Just got back

[Graham Humphrey 13]

Spent 10-15 minutes freezing to death outside waiting to get into the Saddlers Club. Finally paid £1 to get in, waited for someone I was meeting and then promptly find out the game''s been called off. Didn''t even get so much as a drink out of it.Ah well, today was definitely a memorable experience, even if all I have to show for it is a match programme and a pack of cheese and onion Squares.

[ca 1]

It is very frustrating when you travel and the game is called off, we''ve all been there and done that.

I blame Walsall for not asking for an earlier pitch inspection plus the ref who should have had the sence to call it off at 11.30 when he saw several areas of rock hard ice on the pitch. Guess Walsall persuaded him it would be ok for 3pm and it wasn''t.

Not sure why anyone is blaming Lambert, why would he have wanted the game called off, we''re on a good run and it was only Rusty who they were hoping would make it who wouldn''t have played. Askou & Soillane weren''t in contention anyway. Smith and Hughes would have been ok so I heard ??

[Steak&Ale 0]

I''ve just got back too. Left at 9, parked in the bull ring and got a train to the ground. Taking everything into account I can understand the reasons for the postponement. I talked to a guy on the train back to brum who''d come from Sweden to watch the match. If you read this mate, get in touch. I think the least I can do is buy you a beer or three when you make it to Norwich next. and one last thing, Grant Holt (along with all the others) clearly wanted to get going when we saw him heading for the car park but he made time to have his pic taken with my kids. He''s a sound fella.

[Lambert is King 0]

Maybe we should all email the FA and ask why there was not a pitch inspection until 2pm? We already knew their standard of referees was a joke but lets have the truth as to why the referee never expressed that there may be a doubt

[Pompey_88 0]

reading all the posts, i think i am wrong in my accusation, i had just got back and listening to what the stewards were saying and just got bloody annoyed !

Apologies

[Nexus_Canary 1,109]

No danger Pompey, i think anyone who made the trip up to Walsall today has a kinda right to be anoyed !If you contact the club though they will refund your ticket at the very least ! :)

[Jim Smith 2,436]

I travelled up and at 2.15 was as frustrated as anyone else but don''t blame :Lambert. in fact, if he did have any role in persuading the ref to postpone the game then in many ways it is yet another example of the kind of single minded attitude andf determination that is dragging this club out of the mess it was in. i have no doubt under someone like Gunn we may have tried to do everything to play the game even if it meant playing on a substandard pitch.

In my eyes there are two guilty parties here. the main culprit is the ref who should have called the game off as soon as he saw the pitch and thought it unplayable. It appears he was crossing his fingers and hoping the ground staff could sort it out with their heaters between 11.30 and 3pm. That is not acceptable given what it meant in terms of distance travelled by our fans. The other party who must be culpable to a degree are Wallsall. Why was any problem with the pitch not flagged up last night and an inspection arranged at say 10a.m?

Presumably Lambert & Co did not see the pitch until later. lambert is perfectly entitled to voice his opinion if he was not happy with the pitch. Had we played and sustained injuries it could have been very costly. Also lets be honest here. We do have a number of key players out. I''m sure it was not Lambert''s key driver but this is a tricky game and we have a better chance of winning it with Askou, Hughes, Smith and Russell in the team. If we are therefore ultimately able to benefit from this postponement by having extra time to get our players fit then so be it and fair play to lambert for taking advantage. His jo is to win football matches and not keep our fns happy by putting our players and points in jeopardy by playing Wallsall on a sub standard pitch.

[Nexus_Canary 1,109]

Just want to add, Pompey88... takes a man to declare hes angry and rant and ravetakes a bigger man to admit he was wrongSo respect to ya buddy ! Not often someone appologises or w/e around here. Sometimes i think we all forget ( with the exception of Cam ;) ) that we all support the same club !

[. 0]

[quote user="Pompey_88"]Thank god i aint from Norwich, there was a lot of anger and a group of two hundred of us were let into the stadium and saw the ''frozen pitch''. WE spoke to the stweards on the pitch (who wont get paid for today) they said that Paul Lamber was very unhappy with the pitch and pressured the ref into calling the game off. WE we''re all calling him to come over to tell us his opinions but just stayed chatting to Joe ferrari. He went down alot in our estimations today. A JOKE[/quote]

The cracks in his shining armour are beginning to open up..... just as I predicted.

Bloody disgraceful attitude in my opinion.......

 

[Boot 0]

The game should have been on, it''s as simple as that. The temperature was 5 degrees plus from 12 onwards and there were a few small patches of very light frost around the ground. If someone had offered, for example, £20 million to Walsall a day or so ago providing they could get the game played today do we still think the game would be off? Nope I thought not, frankly my 3 year old armed with a hair dryer could have got that pitch ready to play in about 10 minutes. I couldn''t care less if Lambert or the ref called the game off, they shouldn''t have been given the opportunity to do so, the weather was perfect for football...we even left our jackets in the car!

As usual lazy-ass official incompetence rules the day and the fans are the ones to suffer. The re-arranged game should be held at Carrow Road, then we might see how quick these Micky Mouse clubs are to call off games because they have a few injuries or they run out of firewood! Oh and as to the refund...all well and good, how much am I going to get for the petrol?

A final thought - Doncaster cleared 4ft (!!) of snow off their ground in order to get their game on...just shows what can be done with a little planning and will.

[ca 1]

[quote user="Boot"] A final thought - Doncaster cleared 4ft (!!) of snow off their ground in order to get their game on...just shows what can be done with a little planning and will.[/quote]

 

I thought the Donny game was called off [:D]

[Nexus_Canary 1,109]

That said Boot, you ever seen the effect of a foot being turned when a stud hits frozen ground and the ground doesnt give ?Or the end result of a calf following a precision sliding tackle on frozen ground ?If this decision favoured anyone, surely it was us ?

I can already read the rants following Holts or Wes'' season ending injury due to the Walsall officials saying play on ;)

[Jim Smith 2,436]

To be fair to Wallsall its not about what they did to get the pitch ready and we shouldn''t be calling decent clubs like them tinpot or other offensive terms (Colchester are the only truly tinpot club in our league). The only gripe I have with Wallsall is I think they should have got the ref over earlier to look at the pitch properly at 9.30/10am if there was even the slightest bit of doubt.

The blame lies with the referee here. Even if Lambert was pushing for a postponement if the ref disagreed the game would/should have been played. If lambert was right then it should have been called off at 11.30 at the latest when the ref has admitted the pitch was worse.

[canarycol 0]

I  wonder  why the  players was  not  issued with  ice  skates that would  have been interesting,  and  yes  I was  at walsall from midday, no one  gave  any inication  that the game  would be called  off even when I went to the ticket office and  to be honest  the way  that  the norwich fans conducted themselves after  we found  out it was off  was  superb,  sure  there was  anger and  frustration but  overall CANARIES FANS  did the club proud OTBC

[canary cherub 1]

Look folks, if you''re a regular away traveller (as I used to be) once in a while you will get to the ground to find the game is off, it goes with the territory - Portsmouth, Burnley (twice), Blackpool, West Brom etc etc.  The prime whingers imo are fans who don''t travel away on a regular basis. 

 

[canary cherub 1]

[quote user="Nexus_Canary"]

I know this is a bit of spilt milk and all that, but I think the FA should have awarded us the win and took all three points, Walsall were aware that the pitch was un playable yesterday, it was up to them to ensure the pitch was fit for this match and to leave it till 2-15 to call it off was a disgrace and to learn that the ref thought of calling it off at    11-30 but didn''t,our team and fans would not have felt so bad

[/quote]

McNally was interviewed on Radio Norfolk and said he was in contact with Walsall the night before and again in the morning, and they gave no indication that the game might be in doubt.

 

[B-ru 0]

[quote user="cityangel"]

[quote user="Boot"] A final thought - Doncaster cleared 4ft (!!) of snow off their ground in order to get their game on...just shows what can be done with a little planning and will.[/quote]

 

I thought the Donny game was called off [:D]

[/quote]

Yeah, the Donny game was P-P as well... so...?

[First Wizard 0]

[quote user="Pompey_88"]hope you enjoy your armchair[/quote]

You tit, don''t you get it? Holt breaks his leg on the ice, but hey, you''re ok..........FUC* OFF!

[Joanna Grey 0]

[quote user="canary cherub "]

Look folks, if you''re a regular away traveller (as I used to be) once in a while you will get to the ground to find the game is off, it goes with the territory - Portsmouth, Burnley (twice), Blackpool, West Brom etc etc.  The prime whingers imo are fans who don''t travel away on a regular basis. 

 

[/quote]

The prime whingers on here are cluck and smudge, who have only now surfaced to throw some coal on a very small fire.

[Patriot15 0]

[quote user="canary cherub "]

Look folks, if you''re a regular away traveller (as I used to be) once in a while you will get to the ground to find the game is off, it goes with the territory - Portsmouth, Burnley (twice), Blackpool, West Brom etc etc.  The prime whingers imo are fans who don''t travel away on a regular basis. 

 

[/quote]

With respect the games you mention above (also chuck in Arsenal, Coventry in recent years) were called off with far more valid reasons than yesterday, and yes i did them all.

Portsmouth and Burnley i can remember the rain was torrential, WBA about 6 inches of snow and Arsenal was the pea-souper.

For anybody that was there yesterday, i have been to colder barbeques and the thought never entered my head that the game night be called off. Somebody and i don''t know who has cocked up big time here as the game should have been played.

It does appear that the ones having a pop at the fans for moaning were the ones that didn''t actually go!!

Anyway see you at Wycombe and a Happy New Year to all NCFC supporters.

Onwards and Upwards. OTBC

[Herman 10,762]

[quote user="Pompey_88"]reading all the posts, i think i am wrong in my accusation, i had just got back and listening to what the stewards were saying and just got bloody annoyed ! Apologies[/quote]

[Y] Fair play to you Pompey.I think we can all understand how peed off you and the other travellers were.

At least your opening rant has proved how much we like Lambert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Baldyboy 1]

I went to the game too, but fortunately I had other things to attend to up there too, namely my daughters birthday. Mind you I could have spent more time with her! Anyway I travelled right past the ground and had local radio on and at no time did they even mention there was a pitch inspection!!! I think Walsall need to take a lot of blame for this by being stupid enough not to even say the game was in doubt!!