Oliver on Radio 5 Live

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Nice to hear Oliver doing such a great job as always, pushing the virtues of artificial pitches on the 5 Live breakfast show this morning.

Nicky Campbell asked Oliver about the infamous Wales game, and Oliver replied that FIFA had concerns about that particular 4G pitch beforehand. What Oliver didn't say, perhaps surprisingly, which I have heard / read elsewhere, is that the pitch was apparently laid only days before the game and had not been played on at all, meaning it had not 'bedded down'. When we installed ours, I seem to remember, quite a bit of football was played on it to make sure that wasn't an issue, even before we played the opening game against Brighton. I strongly suspect that accounted for the baffling bounce problems.

At the end of the interview, Nicky jokingly asked Oliver if he has shares in the company laying the pitches - I suppose that was a veiled compliment with regard to Oliver's excellent and by now well-rehearsed promotion of the surface. Well done Oliver!

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As a club we need to counteract the negativity coming from the Welsh camp regarding that game. We need to talk about the bedding down process and maintenance regime required for 3G pitches in detail.

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I totally agree, Sennockian. Actually it doesn't appear to have done a huge amount of damage thus far and by the end of today, all being well, the FL and Conference will be allowing them so it's not at all bad. Like most Stones fans I am sure, my heart sank a bit when I watched the ITV highlights of that game, which were followed by Tony Pulis laying into artificial pitches like his life depended on it.

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There are a couple of articles on BBC Sport about today's vote and the odd player saying they don't trust it.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29919748

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29894478

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Simon Barker has been trotting out those arguments for some time now and as we know, pretty much all of it is twaddle.

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Twaddle to the informed MUFC supporter not to the ordinary football league fan who listens to the likes of Barker & Pulis.

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Hopefully not too many Northampton Towns around!

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Well you would hope that clubs on the bones of their arses would vote for articifial pitches.

Northampton on the otherhand have been given £12m from the council to redevelopment their ground, so they have an artificial business model

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Vote tied 34 votes for and 34 against with 4 abstentions meaning at the moment approval not given.

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Vote Fails To Win Enough Support

The Football League will not see 3G pitches used next season after the clubs failed to vote through the proposal.

At an EGM at Derby County, proposals for clubs to be permitted to use artificial playing surfaces for matches in League 1 and League 2 from the start of next season fell after thirty-four clubs voted in favour of the proposals with thirty-four against with four abstentions.

As there was not a majority the proposal failed and The Football League's Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said in a press statement:: "This vote is reflective of the fact that this issue divides opinion amongst clubs as much as it does across the football public.

"While the outcome is different to previous indicative votes, it demonstrates that there is still a desire amongst clubs to find out more about artificial playing surfaces before taking such a significant step."

Well you have to imagine the Conference will now use this as a reason to not allow 3g

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I was pleased to see my home club Luton backed 3g pitches.

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I thought the Conference had already agreed to allow them www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28589474

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Nov 6, 2014 15:45:02 GMT @jayser100 said:

I thought the Conference had already agreed to allow them www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28589474

I thought they were still having to vote on it again ??

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A statement on the Conference website said:

‘Following recent dialogue with the F.A and Football League, the Football Conference’s Board intends to allow competition matches to be played on ATP’s in all three divisions from the start of the 2015/16 season. Such approval will only to be given where surfaces meet the standards of instillation and criterion for use, which are to be agreed by the respective authorities. Further statements will be made as and when the standards and criteria are agreed with all our football partners, ensuring a pragmatic and practical approach is made when considering applications for their use at Levels 1 & 2 of the National League System and associated Cup & Trophy competitions’.

So unless there has been further developments that I missed, there won't be a vote.

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Nov 6, 2014 15:52:28 GMT @jayser100 said:

A statement on the Conference website said:

‘Following recent dialogue with the F.A and Football League, the Football Conference’s Board intends to allow competition matches to be played on ATP’s in all three divisions from the start of the 2015/16 season. Such approval will only to be given where surfaces meet the standards of instillation and criterion for use, which are to be agreed by the respective authorities. Further statements will be made as and when the standards and criteria are agreed with all our football partners, ensuring a pragmatic and practical approach is made when considering applications for their use at Levels 1 & 2 of the National League System and associated Cup & Trophy competitions’.

So unless there has been further developments that I missed, there won't be a vote.

I think the bit"Our Football partners"might suggest that the Football League vote might have a bearing on the actual rubber stamping of the rule to allow ATPs.
I'm sure Calaisangleterre will confirm this later.