Move back to Murrayfield from Myreside an embarrassment

So much for a brave new world for Edinburgh at Myreside. Eight months after the SRU announced they would be playing there for the next three years, the governing body has pulled out of the deal and will move them back to Murrayfield. Edinburgh will now play all their remaining fixtures this season on the main pitch. In the long term, their new home will be a back pitch at the national stadium surrounded by temporary stands. Moving away from Myreside after such a short time is a major embarrassment to senior figures within the SRU. All their big guns backed going there in the first place, including SRU chief executive Mark Dodson and Edinburgh managing director Jon Petrie, who said at the time he was ‘thrilled’ by the move. ‘Being at a ground like Myreside can help us move on,’ said Petrie last May. ‘There will be an exciting atmosphere for the players and fans and an intimidating one for the opposition. It’s a good, traditional venue and people love coming there to watch top-quality rugby.’ So what has changed? The fans deserve to know as — apart from a brief statement on the Edinburgh website — no reason for abandoning Myreside has been given. It’s not that Edinburgh are going to get a custom-built stadium to be proud of by moving away. Creating a 6,000-capacity ground by putting up some temporary stands round an artificial back pitch is the cheap option for a club with huge potential. It short-changes the fans and also head coach Richard Cockerill. He and the fans deserve better.