The Egg chasers relegation

[Nameless]

An attitude that has been perfectly demonstrated in this thread by Nameless.

Nope. In what way have I , as a football fan. suggested rugby does anything that football should copy ?

[Ian Royal]

109% is 9% still higher than average.....

the pitch wasn't ok then, we have this issue every year at this time.

just because there was another year with more rain doesn't mean this year hasn't had a lot of rain.

you admit/dismiss the last few months as being very high, but fail to realie that the last few months have been exactly the time where the pitch has been really bad.
this is Jan:

a rainfall value that has only been beaten 3 times in 100 years
the winter as a whole:

only beaten 1 time in 100 + years

2015 was the 5th wettest year I 100 years

the graphs show the current 2016 value predicted to be very close to the highest ever value, and way in excess of the 1981-2010 average line

im not sure what your definition of exceptional is
but im going with this:

exceptional
adjective

1.
unusual; not typical.

id say that 1-3 times in 100 years defo qualifies

I'd suggest that using UK figures is rather unreliable given the massive variation in rainfall levels geographically within the UK.
+9% is not exceptional.

http://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/HS_201601.pdf

Thames region is a 2-5 year event. ExceptionaLOL.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Oddly, Hazlewood Training Centre, where LI train and all of their offshoot teams play (and subsequently sees lots of rugby) has pitches like the proverbial billiard tables.

Must be something to do with the grass lol

[RoyalBlue]

30 men, all over 16 stone, trampling all over the pitch has little to do with the massive wear and tear all over the pitch. It's that Lucas Piazon you want to be worried about.

its not just their size even, its the fact that they actively dig their studs into the pitch while a whole scrum of 16 stone blokes tries to push them backwards.

Care to explain how the wear on the pitch is not the sort of wear you'd get from people 'digging in'. It's not gouges taken out or churning up of the surface. It's a threadbare surface because the grass has died.
And LOL that 16 stone is a respectable weight for a decent front row forward !!

Could the reason it doesn't show gouges taken out or churning up of the surface be because afterwards the ground staff try to repair that damage and then roll the pitch? Doesn't mean damage hasn't occurred and that wear won't show!

[Nameless]

its not just their size even, its the fact that they actively dig their studs into the pitch while a whole scrum of 16 stone blokes tries to push them backwards.

Care to explain how the wear on the pitch is not the sort of wear you'd get from people 'digging in'. It's not gouges taken out or churning up of the surface. It's a threadbare surface because the grass has died.
And LOL that 16 stone is a respectable weight for a decent front row forward !!

Could the reason it doesn't show gouges taken out or churning up of the surface be because afterwards the ground staff try to repair that damage and then roll the pitch? Doesn't mean damage hasn't occurred and that wear won't show!

No. I've been at every LI home game this season and probably 95% of the games they've played. There isn't that sort of damage (probably because it's a Desso pitch and doesn't cut up like that)

[Maneki Neko]

[Maneki Neko]

109% is 9% still higher than average.....

the pitch wasn't ok then, we have this issue every year at this time.

just because there was another year with more rain doesn't mean this year hasn't had a lot of rain.

you admit/dismiss the last few months as being very high, but fail to realie that the last few months have been exactly the time where the pitch has been really bad.
this is Jan:

a rainfall value that has only been beaten 3 times in 100 years
the winter as a whole:

only beaten 1 time in 100 + years

2015 was the 5th wettest year I 100 years

the graphs show the current 2016 value predicted to be very close to the highest ever value, and way in excess of the 1981-2010 average line

im not sure what your definition of exceptional is
but im going with this:

exceptional
adjective

1.
unusual; not typical.

id say that 1-3 times in 100 years defo qualifies

I'd suggest that using UK figures is rather unreliable given the massive variation in rainfall levels geographically within the UK.
+9% is not exceptional.

http://nrfa.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/HS_201601.pdf

Thames region is a 2-5 year event. ExceptionaLOL.

and yet my local weather station has recorded huge rainfall throughout the winter.
in January we had 77 mm worth of rain in 7 days where average rainfall for the whole of jan is 62 mm
there were only 2 days in December where it didn't rain.
the number of rainy days in January only beaten once in 2014
with mm of rain only beaten 5 times since 1971
etc

exceptional

[Nameless]

So has the weather improved under Brian or was it better under Clarke ?

Was Nigel Adkins our wettest ever manager ?

Did Brendan leave under a cloud ?

We all knew the sun shone form Sir Steve but meteorologically speaking who has been our best manager and should this be measured in mm of rain or minutes of sunshine.

[Maneki Neko]

[JamieY26]

It wouldn't surprise me if they have opted to not strengthen in order to go down and release themselves from the contract they have with the stadium and move to Brentford new ground when its finished.

There won't be a huge difference in the money the club receives as there is no real money in the game anyway.

They used to sell out the stoop when they played there, so I would imagine they would be willing to take a hit for a year in order to achieve their long term ambition of playing in London.

When did they play at The Stoop? That is Harlequins stadium (just across the road from Twickenham).

"The professional Richmond club and professional London Scottish F.C. were both merged into London Irish, who moved to the Stoop Memorial Ground before taking up tenancy at Madejski the following year.[2]" 1999


Then... lol

[Nameless]

Indeed, some glorious years since the move. Top 4 finishes and a playoff final, brilliant European games - the ones against Munster and Leinster in particular stand out. Some truly outstanding players have also worn the green shirt at the Madejski.
Not sure that was where you were going though !

[One8Seven1*]

The pitch is designed to cope with the use it gets. And the areas of worst wear are pretty obviously caused by football use.
It's fair to say if the pitch was used less, and especially if there were fewer double header weekends it might help keep it better but I don't think there is much evidence that the rugby causes the pitch problems.

Irish shared The Stoop before moving into the Madejski.

As for rugby players being repressed homosexuals it's a thought that rugby is one of the few sports where openly gay players and officials have been involved at the very top level with barely an eyebrow raised. Repressed or just not bothered about it ? Whereas football is way too scared of it to do anything other than use it as a term of abuse. Very sophisticated......

Not sure if you are on a wind up or totally dillusional!

Rugby has destroyed that pitch. The bare patches are set down from line outs and scrums! The pitch can cope with a match on a Saturday with a downpour but throw in a wet rugby match on a Sunday and it takes it toll.

I will be delighted if Irish get relegated if it means it's not financially viable to stay at the madjeski and go elsewhere.

Hear hear! It's only worth about £250k a season anyway. It costs us more to repair the pitch for the next season!

[Ian Royal]

Close, only out by more than 100% iirc the accounts... £600k

[AthleticoSpizz]

......and the pitch "repair" fees are shared

[Maneki Neko]

About as much as your obvious lack of any knowledge of how rugby is played is helping yours !!

honestly couldn't care less how much you "know" about how rugby is played.
you said if there was no rugby, the pitch would be exactly the same, and so think that the rugby has zero effect.
which is clearly nonsense.
Worse even than Ian Royal insisting its not been a really rainy autumn and winter.

and therefore I don't really have to listen to you, or pay you or your views any respect.

Ha ha !! This is really important to you isn't it !!

You think rugby is solely responsible for the state of the pitch and if LI didn't use it the pitch would be like a snooker table.
Which is clearly nonsense.
As has been fairly well shown the pitch has problems. It's not who plays on it that is causing those problems. But any use of it is going to have an effect.
The pitch is designed to cope with the number of fixtures played on it, but it's not working as it should.

Maybe you need to go and sit in a dark room and calm down

please see last sentence of my previous reply

[The Cap]

What is it with all this Charleskn stuff? Am I missing something here? Beauty product ratings and product comparison posts infiltrating the board. On the R & G site as well. Before you know it, this board will have turned into something else. A bit like our team at the mo'.

[tee peg]

it more interesting reading.........

[bobby1413]

I think it's good for Reading as a town to have a decent Rugby team playing locally so I do think it would be sad in that respect if they were relegated and left the town to go to Brentford or elsewhere.

[AthleticoSpizz]

It has been confirmed (Bob Casey...ex player and now Director of Rugby) today that they will STAY next season regardless of the relegation

Unlucky................one dimensional naysayers

[Sutekh]

Been better this season actually as they've played less games than normal as they somehow managed to fail to qualify for Europe last season (and that is difficult in rugby's top division).

And it is BAD that they're getting relegated as the division below has 4 more teams in it, therefore more games again!

The ideal place for them to finish is wherever they did last season i.e. stay in the top league but don't get into Europe.