Opinion: It is time Celtic dealt with major problem in Scottish football
The use of artificial pitches in the Scottish Premiership has been a talking problem for many years. At the time of writing, two clubs in the top flight – Kilmarnock and Livingston – have the artificial surfaces.
Interestingly enough, Celtic players have picked up injuries in both games this season, Moritz Jenz vs Kilmarnock and Cameron Carter-Vickers in the recent game at Livingston.
The injury picked up by Carter-Vickers will see him miss Celtic’s Champions League game against Real Madrid this evening, and in comments quoted by the Glasgow Times, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou admitted that the pitch at Livingston might well have played a part in the injury.
It didn’t help. I mean, a few of the boys to be fair were pretty sore afterwards. It’s just not a great pitch for that.
If Scottish football is looking to attract more viewers to its product, then artificial pitches should be banned from the Scottish game, and the Hoops should be leading the campaign to the surface banned.
The ban on artificial pitches isn’t just because Celtic players have got injured playing on them a number of times over the years, players of other clubs in the Scottish top flight surely have also suffered injury issues when playing on the pitches.
For those critics saying that Celtic will want rid of artificial pitches as they struggle to play football on them, it can be pointed out that the aggregate score of Celtic’s two games on the surface this season is 8-0 to the Hoops.
In the English top flight, artificial pitches are prohibited, and that really should be the case in Scotland too. If it is a matter of money for the clubs with the artificial pitches, that they cost less to maintain than real grass pitches, then an arrangement could be made to help with the finances towards real grass pitches.
Celtic are fortunate that the injury that was picked up by Carter-Vickers doesn’t seem to be the most serious, and he could back in the Hoops starting line-up for the Bhoys’ match at the weekend against Dundee United. But that doesn’t take away from the larger point about artificial pitches.
It is time that they were removed from the Scottish top flight, and from the lower leagues of the Scottish game as well, it could only be a good thing for the Scottish game.
The chances are that if Celtic did start this campaign the clubs with the artificial pitches would be looking to keep them, but that doesn’t mean that the Hoops, perhaps in conjunction with other Scottish clubs, cannot aim to get the surfaces banned.
If junior teams who can have grass pitches . Artificial pitche should be prohibited in SPL. And SFA should follow English F.A. on this rule .but then when you see the ref situation in scottish football makes you wonder
I’d like to say that as a small country, Scotland holds it’s own, that the people running its football do well given what they have to work with, but that wouldn’t be true!
Dundee United had a player sent off in the first half against Motherwell in a game they lost 1-0.
The referee originally ignored the incident, then on VARs request reviewed it and sent the Utd player off.
Now, on appeal, the Utd players red card has been reduced to a yellow, meaning not only did his team miss him in a close game(something we’d be raging about if it happens to us) but he’s now free to play against us this weekend!
This farcical series of events is Scottish football in a nutshell, from top to bottom, day after day, year after year.
Nobody’s ever held accountable for their actions, there’s a serious lack of vision in leadership (which itself seems self serving) and a lack of professionalism which means we keep stumbling into one avoidable pitfall after another constantly fighting against the wind and each other, never really achieving anything
These teams say they can’t afford grass parks it’s up to spl to outlaw them from spl.livingston players don’t like it it’s dangerous especially when clubs don’t water it before games so it holds ball up in most cases they do it to slow teams down if the ref makes sure its well watered it’s just playable Celtic_fc_1888 were lucky that it rained on the day it made it slicker but with thought the rain dry plastic pitch is health risk and sfa should make mandatory to water hour before and up to
kick off and at half time I’ve seen live games at both Kilmarnock and livingston not getting watered celtic Park and most epl parks get watered at halftime some spl clubs hardly roll there park before celtic game cause the way Celtic_fc_1888 play yet fir Park was one of the worst grounds to go to before plastic pitches is now a great pitch for playing football need to rip up plastic pitches and until them make sure it’s well watered before game and at halftime
If Celtic and rangers and the rest of the teams in the league are serious about having artificial grass banned in the SPFL then they should all help with the cost of the replacement to normal grass, Celtic and Rangers would pay more than the rest of course because they have more money available at their disposal, I’m not suggesting the 10 teams in the league pay for the full outlay but financial assistance from every team in the league and the SPFL would also be beneficial not only to the two largest clubs but to the Scottish Premier League as a whole, resulting in less injuries and a better and safer playing surface in general.
As the rules stand, only 9 of tge 12 SP clubs are needed to force a vote on artificial surfaces among the 42 SPFL clubs. The problem is, 75% of SPFL clubs must vote for the change. 17 SPFL clubs have these pitches and a few of them have genuine SP aspirations, so until the voting rules are changed, we’re stuck with it.
Why should Celtic or Sevco help pay for clubs with the cost of replacing artificial grass. It’s up to the parent club to get rid of this rubbish pitch
Bring back red ash pitches
Yes they should remove plastic pitches doesn’t do the football any good or for the players get rid now proper turf is the right way that will stop injury to players