Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘We’ve done all we can to make pitch playable’
DUNDEE FC’s pitch is in the spotlight after the re-arranged home game against Rangers was postponed again. Always hard to fight Mother Nature, insists owner Keyes
Dee are adamant they did everything in their power to ensure the surface was playable.
But a downpour in the City of Discovery yesterday afternoon led to referee Don Robertson calling it off.
The match had been scheduled for TV coverage on Sky Sports and was due to kick off at 8pm.
The current drainage system cannot cope with the level of rainfall Scotland has seen this year.
On Tuesday, John Nelms told Sky Sports: “We have three areas that struggle.
“Keeping the water off those areas as long as we can is key.”
Five games at Dens have now been called off this season due to heavy rain.
Dundee general manager Greg Fenton claimed the Aberdeen postponement in December – less than an hour before kick-off – cost the club a six-figure sum.
In February 2021, former assistant groundsman Brian Robertson Jr spoke to The Evening Telegraph about the challenges of the job.
A troublesome patch in the middle of the park had been holding water during the campaign and a waterlogged pitch, a frozen surface and heavy snowfall led to a fixture with Ayr being called off on four occasions.
Brian Jr said: “Turn the undersoil heating on and you might get a flood. These are the things you have to weigh up, whichever way you go brings more problems.
“The amount of rain and snow we’ve had, everything is soaked and the drains we have are all old and aren’t able to really handle it.”
Prior to the Covid shutdown, the pitch at Dens Park was regularly praised for its quality.
But it is understood, following the pandemic, the budget for the upkeep of the pitch was cut.
Last month, Tele Sport’s Dundee FC correspondent George Cran wrote: “It’s not just this season, though, that the pitch has been an issue.
“Throughout the Championshipwinning campaign, the Dens Park surface was in a sorry state.
“Work was done over the summer to alleviate those problems but issues remain.
“And we’re at a stage now where the pitch just can’t handle what is a normal level of rain for the Scottish winter/early spring.”
He added: “Dens Park was a place opposition teams like to come and play because the pitch was good.
“Now they can’t come and play. “Why’s that? Because the same level of investment that was previously put into the pitch hasn’t continued.
“There are reasons for that, a pandemic and more. But mainly it’s because of the new stadium.
“Why put money into Dens when you are going to move in the near future?”
Dundee owner Tim Keyes addressed the situation last week.
“It’s always hard to fight Mother Nature,” Keyes told Dee TV.
“There’s not a lot we can do in some circumstances. But, I think we’ve done everything we can.
“We’ve brought in a lot of consultants to help with the pitch, we’ve brought in everything we can possibly to make the pitch playable.
“Sometimes you make it playable, sometimes you don’t, but it hasn’t been from a lack of effort.
“But also, I think it leads to the need for a new stadium.
“With a pitch as old as ours, there is only so much you can do and if we can keep moving on the path of the new stadium, I think the current issues won’t be as relevant.”
Long-serving father-and-son team Brian Robertson Sr and Brian Jr were suspended by the club in January over “an internal matter”, with temporary staff covering the absence of the groundsmen.
The Dark Blues have enlisted the services of Glasgow-based specialists Allgrass Turf Care as they look to solve their pitch problems.
The club has also drafted in covers from Celtic and sought assistance from English Premier League partnership side Burnley.
Dundee United’s head groundsman Paul Murray will cross the street to join Dundee this summer.