitch unplayable, but 2 years of neglect gives us absolutely no hope in situations like tonight. The club needs to do far better at maintaining the pitch.

Worse than that was the shambolic lack of organisation. If the game is in doubt then let people know. Tell the turnstile operators. Tell the kiosk staff. Tell the stewards. If the game has been called off then get an announcement out over the PA system as soon as possible. Don't wait on fans watching the players and the ref and having to put 2 and 2 together. Tell people. And keep talking with them. Tell them that we'll sort out refunds. Tell them that we'll keep the stadium open so that fans can wait inside. There was a queue of Stirling Albion fans standing in the pissing rain, stretching from the front door to the end of the away section. That's a completely unacceptable way to treat folk. Those fans should have been kept inside where at least it was dry. We should have been talking with them. Keeping them informed. Doing as much as possible to treat them with even a basic shred of decency. Some Stirling fans were able to get a refund in the supporters bar area, but it shouldn't have been some fans. It should have been every visiting Stirling fan. Seeing them standing in the pissing rain at the front door was an embarrassment. 

There is no defending that tonight. A pitch should be able to handle a couple of hours of rain after days of dry weather. If it can't then that's on the club. If the game is at risk then fans should be kept informed. Get it announced over the PA system. Let the stewards and turnstile staff know. If it's called off then let fans know ASAP. Keep them informed. Sort out refunds. Don't expect them to queue in the rain.

The whole sorry mess reflects poorly on our club. We're an absolute basket case. A crooked b*****d of an owner, an incompetent board who don't seem able to run a football club properly and, worse, would struggle to organise a piss up in a brewery when it comes to actually treating fans properly.

[WattersIsGod]

Ffs. I didn't think it looked promising when I arrived tbh at about 7.10.

Weather happens and pitches get wet....

But to have no plan, no refunds snd make us stand in the rain for 20 minutes to get a piece of cardboard as entry for this I'm beginning to think mythical game...... pretty aamateurish.

Paid 3 quid for parking too...

 

 

[Binos]

Is there a world record for this 

We must be approaching it

[Quentin Taranbino]

No refunds given? Ooooft that's a joke tbh.

Surely that's a mistake 

[TheVoiceofReason]

1 minute ago, DavidMcG said:

No refunds given? Ooooft that's a joke tbh.

Surely that's a mistake 

To get a refund you had to stand out in a queue in the rain.  

[WattersIsGod]

Seems some folk did manage to get a refund. I queued with a good few others for a piece of cardboard which apparently give entry to the rearranged fixture.... ..

I really couldn't be bothered arguing about a tenner.

Total shambles regarding communication and any manner of customer service. Really poor show tbh.

 

[cedrick1]

I was at ground around 645 went and whilst looking dodgy park was playable at this stage. Any inspection up until then would have passed. Don’t think any ref would have said off as rain would continue as would know how pitch would react to rain.

what is not in any doubt is that our pitch is a shambles from groundsman to Sharing to overall stsndard

Next our  management of the situation . Word spread inside the ground pretty soon after the call off but no management of official info about refunds or what was to happen. To have Stirling fans queuing outside in the downpour was astonishing 

[Sons fan 1872]

Well a week tonight assuming this is when the game will be considering rangers B play on the 25th, Stirling will be crowned champions it looks like. Karma for us incoming 

[WattersIsGod]

That's what I got for queueing up I'm the rain

[unitedbino]

Saw the queue for a refund outside in the pissing rain and thought... nah. I won't be coming back for the re-arranged game anyway. There's only so many times this can happen before it's just taking the piss.