...but the pitch ain't one - artificial pitches

21st of May 2008. Moscow. England captain John Terry steps up to take Chelsea's decisive fifth penalty in the shootout to decide the champions of Europe. On a wet night, his footing gives way, he shanks his kick off the post, and Manchester United go on to win.

Slippery when wet

In theory, this could be any other game. But on this night, the game occurred on a temporary grass surface, installed because Moscow's Luzhniki stadium usually has a synthetic surface called FieldTurf. It's existence is becoming more commonplace, despite widespread criticism, but is it that bad?

In the 1980s, four clubs in the English Football League played with artificial turf, with rather negative memories for fans involved. QPR, Preston, Luton and Oldham had astroturf at various stages, and unfortunately YouTube footage is rare enough, the fact that the ball barely bounced doesn't help.

After the rebuilding of Wembley stadium, the pitch cut up badly several times, causing numerous managers to complain about the risk of injuries. My previous blog about Wembley talked about the numerous events that have been held there, and it's highly likely these contributed. Of course the stadium needs to be paid for, but playing in a ditch is no-one's dream.

 The mazy runs got too much for the pitch

Wembley was relaid with Desso, comprising of natural and synthetic fibres, to a far greater improvement. Most of the leading clubs in England also use this turf, and hopefully the Premier League will not have to deal with poor quality mudbaths again, like those seen in the winters of the early 90s.

Along with scientific developments, surely economic factors should play a part in clubs being allowed to use artificial turf? Clubs seem to be going into administration every month, and any excuse to reduce overheads must be seen as a good thing. The potential loss of revenue from weather affected matches could make a difference, and as long as we don't go back to the 'plastic pitches' of the 90s, it can only be a good thing.

The ball's not on the spot ref!!

Of course this may well have a negative impact on the club shops, sales of blades of grass keyrings will plummet!