Some of the previous posts state that the pitch wasn't maintained correctly. I can confirm this is right and has led to a large proportion of the desso fibres being buried in the surface and thus becoming ineffective. This has a huge effect on the quality of the surface through the winter months especially when the pitch suffers with shade problems and a constantly damp surface. The recent training sessions are mainly to be blame for the deteriation and loss of grass coverage and also delays in ordering new frost covers due to penny pinching. It's also worth knowing that the club didn't have a basic renovation done on the surface during covid. This led to the club losing it's warranty on the desso due to not having it renovated.
One of the biggest issues faced by previous and current Head Groundsman is the amount of staff employed and a failure by the Chairman and senior management of what is needed to improve things.I was told that previously the club employed 8 Groundsman and currently it has 4. This will have a huge impact on the quality of both the stadium and training ground pitches despite the staffs best efforts. The club has a terrible reputation in the industry and this in turn makes it difficult to recruit new staff. I was fortunate to know the previous two Head Groundsman and I know what they went through physically, mentally and their constant bemusement at the Chairman and senior management's failure to understand what was needed to improve the department.
